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<\/p>\n
Tony Soprano was a master of coercion. Through violence, extortion, and bribery, he rose to the top of his industry, crushing competitors and delivering strong margins, despite some unfortunate employee turnover along the way. But even Soprano began to suspect there might be another way.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
His psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi, encouraged him to try a more collaborative approach, to become a better listener, and to engage with subordinates more thoughtfully. Soprano paused, thought about it, and, after considering the implications, asked, \u201cThen how do I get people to do what I want?\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the Tony Soprano Problem. And today, every leader feels it. We want to be thoughtful managers, to motivate our teams, and to be effective collaborators. But we also want\u2014and need\u2014people to do what we want. We want customers to buy our products, stakeholders to buy into our vision, and our team to execute our plans. Good leaders learn to square that circle.<\/p>\n