Over the years I have belonged to various associations and groups. I been also been in many peer groups, hired consultants and coaches, used multitudes of products and vendors, and even worked for some crummy employers. The years of this have recently caused me much pondering. I keep wondering why a person would stay with certain employers, or industry associations, even vendors …to their own detriment. I know of talented professionals that work for horrible organizations, yet they never leave ..they just suffer. I know individuals that are going in debt because they believe a certain industry association will “save” them.
I had to wonder, was this some sort of brainwashing? Not intentional (I hope), but psychology does play a part in sales tactics. As I dug deep and thought about past meetings, events, companies I have been with, and conversations with peers, I discovered a few things that consistently reappeared in the behaviors of these organizations. I do not profess to be a psychology expert, but I consulted with some professionals in that area, that have confirmed my thoughts.
1. Labeling – Labeling is very powerful technique. It can be used for good and can be used as manipulation. For example I have heard associations

I wanted to share with you a guest post that I wrote for Jesse Lyn Stoner’s 
This is the last of a multi-part article meant to share some of the tidbits of wisdom from the 2012 International Leadership Blogathon.
We continue on today with more tidbits of wisdom from each of the articles in the 2012 International Leadership Blogathon. This is meant to allow you quickly read some of the best parts.


