Page 52 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

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GREAT COMMUNICATION SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS
have little credibility. That said, there are individual political leaders in
both major parties—Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman among the
Democrats and Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan among the
Republicans, for example—who have a great deal of credibility. Why?
Because they were seen to deliver on their promises.
Do what you say you will do. Tell people what you are going to do, and
30 promises at all; they are platitudes. As a result, politicians as a group
then do it. Tom Brady became the starting quarterback for the New
England Patriots when the starter was injured. To everyone’s surprise,
he led his team to a series of victories that landed the team in the Super
Bowl. Brady, a second-year man, never gave the rah-rah speech; he let
his actions on and off the field do the talking for him. He was focused
and clear in his signal calling in the huddle and supportive on the side-
lines. Off the field, he was disciplined in his workouts and in his com-
ments to the media. He simply said he would do his best, and he did.
UNCOVERING THE MEANING OF THE MESSAGE
The message is the most important part of the presentation or the one-to-one
chat. It is the core upon which the entire presentation or conversation depends.
Think of the message as the 30-second “take-away thought” that you want
people to remember. The message is not the same as the content of the pre-
sentation or conversation; it is the reason for the speaking. If you will indulge
a simple analogy, consider the presentation or conversation as a piece of
chocolate candy. The content is the chocolate surrounding the creamy center.
The creamy center (or the cherry, if you prefer) is the message—the heart of
what you are saying.
What are you trying to do? Why are you speaking to this group or this
individual? Do you wish to explain a hot topic? Do you need to sell them on a
new process? Do you wish to impart a need for change? Or do you just want
them to have some laughs? Each of these purposes is valid. Your challenge as
a leader is to decide what you want to do, and do it.
If you work for an organization of any size, you quickly become accus-
tomed to presentations. Politicians make them. Celebrities make them. Enter-
tainers make their living off them. The most successful leaders are those
whose message you can sum up quickly in a sentence or so.
We know where we are headed and why.

We are an organization that puts people first.
We must change the way we do business.