Tell It Like
It Is
By STEVE COATS |
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I recently observed the president of an up-and-coming
division of a major corporation give a speech to a group of his
direct reporting vice presidents and directors about the future
of their business. From a textbook perspective, he seemed
to violate almost every rule of effective presentation techniques.
His scribbling on an easel was preschool art; his words and language
were sometimes condescending to his audience; he was disheveled
in appearance and distracting in his movements; his posture was
slumped and his eye contact was disjointed, as were many of his
thoughts. Yet at the end, his audience applauded and cheered,
because he had somehow managed to touch them in a very meaningful
way.
How could this be? Despite all of his fundamental
no-no's, how could he possibly grab these people like he did?
The answer - by giving them the sweet taste of
leadership, for which they have been morally starved for so long.
Communicating like a leader is not the same as
giving effective presentations. They are not necessarily
mutually exclusive, but they can be as different as success and
failure. Let's look more closely at this individual, and uncover
what other things besides presentation techniques fueled his success.
He was authentic! What they heard and saw
was the real thing. He is an emotional, spontaneous, dominating,
brilliant, impatient individual, and that is exactly the person
they witnessed. No makeup, no costume, no TelePrompTer, no
professional editing.
He was honest. He told them what he knew
and what he thought. He pulled no punches on the tough issues
nor did he attempt to camouflage bad news with artificially sweetened,
but terribly misleading good news. And he openly expressed
his feelings and shared his personal fears.
He created rapport with his audience in a most
important way. He matched his talk to the level at which they
were listening. By that I mean, the subject on which he spoke
was a deeply emotional issue with his audience, and he spoke with
the kind of passion and energy that clearly communicated an understanding
of what they were truly feeling inside. (Their once great
company has been taking a beating in the marketplace, the press
and the income statement. For the first time, they are wrenching
through the turmoil of massive down sizing , and the painful acceptance
that their actual survival is in real jeopardy.) No matter
how much thinking time these kinds of issues are given, they are
still, matters of the heart and gut in their impact. An analytical,
cerebral review of the situation would have been quite professional
and corporately appropriate, but as pointless as looking east for
the perfect sunset.
His words and his nonverbal behaviors were in-sync.
When his face showed anger, so did his words. His emotion
laden words were yelled out with an emotion filled voice.
Although he did occasionally slip over the edge of appropriate communications,
these were still his words and voice and expressions, not those
prerecorded in him from some charm school on power speaking.
He was consistent, and believable.
But the most significant thing he did, was give
them a hopeful vision of the future. He provided a beacon
to a destination, different from the agonizing course they are now
on. He allowed them to embrace the promise of a better tomorrow
and rekindled the self confidence and spirit of their past.
He illuminated how valuable and important each one of them would
be in conquering the hardships they would face. Despite the
difficulty, he made it seem desirable and attainable.
By no means was this the perfect example of what
it is to communicate like a leader. For all of the things
that worked in his favor, his numerous violations may have unintentionally
produced a few clouds of doubt and uncertainty. Although people
were immediately inspired by his glimpse into the future, is it
possible that some of his more questionable behavior raised
a yellow caution flag in them? Do they really trust in him
to lead them through the tough times, or view him as a visionary
crackpot? Has he in fact, enlisted them in a common dream
or just temporarily lathered them up with his intelligence and zeal?
Only time will tell if this man proves to be a
credible and followed leader of his organization, but a couple of
immediate conclusions on communicating like a leader can be made.
First, although proper communicating techniques
are extremely helpful, principle is more important. Everyone
has individual foibles that irritate others and create barriers
to effectiveness. But these are much more easily forgiven,
than are unpardonable sins like manipulating or humiliating others
for personal gain, denying previously made promises, or not being
honest. Credibility, which stems from principle and values, is the
root of leadership, and above all else must be preserved.
However, continuing to refine one's natural style with
proven techniques is still a worthwhile endeavor, as it can enable
authenticity and credibility to shine through much more easily.
Remember, the raw gem becomes much more precious as the jagged edges
are smoothed and beveled. But no amount of polishing alone,
as precise as it may be, will ever turn a piece of ordinary stone
into a diamond.
Finally, no matter how successful one may be on
any particular occasion, communicating like a leader is not a one
time event. It is a dynamic mix of verbal, written, electronic
and symbolic messages. It is choosing a few important themes and
trumpeting them relentlessly. Most important, it is modeling
on a day by day basis, the behaviors and actions that are visibly
congruent with the spoken words. Consistent actions always
communicate with astonishing clarity.
Warren Bennis once said, " leaders are only
as powerful as the ideas they can communicate." Effectively
communicating ideas (or visions or values) takes more than trying
to sound authentic or appear passionate while giving an occasional
speech. It takes being authentic and being passionate - all
the time. This is the ultimate test that the fellow in our
story and all other aspiring leaders must pass, if they truly hope
to capture the lasting faith and commitment of their people.
Steven Coats is with International Leadership
Associates. They will soon be offering a new leadership program
on principle-centered vs. technique-based communications. |