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. |