Transcript Document

The Leading
from the Heart Workshop®
SSOE
“I am an Engineer.
I serve mankind
by making dreams
come true.”
-Anonymous
“Few are attracted to
engineering primarily
from an interest in
people and their
problems.” - Edward Wenk
Why Leadership?
Why Now?
4.5 percent
warning:
ON OCTOBER 31, 2006, THE JOB
OPENINGS RATE WAS 3 PERCENT, ITS
HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE APRIL, 2001
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
This is your
WAKE UP
call
Fact
In the war for talent,
everyone is fighting
over your best
employees.
What talent war?
17-21=
-4
Professional and
business services will
grow twice as fast as the
overall economy.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
“Numerous job openings will
be created by engineers who
transfer to management,
sales, or other professional occupations.”
U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition
By 2012, one out of five
workers will be fifty-five
years old or older.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
About half of Human
Resource professionals
say they are seeing new
workers entering the
workforce lacking
overall professionalism,
written communication
skills, analytical skills, or
business knowledge.
SHRM: 2005 Future of the U.S.
Labor Pool Survey Report
“The Baby Boom is de-booming and
soon there will be many more jobs
than people available to fill them…It
may be time to reconsider the ‘they
have no place else to go’ strategy of
employee retention.”
“Why Retention Should Become a Core Strategy Now”
Harvard Management Update, October 2003
“
We are always in need
of energetic new talent
to continue our success
and help us remain the
company of choice.
”
Tony Damon
49%
ONLY HALF,
ONE OUT OF TWO,
U.S. EMPLOYEES
TRUST THEIR
SENIOR LEADERS.
DO YOURS TRUST YOU?
Source: Watson Wyatt’s WorkUSA® 2006/2007 Survey
“Ex-Enron CEO
Skilling Reports to
Prison”
Headline / Washington Post / 12.13.2006
“With fewer than half of employees
expressing confidence in senior
management, no company has been left
untouched by the fallout from recent
turmoil in the business environment.”
-Ilene Gochman, Watson Wyatt
People join an organization.
They leave a manager.
“Employees are assets with
feet. They’re the only resource
companies have that make a
conscious decision to return
the next day.”
Press Release, Walker Information
Employees are
searching for leaders
with integrity who prove
their credibility
continuously.
 Accept challenges and take risks
Values-based
leaders
demonstrate
six vital
integrities.
They:
 Master both listening and
speaking
 Live by the values they profess
 Freely give away their authority
 Recognize the best in others
 Have a vision and convince
others to share it
Vital
Leadership actions that, when
practiced proactively,
demonstrate your
organization’s existing values
and further establish your
credibility as a leader.
Integrities
[ 1]
values-based leaders:
vital integrities
Accept Challenges and
Take Risks
Risk seeking separates values-based
leaders from the yesteryear-theory
bureaucrats who sit around supervising
the work. Why is that important?
Leadership is proactive, as people can
only follow leaders who are moving.
risk
Verb: To do something despite danger;
to incur the chance of harm or loss
by taking an action.
change
To drive it, you must leave
your comfort zone.
Many leaders are
adventurers,
continually placing
themselves in
positions to
discover new
challenges. They
volunteer for the
tough jobs and
always question the
status quo.
For most leaders, the
opportunity to meet a
challenge is an
assignment. Those
leaders rise to a
presented challenge.
Risk Takers
Some people respond to challenges that are
presented…
Risk Seekers
…while others seek out opportunities to lead.
Admitting Ignorance
Leadership requires the
courage to surround
yourself with employees
who are potentially
better at their jobs than
you are at yours.
PRO
ACT
IVE
Pushing for
Change
“In a time of constant
change, one thing hasn’t
changed: Organizations are
still resistant to change.”
Robert Reich
challenging bad decisions
“Don’t be a wimp. Don’t sit on the
sidelines waiting for the senior
people to make a decision so that
later on you can criticize them
over a beer—‘My God, how could
they be so dumb?’ Your time for
participating is now.”
Andrew Grove, CEO Intel
Blowing the Whistle
Most workers are far too
faint-hearted for whistle
blowing. Too many exhibit an
unquestioning, even fearful,
reverence for authority.
Addressing
Performance
Issues
If you’re like most
managers,
you tend to blame
yourself for
an employee’s
disappointing
performance.
GO
first
“Leadership is going first
in a new direction—
and being followed.”
