Ethical influence in action
I’m 18 years old. My late grandfather gifts me a copy of Dale Carnegie’s classic, ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’. I read a couple of chapters, think nothing of it, and throw it in a box with some junk. Fast forward 20 years and I’m using those influence principles to persuade people in the high-stakes and high-pressure environment of criminal investigations and intelligence operations.
In 2012 I joined New Zealand Police after a career in teaching. I quickly specialised in investigative interviewing and the recruitment and handling of covert human intelligence sources, commonly referred to as “informants”.
I spent more than a decade persuading people from all walks of life, often in situations where failure simply wasn’t an option. It didn’t matter whether the context was national security, homicide, sexual assault, drug dealing, fraud, or corruption, the foundational principles of interpersonal influence required for success were always the same. It’s got nothing to do with coercion or manipulation. It’s got everything to do with respect, empathy, and dignity.
Interpersonal influence is a superpower in the world of investigation and intelligence. Imagine what it could do for your business.
Tim Sterne
+64 22 099 0791