Nov
26
Book Review: The Leader’s Voice
Filed Under Leadership Resources
The Leader’s Voice: How Communication Can Inspire Action and Get Results! written by Boyd Clarke and Ron Crossland, two executives at tompeterscompany, they define the core principles of effective leadership communication.
“To say language is everything to a leader is no understatement.” says Tom Peters
Overview
The forward for the book is written by Tom Peters who says in the forward:
“They are my colleagues, so this could be seen as a self serving introduction. Problem is, I hold my closest friends to a much higher standard than others. I informed Boyd and Ron months ago that I would not write this forward unless I “love the book” (I do. They passed. I’m writing)”
The book is divided into 11 chapters that are structured as follows.
The Leaders Voice - The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has occurred.
“The Leader’s Voice allows you to speak the truth so others can distinguish is from spin. It establishes a compelling context, while others squabble over trivial content. It challenges others to take a stand before certainty arrives. It is authentically your voice….. When your passion declares the direction you will go, it unites those who wold follow and divides those who will not.”
Hardwired for Facts, Emotions, and Symbols - Reason without emotion is impossible.
“By not using facts, emotions, and symbols in their communication, leaders leave out essential ingredients that stimulate and promote the transfer of meaning and quality decision making…. When constituents fill in the blanks left by leaders, they construct a different message than the leader sent.”
How TNT Found Drama
“Leaving constituents with just the facts is a recipe for disaster.”
People Love Facts - Facts alone seldom persuade and rarely inspire.
“Facts are meaningless without context and interpretation….. Facts have multiple interpretations. Facts provide the underpinning logic to a message. Most leaders understand the facts but do not often take time to create compelling, memorable representation of what the facts mean.”
Tune in to Emotions - We follow leaders because of how they make us feel.
“As a leader you must also know and articulate constituents’ important but unspoken feelings. Finally you must foster passionate alignment around shared aspirations. Constituents constantly scan the emotional channel, tuning in to stations that inspire, encourage, and engage.”
Symbols: Rabbit’s Foot and Rosary - From a rabbit’s foot to a rosary, symbols are the shortcuts to the great truths that guide our lives.
“The stories we tell, the art we display, and the music we love are symbols of identity…. A symbol is as powerful as the action or emotion it evokes…. A leader without symbols is like Elvis without hips… Remember the human brain uses facts, emotions and symbols to create complete thoughts.”
The Sound of Silos - Themes create communication threads…
“To make connections, leaders must communicate with facts, emotions and symbols on a variety of levels, from the trivial to the personal…. Leaders who say everything say nothing. Leaders connect with their constituents using a few key themes… Themes connect people to important ideas and create deeper levels of dialogue…. Themes create communication threads that tie node on the network together.”
Without Wax - As a leader you are irrelevant until you have something to say.
“Often leaders don’t know what they want to say, because they don’t know who they are…. The leader’s message grows naturally from a clear sense of self. Leaders who are authentic, who remain true to who they are and what they believe, retain their follower’s ear. When trust is high, communication bypasses all the natural filters that protects us from being cheated and deceived.”
Climbing the Ladder of Abstraction - The leader who creates a line of sight between vision and task can inspire greatness.
“Without an overarching strategic vision and direction, leaders can find themselves creating messages rather than meaning…. ‘The more information we amass, the more essential meaning becomes,’ says William Van Dusen Wishard.”
One Voice - Leaders must communicate a million complicated things when they fail to communicate a few, simple, profound ones.
“Alignment is primarily an emotional, not logical process. Yet managers spend 90 percent of their time aligning facts and 10 percent on the more difficult task of aligning hearts and minds.”
Last Word: Calling All Capitalists
“On September 10, 2001, Rudolph Giuliani was a lame-duck mayor struggling cancer and mired in a divorce scandal. On hundred and twelve days later he was named Time magazine’s ‘Person of the Year.’ Context shifted and Rudy responded with competence and caring… Leaders get context right when they see themselves and their constituents as actors across time, rather than as puppets on a momentary stage….. Just as social system failures are at the heart of the world’s economic problems, they are at the heart of most business problems. Historically, leaders with passionate voices have driven positive social change in countries and companies.”
Summary
This is a great book on communication, it’s simple and profound. This is not a book about communication techniques, methods or tools. The book is about communication principles. I like that this is a principle based book, because research based and proven principles can be confidently used to guide, the use of communication methods and techniques. I had a difficult time with the first few chapters but the last part of the book really comes together with a powerful message. I can enthusiastically recommend this book to all leaders looking for a solid set of communication principles.
Technorati Tags: Leadership, Communication, Management, Book, Review, Principle, Strategy, Business, Character
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