Andrew Grove
Trusting Your
Employees
Many managers find trusting
their employees highly anxietyprovoking because of the risk
involved. The urge to peek over
their shoulders, or even do the
work themselves, is great.
First, we weigh our chances of
success.
Next, we measure the importance of
success.
We also gauge how much control we
have in the outcome.
How we
assess risk
determines
how we
take risk.
We assess our own skill.
A values-based assessment should
override all other assessments of risk.
That is: does taking this risk
demonstrate your adherence to the
organization’s values, or not?
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Seeker
Accepting Challenges=
Embracing
Chaos
psychological
hardiness
“Hardy” individuals
are more likely to
approach stressful
events as
opportunities from
which to learn, rather
than as threats to
fear or avoid.
the three
attitudes of hardiness
Commitment: the
belief that stressful
events are not
threatening, but
interesting and
meaningful.
Control: the
conviction that
individuals can
actively influence
life’s events.
Challenge: the
perception that
change is both
expected and
stimulating.
Source: Suzanne Kobasa and Salvatore Maddi, The Hardy Executive: Health Under Stress
Without the threatening perceptions, individuals
with committed attitudes are free to actively
address and overcome stressful events.
Commitment
People committed to and involved in
their work are more apt to perceive
stress as interesting and meaningful.
Individuals also perceive stress more
accurately when they believe their personal
efforts can actively influence life’s events.
Control
People adapt to change best when
they understand the control they
have over their environments.
When we view stressful
events as challenging, they become normal
aspects of life.
Challenge
When we welcome chaos, we can
perceive it as stimulating, if not a hidden
opportunity for personal development.
“American managers actually enjoy
crises; they often get their greatest
personal satisfaction, the most
recognition, and their biggest
rewards from solving crises.”
Robert Hayes
“Why Japanese Factories Work”
Harvard Business Review July-August 1981
“Crises are part of
what makes work fun.”
Robert Hayes
Anne Mulcahy, CEO Xerox
“I put a lot of energy into
my work, but it’s still work.
It’s a job, so lighten up.”
Be hardy!
[ 2]
vital integrities
values-based leaders:
Master Both Listening
and Speaking
The way we communicate with our
employees impacts how workers
understand our messages, and what
actions, if any, they take in response.
are you a good listener?
Listening Illusions
Listening Illusions
Leaders believe that, in every
instance, they understand their
listening role.
Leaders believe speaking and listening
are separate activities.
Leaders believe they have uncommon
gifts for completing several other tasks
while they listen.
Leaders believe they can expedite the
listening process.
two
listening
roles
Which role?
Advisor
Expert
Diagnose
Recommend a Solution
Best for Technical Problems
Differences in Knowledge
Emergencies
One Right Answer
May Cause Overdependence
Sounding Board
Good Listener
Absorb
Attend to Feelings
Best for Relationship Issues
Differences in Philosophy
Long-Term Challenges
No Answer Needed
Promotes Independence
“Seek First to Understand,
Then to Be Understood”
-Stephen Covey
Listening Illusions
Leaders believe that, in every instance,
they understand their listening role.
Leaders believe speaking and
listening are separate activities.
Leaders believe they have uncommon
gifts for completing several other tasks
while they listen.
Leaders believe they can expedite the
listening process.
“Grandmother, what big eyes you have!”
“All the better to hear with, my child.”
The Four Quadrants of “Body Listening”
Opened
Engaged
Thoughtful
Leaning forward, body
Body open, but
and arms open;
leaning back; appears
appears ready and
attentive, is nodding or
eager.
chewing on pen.
Forward
Back
Combative
Absent
Body forward, but
closed in defiant
posture; tapping
fingers or toes.
Staring into space,
doodling, or checking
email; looking to flee.
Closed
Listening Illusions
Leaders believe that, in every instance,
they understand their listening role.
Listeners believe speaking and listening
are separate activities.
Leaders believe they have
uncommon gifts for completing
several other tasks while they listen.
Leaders believe they can expedite the
listening process.
“You can
multi-task
with ‘stuff,’
but you need
to ‘be there’
for people.”
Stephen Lundin, John
Christensen, and Harry Paul,
Fish! Tales
Listening Illusions
Leaders believe that, in every instance,
they understand their listening role.
Listeners believe speaking and listening
are separate activities.
