How Smart Leaders Spot—and Stop—Manipulation: From Mall Hustles to Team Meetings

Ever had a stranger praise your forehead and grab your arm before asking for cash? Andrew has—right after a fresh haircut. Chuck? He let a mall kiosk smear raccoon cream under one eye and still forked over twenty bucks for soap.

Between laughs (and minor existential crises) they pull apart the Cialdini playbook—liking, reciprocity, commitment, sunk‑cost traps—and show how the same tricks keep smart people stuck in bad meetings, fake positivity, and endless “stretch roles.” By the end they’ve got a two‑word prescription for shady gurus and manipulative managers alike: stop it.