Soft Power

One-line definition: Attraction rather than coercion — “the ability to attract, and attraction often leads to acquiescence” (Joseph Nye).

How it shows up

• Coined by Joseph Nye; brought into the startup frame by Mario Gabriele’s Whose Story Wins?. “Soft power acts more gently, like a story… enforcing values and norms through narrative.” The external face of the Wordsmiths cultures.

Related concepts

• Joseph Nye — coined the term; defined it as the ability to attract rather than coerce.
• Mario Gabriele — carried soft power into the startup/investing frame in “Whose Story Wins?”.
• Wordsmiths — the founder/company cultures whose external-facing narrative is their soft power.

Where it shows up

• The Storytelling of Investing - Research