Leaders believe they have uncommon
gifts for completing several other tasks
while they listen.
Leaders believe they can
expedite the listening process.
125 vs. 600
Without
conversation,
leadership would
give way to
bureaucracy.
The ultimate judge
of your listening
behavior is the
person who is doing
the talking.
“
The biggest problem
with leadership communication is
the
”
illusion that it has occurred.
—Boyd Clarke and Ron Crossland, The Leader’s Voice
disconnect synergy buy in
TLA human capital quality
circle good people dog &
pony show ball park figure
carpet vs. concrete work-inprocess job ready paradigm
shift quality circle rightsize
fuzzy math outsourcing talk
jargon
jargon
“Yeah-uhhh! Yo, yo dude. What’s
up dawg? How you feelin’? You
feelin’ alright? Listen, man. I’ve
got to give you props. You’re doin’
your thing and it was dope. I ain’t
mad.”
“As you can see, an implicit
asymmetrical modulating function
results in a 50 percent reduction in
inverter switching losses.”
“You’ll notice that we’ve
incorporated restrained girders,
staggered trusses, outriggers,
and beam-in-wall-systems
throughout our design.”
“I’m meeting with every DM,
PM, and PMA of every
SBU—from IP to CIF, and
from FPPC to C&IS—to get
their buy-in on Deltek.”
“Say what?”
J A R G O N
A specialized vocabulary coined
by, and intended for, a particular
profession or discipline.
Industrial phrases,
buzzwords, and acronyms
are used as verbal
shorthand to streamline
communication among
colleagues.
“Our business model,
which utilizes unique, widereaching interactive content to
attract targeted users, improved
with scale. We plan to grow our
client portfolio and expand our
content libraries, which should
better optimize every consumer
touch point.” Jeffrey Schwartz, CEO, Traffix
“This toolset is a
proven cross-platform
technology that will
allow our teams to fully
leverage our intellectual
properties and focus on
our core competencies
in developing for nextgen consoles.”
Mark Meyers
Buena Vista Games
why
jargon?
Speakers sometimes invoke workplace
jargon to impress others, or to establish
their membership in an elite faction.
Some use jargon to exclude or
confuse others, or to mask their
own inexperience or lack of
knowledge.
JARGON
often includes euphemisms
used to substitute inoffensive
expressions for those
considered offensive.
These actions will
“align our resources
with market needs and
adjust the size of our
infrastructure.”
– Chad Holliday, DuPont CEO
announcing the elimination of 3,500 jobs
20 percent
of employees are regularly confused about what their
colleagues are saying, but are too embarrassed to ask for
clarification
More than a third
40 percent
admitted using jargon deliberately—as a means
of either demonstrating control or gaining
credibility
found the use of jargon in office meetings both
irritating and distracting
One
out of dismissed speakers using jargon as both pretentious and untrustworthy
ten
Source: Office Angels
Organizations believe they are
communicating; but when the words they
lack substance, leaders
leave employees scratching
their heads.
use
Communication is
most effective
when you
speak to
both the
emotional
and intellectual
areas of your
listeners’
minds.
Stories
create the emotional
perspective listeners need
to connect with your
message.
Hugh
“The day Rachel
defined the meaning
of customer service.”
“It is impossible even
to think without a
mental picture.”
Aristotle
On Memory and Recollection
358 B.C.
[ 3]
values-based leaders:
vital integrities
Live By The Values
They Profess
Now, since the onslaught of corporate
scandals, we conceive of business
leaders as justice-obstructing, debthiding, earnings-overstating thieves who
use company funds to purchase personal
artwork and to put on lavish birthday
parties for family members.
“You will be confronted
with questions every day
that test your morals.
Think carefully, and for
your sake, do the right
thing, not the easy thing.”
Keynote address to the
St. Anselm College Class of 2002
“Ex-Tyco Chief
Executive Kozlowski
Sentenced to 8 to 25
Years”
Headline / Bloomberg.com / 09.19.2005
Strong Fundamental Values
“We must demand of ourselves
and of each other the highest
standards of individual and
corporate integrity. We
safeguard company assets.
We comply with all company
policies and laws.”
Source: The Tyco Guide to Ethical Conduct
“We safeguard company assets.”
