Influence and Motivation for

Technology Leaders

Cornell Course

The best leaders are inspirational and transformative. They motivate, inspire, and empower rather than simply dictating or directing those around them. Leaders need to garner specific results that often require sustainable behavioral changes for both individuals and groups. To get these results, you need to both influence and motivate the people around you.

Many people view influence and motivation as one and the same, but they are not, and it is important to be able to use them separately or together. Influence involves having an impact on other people's actions, thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, or emotions, while motivation is about getting people to change and sustain that change after they have been influenced. In this course, Professor Erica Dawson, Ph.D., the Nancy and Bob Selander Director of Engineering Leadership Programs at Cornell University, will help you expand your repertoire of tools and techniques for influencing and motivating others, ultimately leading to the desired and sustainable behavioral changes you want to see.