As the United Nations meets this week, we're taking a look at power and how to pitch it in the workplace.
Most people think power is about rank, title, or authority. But Harvard scholar Joseph Nye framed it more simply: power is just your ability to influence others to act.
And there are only three levers you can pull:
- Coercion (hard power) – “Do this or else.”
- Payment (hard power) – “Do this and I’ll reward you.”
- Attraction (soft power) – “Do this because you want to.”
The real art, Nye argued, isn’t choosing one lever over the others—it’s knowing how to combine them. That higher-order skill is what he called smart power.
Carrots, Sticks, and the Cost of Leadership
In geopolitics, these levers shape how nations negotiate. In organisations, they shape how leaders deal with their people.
The boss with positional power leans on carrots and sticks:
- “Hit the target or face consequences.”
- “Smash it and there’s a bonus waiting.”
Both work—but both are costly. As Nye observed, leaders who ignore soft power reduce themselves to blunt instruments. The result? Short-term compliance, long-term erosion of trust.
We see this everywhere: Donald Trump’s reliance on tariffs, threats, and transactional payoffs. A CEO who thinks bonuses alone buy loyalty. A manager who mistakes fear for respect.
Soft power, by contrast, is about shaping preferences, building belief, and creating voluntary alignment. It’s the least expensive form of power in the long run—but also the hardest to master. Which is why smart power—the blend—is the mark of great leadership.
Missionary Pitching as Soft Power
This is where Missionary Pitching comes in.
A Missionary Pitch is soft power in action. It doesn’t push—it attracts. It frames a shared problem, creates belief, and moves people because they want to move.
That’s the essence of the No-Sell Sales Pitch: leading people to the right outcome without pressure or persuasion. It’s soft power translated into the workplace—clarity and belief doing the heavy lifting, instead of carrots and sticks.
And when you make attraction the base, coercion and payment change character:
- Coercion feels less like a threat, more like guidance—because people already buy the direction.
- Payment feels less like a bribe, more like reinforcement—because people are already on the mission.
- Attraction stays the foundation—so carrots and sticks only need light touches.
That’s smart power in practice: a leadership mix where belief leads, and authority or incentives simply align to it.
If you want to put this into practice, start with our Outcomes Pyramid framework. It’s how we help leaders structure belief so carrots and sticks become the backup, not the default.
Why This Matters at Work
Smart power shows up in everyday leadership moments:
- Safety: Compliance becomes commitment when it’s pitched as caring for people and their families.
- Productivity: Targets become shared when belief in a smarter way leads.
- Change Management: Adoption rises when frustrations with the old way are named and belief in the new way is clear.
- Diversity: Diversity and wellbeing stop being “initiatives”, and become self-evident positives when pitched as part of the organisation’s DNA.
The Business Case for Soft Skills
For employers, this is why investing in soft skills—pitching, clarity, influence—isn’t just “nice to have.” It expands the organisation’s soft power.
The outcomes speak for themselves:
- Lower cost of leadership. Less reliance on bonuses, punishments, and constant pressure.
- Greater trust. Teams believe in the direction, not just the deal.
- Stronger advocacy. People carry the story when you’re not in the room.
- Sustained momentum. Progress continues without you forcing it.
Followed or Feared?
Joseph Nye reminded us: attraction can’t replace coercion or payment entirely. But without it, you’re left with blunt tools that exhaust everyone.
That’s why Missionary Pitching is how leaders practice smart power. It creates belief as the base—and uses authority or incentive only when they align to the bigger picture.
That’s the difference between leaders who get compliance, and leaders who create commitment.
TL;DR:
Mercenary leaders rely on carrots and sticks.
Missionary leaders create belief first.
Smart leaders combine all three—but start with attraction.
Happy Pitching,
Pete & Rosie—The Pitch Camp Team