Regency mahogany bookcase, c. 1810, $105,000
George I walnut arabesque tallcase clock, $113,750
Custom queen bed skirt, $4,995
Custom pillow, $2,665
Ascherberg grand piano, c. 1895, $77,000
Chandelier, Painted Iron, c. 1930, $32,500
Pair of Italian armchairs, c. 1780, $64,278
Persian rug, 20 feet by 14 feet, $191,250
“Ebbers’ luck runs
out in sweeping
victory for feds”
Headline / USA TODAY / March 16, 2005
I said, “Ship the documents to the feds.”
She heard, “Rip the documents to shreds.”
“In corporate America, crime pays.
Handsomely.
Grotesquely, even.”
Arianna Huffington
Pigs at the Trough
Enron Who?
Most recent business
scandals involved CEOs
that you had never heard of,
at companies that you had
barely heard of.
“Apple CEO Steve
Jobs drawn into stock
options scandal”
Headline / MacDailyNews / August 15, 2006
“It’s deeply embedded in our
culture that business is about
greedy little scoundrels trying
to do one another in. We’ve
got this idea that business
means anything goes.”
R. Edward Freeman, Director
Olsson Center for Applied Ethics
Used-car salesperson…slick
Politician…dishonest
Personal injury lawyer…greedy
Insurance agent…pesky
Postal worker…postal
Business leader…justice-obstructing,
debt-hiding, earnings-overstating
thief who uses company funds to
purchase personal artwork and to
put on lavish birthday parties for
family members
& You
thics
Consistency between an
organization’s stated values
and its leaders’ actual behavior
is critical to credibility.
When there is
discrepancy
between what leaders
say and what they do,
employees immediately
and rightly recognize
those leaders as frauds.
Frequently Mentioned Values
 Showing people dignity, respect, and courtesy
 Providing the highest quality products, work, or customer service—
excellence in everything we do
 Maintaining moral, ethics, and trust—the highest standards of conduct
 Community service
 Employee appreciation and development—people are our greatest
assets
 Open communication
 Accountability
 Teamwork
 Appreciating diversity, going beyond equal rights and equal opportunities
 Religious faith
 Protecting the environment—promoting conservation
 Profit—shareholder value
“We believe that our organization’s
greatest asset is its staff. We
encourage and support professional
development activities that meet the
goals of the organization. We take
personal responsibility, are
accountable, and embrace a set of
values that guide our daily actions.”
the
COMPANY
of CHOICE
SETTING STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE
Quality Philosophy: Happy Clients
Quality Building Blocks:
• Management toward Client’s Business Objectives
• Harmonious Relationships
• Quality Design and Engineering
• Budget Control
• Schedule Adherence
• Continuous Improvement
Quality Tools:
• Commitment
• Flexibility
• Innovation
• Technical Expertise
• Caring, Thoughtful Staff
• Clear Communications
Happy Staff
RETENTIONMATTERS
(Period.)
Old Interview
Interviewer: “Tell me why I should
hire you.”
New Interview
Candidate: “Tell me why I should
come work for your company.”
 Salary plus Incentive Pay
 Paid Holidays and Vacations
Basic
Worker
Benefits
(negotiable)
 Long-Term Retirement Savings Plan
 Employee Educational Assistance
 Medical and Hospitalization
Insurance with Dental and Vision
options
 Salary Continuation Plan (Sick
Leave, Long-Term Disability
Insurance)
 Fitness Center
 Cafés with Healthful Meals
Premium
Worker
Benefits
(old tiebreakers)
 Take-home Catering
 In-house Day Care
 Scholarships for Family Members
 Adoption Expense Assistance
 On-site Dry Cleaning, Shoe Repair,
Photo Processing, Libraries
 Cultural Diversity
Values-Based
Worker
Benefits
(new tiebreakers)
 Shared Authority and Self-Managed
Work Teams
 Paid Time Off for Volunteerism
 Flex Time or Job Sharing for
Work / Life Balance
 Maternity, Paternity, and Adoption
Leave of Absence
 Career Planning and Job Coaching
When selecting employers,
job candidates from
all generations
are focusing less on the
financial rewards and more
on the values rewards.
The Boomer Agenda
1. Make love, not war.
Done.
2. Make more money than
our parents did.
Done.
3. Make a difference
(make amends for #2).
In progress.
HOME ALON
Whereas the Industrial Revolution
drew fathers outside the home to
work, Gen Xers probably grew up
in households in which both
parents held jobs.
HOME ALON 2
The Netter Paradox
“The money’s good.
