CHAPTER 2: GREAT LEADERS HAVE AN I.O.U.
CHAPTER 2
GREAT LEADERS HAVE AN I.O.U.
Great leaders communicate in a manner that deserves respect. This respect comes from many sources, not the least of which is credibility. To be a great leader one must be believable and have the ability to inspire his or her followers. This is done by virtue of the leaders’ ability to judge each and every issue on its own merits and not be guided by the old fashioned need to stick to the predictable language of the status quo- driven conventional wisdom of the day.
I have had the great pleasure of teaching many classes at both the undergraduate and graduate level on the topic of communication. Thus, at a number of fine colleges and universities I have been afforded the opportunity to explore in depth those critical ingredients that are crucial to effective and persuasive communication styles for leaders. In each of these courses, whether a class on leadership, public speaking, writing, business communication, and effective communication for managers or a host of other classes, the need to be audience-focused is given a level of paramount importance.
It seems obvious that the leader, writer or speaker should ensure that the message is centered on the audience and that the message addresses the audience in such a way as to yield the most favorable results. What is less obvious, however, is just how to go about doing that; how to get the attention of the audience, whether an individual or group of followers, maintain their attention and end with a favorable response. More importantly for our purposes then, is how a great leader can communicate in such a way as to inspire his/her followers. The answer lies in giving the audience exactly what is owed to them by every great leader, writer or speaker. Hence, the I.O.U., which is due to every audience and which is employed by the best leaders. In this case I, the author, owe you, the audience, the promise that my message will be Impartial, Objective, and Unbiased. (I.O.U.)
It may seem rather simplistic to state that being impartial, objective and unbiased can yield positive results and hold an audiences' attention or can motivate a team of individuals. However, consider the alternatives. Typically, when the leader, a speaker or writer is seen as biased, overly opinionated or extreme in his or her viewpoints the message is often given less credibility and credence. This is so because, quite simply the author or potential leader is seen as more narrow minded than broad minded and incapable of offering a fair and balanced analysis of the subject matter at hand.
We see this every day with the polarized political commentary to which we are constantly exposed. Extremist arguments at both ends of the political spectrum often become no more than predictable partisan diatribes that are written with ideological blinders so as not to drift too far from the dogmatic and inflexible "party line." When we know the leaders’ view before the message is delivered and can predict the response to every question, then we have lost the feeling that the leader has given us our just due; the ability to have an honest difference of opinion and have an objective discussion of the issue being discussed. When the leader loses the perception of being impartial, objective and unbiased he or she loses the ability to be a great leader as well.
We live in a Republic which can be argued is that form of government that affords its' citizens the greatest opportunity for individual freedoms. Likewise, our political system, a representative democracy, can be seen as the most appropriate mechanism established to preserve our personal and civil liberties. It is important to know that the heart of that democracy beats to the rhythm of free speech and is nurtured by the ability of each of us to share our opinion and state our point of view without fear of recrimination. This heart becomes stronger and healthier when we can engage in an honest and open debate, offer constructive and helpful criticism and have competing and non-conformist thoughts. This heart of our democracy can also become weak and unhealthy when we are constantly bombarded with extremism and polemics where a difference of opinion is not tolerated. A great leader understands this.
So often I have heard students lament the polarized lectures, the lack of audience opinion and the closed mindedness of the presentations from which they learned little, if anything. Equally as often, I have heard the praise of audiences that, while not entirely in agreement with the speaker, appreciated the fairness of the open minded and inclusive presentation. When the speaker and the potential leader gain the perception of being impartial, objective and unbiased he or she gains the respect of the audience as well.
There are many techniques for effective communication in the world of leadership. Countless books have been written on the topic of the best style of communication for leaders. These works emphasize everything from brevity, clarity, audience focus, dramatic openings, thunderous conclusions, grammar and spell checking etc, etc. Few books, however, have fully addressed the issue of honesty. Yet, it is that issue; the perception by the audience that the leader is being fair and honest that, in my view, is the attribute that the audience considers to be of utmost importance. Communication, both verbal and written, involves contact with the audience. Great leaders are not only audience centered, they are audience involved.
I have found that passionate, focused and honest contact with the audience will almost always gain the attention and respect of those receiving the message and inspire them to listen to and follow the leadership message. When the leader is seen as communicating in an impartial, objective and unbiased manner the message will most assuredly be a HIT. In keeping with our acronyms a HIT stands for Honesty, Integrity, and Truth. These three simple words are lacking altogether too much in our public dialogue, in our corporate boardrooms and non-profit sector. An individual, group or team deserves the truth and has the right to know that the leader has high levels of honesty and integrity.
When a leader gives the I.O.U. that is owed to every audience, the resulting message will be a H.I.T. A respected marketing genius told me recently of the virtues of "High Intensity Marketing." I would like to speak of the virtues of "High Intensity Truth." Together, they would make an unbeatable combination. A great leader knows this, has put it into practice and is ready to sprint because the message is credible and the approach is honest. The great leader is not involved in a bottleneck of non-credible language; he or she is sprinting at a breakneck pace to excellence.
Stop and think if you will, of those great leaders that you have encountered in your lifetime. Think of your perception of their credibility, their believability, and your willingness to think of them as honest and truthful. Would you follow their lead if asked to? Typically, we follow those with high levels of credibility and tend to ignore those who are unwilling or unable to break from the mold of predictability with philosophical blinders or a politically correct bias.
A great leader can sprint because he or she is not chained to the starting blocks with the need to monitor a decision with a public opinion poll. The great leader sprints with the knowledge that the decision is fair and just. The great leader sprints like an impartial, objective and unbiased rocket.
