Page 110 - The Bible On Leadership

96 THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP

ployees the truth,’’ observes Stack. At workstations throughout the
plant, grease boards showed the numerical goals and a running record
of actual performance. It was a communication strategy of total trust,
which easily could have backfired due to lack of commitment from a
workforce that had every reason to be discouraged.
The result? Springfield Re not only met and exceeded most of its
production goals, it also became a model for other companies on how
to communicate openly and enlist employees in production goals.
Springfield Re even developed an additional source of revenue: They
charge a fee to visitors from other companies who want to ‘‘borrow’’
and learn from their communication and production methods! 10
Another company that values the free and frequent flow of informa-
tion is AES. Says its top executive, Dennis Bakke: ‘‘We have very few
secrets here at AES. . . . Besides compensation levels, all financial and
market information is widely circulated . . . Some people are worried
about how public we are with our information; they’re concerned it’s
going to get leaked to competitors. But we think it’s a risk worth taking
because otherwise, how would our people become business people?’’ 11

TARGETING THE MESSAGE

Another key to effective communication is aiming the communication
directly at the needs and wants of the audience, speaking a language
that they understand and with which they ‘‘resonate’’ on an emotional
as well as cognitive level.
Often, targeting involves use of metaphors, analogy, myths, and sto-
ries, because direct communication (facts, figures) is not always the most
inspiring way to get people to see the urgency or applicability of a
message or course of action.
Jesus, for example, knew that his target audience was extremely fa-
miliar with the analogy of a shepherd and sheep to symbolize a leader
and the led. In John 10, he puts his efforts to proselytize into this frame-