But won’t you just
downsize me, too?”
Employees connect
with leaders whose stated
values are in alignment with
the organization’s and,
thus, their own.
When an imposter’s real
values are uncovered,
employees become confused
about their roles. They may
then feel unaligned, lost, and
foolish for having trusted the
employer.
OBSERVINGANDINTERPRETING
Soon after they are hired,
employees start looking for
mutual expectations—which
of their own interests are
consistent with the values of
the organization.
alignment
Once they feel aligned,
individuals can start envisioning
their place in supporting the
organization’s success.
But if they sense they’ve been
duped, employees withdraw, become
defensive and cynical, start gossiping,
and begin causing trouble.
prove it!
WHY BOTHER?
Eighty-two percent of workers
would rather earn less money at
an organization with ethical
business practices than receive
higher pay at a company with
questionable ethics.
LRN Ethics Study 2006
“Our findings confirm
that companies with a
commitment to ethical
conduct enjoy distinct
advantages in the
marketplace, including
attracting and
retaining talent.”
Dov Seidman, LRN CEO
Workers who believe their organizations act with integrity are
nine times
more likely to stay in their current jobs.
Source: Walker Information - Commitment In The Workplace:
The 2003 National Employee Benchmark Study
But when they mistrust their bosses, or are
ashamed of their organization’s conduct,
4 out of 5
workers say they feel trapped at work and
are likely to leave their jobs soon.
Source: Walker Information - Commitment In The Workplace:
The 2003 National Employee Benchmark Study
The mission statement is “not a
trophy that decorates office walls,
but an organic body of beliefs
and a foundation of guiding
principles we hold in common.”
Howard Schultz, founder of Starbucks
[ 4]
values-based leaders:
vital integrities
Freely Give Away Their
Authority
Why the emphasis on giving away
authority? Giving authority to others
demonstrates trust in people. Trusted
employees are more effective, creative,
and satisfied. And a funny thing happens
when you trust people—they trust you
back!
“Hierarchy is an
organization with its face
toward the CEO and its ass
toward the customer.”
-Kjell A. Nordström and Jonas Ridderstråle
Funky Business
Giving away our authority is a
personal challenge. It involves
sharing influence, prestige,
and applause, while forcing us
to deal with our personal
insecurities.
Wally who?
Once you abandon
those concerns, you
will recognize
empowering others
as its own reward.
Select one. Employees who feel powerless:
A. Believe they have no control over, or discretion in,
their work?
B. Fear that their careers are subject to the whims
and demands of their boss?
C. Associate their powerlessness to bureaucracy or
an authoritative manager’s weakness?
D. Blame their own incompetence?
E. Are less motivated, less productive, and less
willing to venture outside their comfort zones?
F. All of the above?
“But
my
employees
don’t
Manager:
want to be empowered!”
Gary Hamel
“ The bottleneck
is at the top of
the bottle. ”
STYLE
Micromanagers
Micromanagers operate from a lack of trust—
they distrust their employees—so they feel the
need to maintain complete control. As a result,
they set modest expectations for employees.
Highly negative managers
These leaders strip employees of their selfesteem. Employees may wrongly attribute their
powerlessness to their own incompetence. To
the delight of negative managers, their
employees often feel too inadequate to seek
other positions.
Poor communicators
Leaders who are unable to explain the “big
picture,” or simply don’t share their vision,
deprive employees of an understanding of why
certain actions are taken.
Micromanagers
mistrust their
employees, and have
Micromanagement: low expectations for
the opposite their abilities and
of Empowerment. results.
Micromanaged
employees “live
down to” the
expectations set for
them, thereby
perfectly
conforming to the
micromanager’s
views of them.
SAT THEM FURTHER AWAY
SMILED AT THEM LESS
MADE LESS EYE CONTACT
WITH THEM
CALLED ON THEM LESS
CRITICIZED THEM MORE
TEACHERS &
MICROMANAGERS
Researchers studied how teachers
behaved toward students for whom
they had low expectations. They:
GAVE THEM LESS TIME TO
ANSWER QUESTIONS
WITHHELD PRAISE FOR
SUCCESSFUL ANSWERS
PRAISED THEM FOR
MARGINAL ANSWERS
DEMANDED LESS WORK
FROM THEM
OUR LITTLE
secret
Abused workers seek justice by denying
assistance to coworkers, complaining
about petty problems, being uncivil to
fellow employees, and criticizing the
organization in public. Employees
consider this behavior a safe way to
avenge negative management.
fortyninepercent
Less than half of all
employees understand the
steps their organizations
are taking to reach new
business goals.
