Page 215 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

Steps_Baldoni_141496-7 5/22/03 12:32 PM Page 193

ACTION STEPS

1. Set clear, credible targets. Tell your people where you want to take the
organization, whether it be a project team or an entire company. Be
specific. Do not overpromise or underpromise. Steve Jobs, CEO of
Apple Computer, uses his vision statements to keep people thinking
about the future as well as keeping them focused on new products.
2. Gain commitment from key stakeholders. Engage the hearts and minds
of your people. Excite them with the possibilities, and then ask for
their commitment. Get your people to commit to what they will do and
when and how they will do it. Lieutenant General Peter Pace of the
U.S. Marines once reported to six different people. Pace strove to keep
all his superiors fully informed. When disagreements arose, Pace
spoke his mind, but he never went behind any of his superiors’backs.
He did not always get the commitments he would have liked, but he
felt that his transparent communications style served him, his superi-
ors, and the 92,000 Marines under his command well enough. 1
3. Coach, coach, coach. So much of leadership is about accomplishing
results through others. People can succeed only if they have the tools
and resources they need—as well as your personal involvement. And
always provide plenty of feedback. Many senior leaders make it a habit
to coach their direct reports regularly, giving both praise and advice on
improvement, rather than waiting until the annual performance review.

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