Skills of Cult Leaders

"The differences between how a conventional leader influences followers and how cult leaders manipulate them can be subtle.  Sometimes the only difference is their intent."  This is the observation of Janja Lalich, writing in Harvard Business Review (January 2004; hbr.org).  Lalich noted...

"Cult leaders don't do anything mysterious; they just know how to package themselves and their promises well and how to target responsive audiences.  They are very good at influencing, or, to be more precise, manipulating, followers.  To do this, they rely on a keen ability to perceive others' vulnerabilities and longings — to know what people want...

"One way a cult leader manipulates is by exploiting followers' eagerness to be part of something bigger than themselves.  That desire often prompts followers to assign to a leader attributes that he doesn't actually possess.  A type of group contagion can take hold....  Then followers can fall into what I call uncritical obedience, never questioning the leader's claims...

"Cult leaders are also skillful at convincing followers that the leader's ideas are their own.  Once followers own the ideas, it's difficult for them to extract themselves from the leader's message."

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