Source: Watson Wyatt’s WorkUSA 2002 Survey
flawed beliefs
Managers assume
their employees
know, or ought to
know, that the
organization wants
them to take initiative.
Managers presume
that all employees
welcome the
freedom to take
initiative.
Managers
conclude that
employees
who avoid
taking
initiative
are lazy.
Managers think
they’ve finished
their work once
they’ve given
away their
authority.
“Not all malcontent
employees are mavericks,
but virtually every maverick
is a malcontent.”
Wayne Burkan, Wide Angle Vision
SEMMELWEIS
reflex
Ignaz Semmelweis
+
Warning: You might
not have
Semmelweis
Reflex, but
you could be
a carrier.
It is often difficult to distinguish the
good malcontents from the everyday
chronic complainers.
As a result, the tendency is to treat
all eccentrics as mutineers and, in
doing so, we effectively discard our
creative thinkers.
If your mindset makes every
outcome a foregone conclusion, your
risk takers will stop challenging the
status quo and you’ll find yourself left
with a staff made up of past
perpetuators.
“I really, truly do not want to be the
smartest person in the room.”
Michelle Peluso, CEO of Travelocity
Freely giving away
your authority also
means creating an
environment that
promotes risk taking
and encourages
straight talk.
“Empowerment is not abandonment.”
-Anita Tucker
[ 6]
vital integrities
values-based leaders:
Have a Vision and Convince
Others To Share it
We often describe children as having
wild or active imaginations. The best
leaders never outgrow their
imaginative gift.
Sixty percent of surveyed executives
listed getting people to work together as
the biggest hurdle they currently face.
American Management Association Survey, October 2003
Guided by their visions,
values-based leaders
are so intent on
reaching their goals
that others are simply
compelled to follow.
THE
softer SIDE OF SEARS
1992 NET PROFIT = -$3.9 BILLION
What is your
primary job
function? “To protect company
assets.” (50 percent)
“How much profit do you think
Sears nets on a dollar of
revenue?”
Median answer: 45¢
Correct answer:
2¢
What do you value most?
1. Honesty
2. Integrity
3. Individual respect
4. Teamwork
5. Trust
6. Customer focus
Survey of 80,000 Sears employees
“Make
Sears a
compelling
place to
shop.”
One
year
later:
Merchandise sales
up 9 percent
Shareholder return
up 56 percent
Without an inspiring vision
from their leaders, employees
will struggle to discern any
link between their private
ambitions and the company’s
actual mission.
Old story:
Two stonemasons are
working on the same
project. An observer
asks, “What are you
doing?”
The first stonemason
replies: “I’m cutting stone.”
The second stonemason
replies: “I’m building a great
cathedral.”
“Third quarter earnings per
diluted share were $.60, an
increase of 11 percent over
$.54 per diluted share for the
same period in 2006. Third
quarter net income totaled
$84,224,000, compared to
third quarter 2006’s net
income of $79,656,000. ROA
was 1.75 percent and ROE
was 21.6 percent, compared
to 1.66 percent and 19.3
percent in 2006’s third
quarter.”
Good leaders have
a vision. They
hold in their minds
pictures of what is
possible. Vision is
the power to
conceive a future
that’s better than
the present.
Have a
Vision
Convince
Others to
Share It
Great leaders
convince
others to share
their visions by
articulating
them in
memorable
and
inspirational
ways.
If you think that conveying ideas
effectively is an innate ability—a talent
reserved for naturally gifted orators—
then you are probably neglecting your
role as a communicator.
“I have a dream
“I have a day
dream that one
that one
day this nation will rise up
this nation
will
and live out
the true
meaning
of
its
creed:
rise up
and
live
‘We hold these truths to be
self-evident:
that all men
out the
true
are created equal.’”
meaningMartinofLutherits
King, Jr.
creed: ‘We hold
Delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in
Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963
Why was it so effective?
Emphasized Common Values
Described the Importance of the Values
Disparaged the Vision’s Opponents
Forecasted Success
Selected Emotional Language
Emphasize Common Values
An inspiring vision embodies values with
strong appeal for its entire audience.
