Hi Everyone,
There was a time when leaders could make thoughtless remarks and avoid the consequences, but those days are long gone. We live in a world of social media where words can be transferred around the world in a second. Words said to shareholders can be read by customers seconds later. Words said in one media can be dissected and interpreted differently in another media. Never before has the need for leaders to communicate authentically been greater.
Some leaders hide because of this fear and do themselves more damage. Because of social media and a more engaged society every leader has become a broadcaster. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Lee Iacocca, Irene Rosenfield ( Kraft Foods),Indra Nooyi ( Pepsi) and Andrea Jung (Avon Products) are just some of the leaders who understood this early in their careers. Even Mark Zuckerburg from Facebook is currently transforming himself from a computer geek to a media darling. Why is he doing this? He knows that customers do not want a faceless corporation with a slick marketing campaign. They demand to know the soul of the organisation they are dealing with. Would you rather see a press release from Facebook about privacy settings or see Mark Zuckerburg look you in the eyes and explain his vision?
When I researched my Obama book, I called 50 people from states that supported Obama in the last election and 50 people from states that didn’t. I did this to gauge an opinion of the man I believed was authentic. The response was overwhelming. While many disagreed with his policies, no one doubted his integrity. It was this reason that propelled me to use Obama as my guide to help people connect with other people.
Has Obama made mistakes? Yes. He has made many. In 2005, he was featured in The Wall Street Journal under the title, ‘Conceit of Government’. Ronald Reagan’s former speech writer, Peggy Noonan accused Obama of comparing himself to the great Abraham Lincoln. This stemmed from an article Obama gave to Time magazine in which he did compare his own struggles to those of the United States 16th President. Even Obama in his book, The Audacity of Hope said the criticism was “not entirely undeserved.” In the acknowledgements section of the book, Obama wrote about how easy it is to stray from your own voice and slip into the jargon no one understands. This proves that even when you are being authentic; your communication skills may make you look and sound anything but authentic. That is not good for you or your business.
If Obama understands this, why don’t many leaders get it too? Maybe they just haven't met the right coach! This book takes you inside the art of communication that is authentic and consistent. If you give the book your time and energy, I believe it will repay you thousands of times over in your career. I say that because I believe we know that communication is everything in business and in life!
Tomorrow, I will reveal the number one trait that customer service people can learn from Obama.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Audio Version only.
Text version in January 2012.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange,Princes Square,Leeds,LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
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