Wind or Sun?

Facilitating a workshop on influence & persuasion recently I was reminded one of Aesop’s classic fables. As I recall, it goes something like this….

A dispute arose between the Wind and the Sun, as to which one was the stronger of the two. They agreed to put the point upon this issue – that whichever soonest made a traveller take off his cloak, would be deemed as the more powerful.

The wind began and blew with all his might, but the stronger he blew, the closer the traveller wrapped his cloak around him and the tighter he grasped it with his hands.

Then, the sun started to shine through. With the welcome beams of light and warmth, the traveller began to feel the gradual heat of the sun, as it shone brighter and brighter. Eventually, overcome with the heat, the traveller cast his cloak on the ground.

Thus, the sun was the champion.

For me, there is a great lesson in this simple fable that persuasion is better than force. Indeed, the sunshine of a kind and gentle manner is much more powerful than the threat of force of blustering might.

How are the wind and sun different from each other?
What lesson does the tale teach you?
How can you apply this learning to your life?