The vision then calls attention to those
common values and illustrates how—
and why—all the individuals in that
audience can connect.
MLK: “It is a dream deeply rooted in the
American dream. I have a dream that one day
this nation will rise up and live out the true
meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be
self-evident: that all men are created equal.’”
“The 140,000 of us were
connected on something that
was not about money, and it
was not about doing
something for the company. It
was about demonstrating in a
tangible way that we could
achieve incredibly important
goals that were meaningful to
individuals.”
Paul O’Neill, former CEO of Alcoa
“
Many of our white brothers, as
evidenced by their presence here
today, have come to realize that
their destiny is tied up with our
destiny. They have come to realize
that their freedom is inextricably
bound to our freedom.
”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Describe the Importance of the Values
Explaining why the organization’s
values are important helps people
connect emotionally with your vision.
Visions with the greatest impact depict
the status quo as intolerable, and
alternative values as unacceptable.
MLK
if America is to
“beAnd
a great nation, this
must become true.”
Disparage the Vision’s Opponents
Typecasting your opponents as lacking
those values your organization deems
important helps underscore your
vision’s significance, creates passion
and competition, and fosters
commitment.
disparagethe
vision’sopponents
“I have a dream that one day down in
Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its
governor having his lips dripping with the
words of interposition and nullification, one
day right there in Alabama, little black
boys and black girls will be able to join
hands with little white boys and white girls
as sisters and brothers.” –MLK
“There are those who say
to you—we are rushing
this issue of civil rights. I
say we are 172 years late.”
Hubert Humphrey
Forecast Success
Predicting the successful realization of
your vision builds employee confidence
in your leadership. Alluding to past
triumphs helps to confirm the likelihood
of this vision’s success.
“Vote for me because
there’s a 50-50 chance
I’ll balance the
budget!”
-campaign loser
“When she is confirmed
by the Senate, I am
confident that she will
leave a lasting mark on
the Supreme Court.”
–George Bush, announcing his
nomination of Harriet Miers to the
Supreme Court
“He’s scholarly, fair-minded
and principled, and these
qualities will serve our nation
well on the highest court of
the land.” –George Bush, announcing his
nomination of Sam Alito to the Supreme Court
Never a doubt
“When we allow freedom to ring…we will be
able to speed up that day when all of God’s
children, black men and white men, Jews and
Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be
able to join hands and sing in the words of the
old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!’”
Select Emotional Language
The right language is critical to creating
an emotional impact. Symbolic words
enhance your vision’s meaning.
Metaphors and analogies help clarify
your vision while stimulating your
listener’s imagination. Repetition adds
a mesmerizing rhythm to the message,
making it unforgettable.
“…we will not be satisfied
until justice rolls down like
waters and righteousness
like a mighty stream.”
Adapted from Amos 5:24
Parallels
“…we refuse to believe that the
bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there
are insufficient funds in the
great vaults of opportunity of
this nation.”
“…their destiny is tied up with
our destiny. …their freedom is inextricably
bound to our freedom.”
“…from every village and every
hamlet, from every state and every
city…”
“…the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.”
chiasmus
A figure of
speech in
which you
reverse the
order of words
in parallel
clauses.
“And so, my fellow
Americans, ask not what
your country can do for
you; ask what you can do
for your country.” John F. Kennedy
“In today’s climate
of uncertainty, when
our neighbors and
friends and customers
see our brown
package cars rolling
down the streets of
Manhattan…or small
towns across the
country…they take
comfort in knowing
that the daily rhythm
of life…and
commerce…moves
on.”
Mike Eskew
“The quiet
heroes of
American
commerce.”
Mike Eskew
“Let the nation and
the world know the
meaning of our
numbers…we are
not a mob. We are
the advance guard
of a massive moral
revolution for jobs
and freedom.”
Asa Philip Randolph
August 28, 1963
“The biggest men and women
with the biggest ideas can be
shot down by the smallest men
and women with the smallest
minds. Think big anyway.”
Dr. Kent M. Keith
Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments
“George wears his passions
on his sleeve. He needs to
learn to hide his emotions
from his employees.”
-From every performance review I’ve ever gotten
Churchill
“Before you can inspire
with emotion, you must
be swamped with it
yourself. Before you can
move their tears, your
own must flow. To
convince them, you
must yourself believe.”
The Leading
from the Heart Workshop®
SSOE