GREAT LEADERS HAVE AN I.O.U.
Great leaders communicate in a manner that deserves respect. This respect comes from many sources, not the least of which is credibility. To be a great leader one must be believable and have the ability to inspire his or her followers. This is done by virtue of the leaders’ ability to judge each and every issue on its own merits and not be guided by the old fashioned need to stick to the predictable language of the status quo- driven conventional wisdom of the day.
I have had the great pleasure of teaching many classes at both the undergraduate and graduate level on the topic of communication. Thus, at a number of fine colleges and universities I have been afforded the opportunity to explore in depth those critical ingredients that are crucial to effective and persuasive communication styles for leaders. In each of these courses, whether a class on leadership, public speaking, writing, business communication, and effective communication for managers or a host of other classes, the need to be audience-focused is given a level of paramount importance.
It seems obvious that the leader, writer or speaker should ensure that the message is centered on the audience and that the message addresses the audience in such a way as to yield the most favorable results. What is less obvious, however, is just how to go about doing that; how to get the attention of the audience, whether an individual or group of followers, maintain their attention and end with a favorable response. More importantly for our purposes then, is how a great leader can communicate in such a way as to inspire his/her followers. The answer lies in giving the audience exactly what is owed to them by every great leader, writer or speaker. Hence, the I.O.U., which is due to every audience and which is employed by the best leaders. In this case I, the author, owe you, the audience, the promise that my message will be Impartial, Objective, and Unbiased. (I.O.U.)
It may seem rather simplistic to state that being impartial, objective and unbiased can yield positive results and hold an audiences' attention or can motivate a team of individuals. However, consider the alternatives. Typically, when the leader, a speaker or writer is seen as biased, overly opinionated or extreme in his or her viewpoints the message is often given less credibility and credence. This is so because, quite simply the author or potential leader is seen as more narrow minded than broad minded and incapable of offering a fair and balanced analysis of the subject matter at hand.
We see this every day with the polarized political commentary to which we are constantly exposed. Extremist arguments at both ends of the political spectrum often become no more than predictable partisan diatribes that are written with ideological blinders so as not to drift too far from the dogmatic and inflexible "party line." When we know the leaders’ view before the message is delivered and can predict the response to every question, then we have lost the feeling that the leader has given us our just due; the ability to have an honest difference of opinion and have an objective discussion of the issue being discussed. When the leader loses the perception of being impartial, objective and unbiased he or she loses the ability to be a great leader as well.
We live in a Republic which can be argued is that form of government that affords its' citizens the greatest opportunity for individual freedoms. Likewise, our political system, a representative democracy, can be seen as the most appropriate mechanism established to preserve our personal and civil liberties. It is important to know that the heart of that democracy beats to the rhythm of free speech and is nurtured by the ability of each of us to share our opinion and state our point of view without fear of recrimination. This heart becomes stronger and healthier when we can engage in an honest and open debate, offer constructive and helpful criticism and have competing and non-conformist thoughts. This heart of our democracy can also become weak and unhealthy when we are constantly bombarded with extremism and polemics where a difference of opinion is not tolerated. A great leader understands this.
So often I have heard students lament the polarized lectures, the lack of audience opinion and the closed mindedness of the presentations from which they learned little, if anything. Equally as often, I have heard the praise of audiences that, while not entirely in agreement with the speaker, appreciated the fairness of the open minded and inclusive presentation. When the speaker and the potential leader gain the perception of being impartial, objective and unbiased he or she gains the respect of the audience as well.
There are many techniques for effective communication in the world of leadership. Countless books have been written on the topic of the best style of communication for leaders. These works emphasize everything from brevity, clarity, audience focus, dramatic openings, thunderous conclusions, grammar and spell checking etc, etc. Few books, however, have fully addressed the issue of honesty. Yet, it is that issue; the perception by the audience that the leader is being fair and honest that, in my view, is the attribute that the audience considers to be of utmost importance. Communication, both verbal and written, involves contact with the audience. Great leaders are not only audience centered, they are audience involved.
I have found that passionate, focused and honest contact with the audience will almost always gain the attention and respect of those receiving the message and inspire them to listen to and follow the leadership message. When the leader is seen as communicating in an impartial, objective and unbiased manner the message will most assuredly be a HIT. In keeping with our acronyms a HIT stands for Honesty, Integrity, and Truth. These three simple words are lacking altogether too much in our public dialogue, in our corporate boardrooms and non-profit sector. An individual, group or team deserves the truth and has the right to know that the leader has high levels of honesty and integrity.
When a leader gives the I.O.U. that is owed to every audience, the resulting message will be a H.I.T. A respected marketing genius told me recently of the virtues of "High Intensity Marketing." I would like to speak of the virtues of "High Intensity Truth." Together, they would make an unbeatable combination. A great leader knows this, has put it into practice and is ready to sprint because the message is credible and the approach is honest. The great leader is not involved in a bottleneck of non-credible language; he or she is sprinting at a breakneck pace to excellence.
Stop and think if you will, of those great leaders that you have encountered in your lifetime. Think of your perception of their credibility, their believability, and your willingness to think of them as honest and truthful. Would you follow their lead if asked to? Typically, we follow those with high levels of credibility and tend to ignore those who are unwilling or unable to break from the mold of predictability with philosophical blinders or a politically correct bias.
A great leader can sprint because he or she is not chained to the starting blocks with the need to monitor a decision with a public opinion poll. The great leader sprints with the knowledge that the decision is fair and just. The great leader sprints like an impartial, objective and unbiased rocket.
posted by Mark Willand | 11:51 AM
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