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The Thing You Can Easily Perfect in 2011

Dec 30th, 2010
by Jon Wortmann.
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As I prepared to interview a friend for an educational podcast he’s doing, I thought, “Why is this so hard?”

I kept repeating the opening over and over, and it kept coming out wrong.  I used different pacing, inflection, and tone.  I changed words, intentionally framing the images I wanted to draw the listener’s attention to.  It kept sounding stilted or too cheesy.

So I practiced—again and again and after about seventeen times, I got it.  My comfort with the words clicked and I found the flow of how I wanted to deliver them.

You may not need to practice your talks, presentations, or important conversations as often as I do, but if you want to be a better communicator in 2011, the one thing I know you can perfect is how you practice.

Step 1:  Actually practice.  Set aside time in a conference room or with your office door closed.  Use time stuck in the car or my favorite place where no one bothers me, the shower (Trade secret:  The echo of the shower always makes you sound great).  The key:  Spend time saying out loud what you’ll deliver in front of your audience.

Step 2:  Record yourself.  After enough years of practicing you’ll know if your words come out the way you want them to, but if you’re not there yet, turn on your smart phone and record as you talk.  Then listen.  Judge yourself like you’re the audience you’re going to speak in front of.  Then practice again.

Step 3:  Practice again.  Perfect practicing means practicing until you’re as good as you want to be.  If you’re practicing, you’re doing everything you can to be a better speaker, meeting facilitator, interviewer, or manager.

Need help?  Mastering Communication at Work is filled with exercises to make practicing more effective, and never be afraid to ask the great speakers and leaders around you how they practice.  One thing they all have in common:  They always practice important communication whether in front of a large audience or with a  few colleagues.

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Posted in: Exercises.

The Army Keeps Changing the Definition

Nov 29th, 2010
by Jon Wortmann.
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If an organization uses a definition of leadership that’s not their own, be wary.   If someone claims they have “The Ultimate Definition” of what a leader is, run.  We will never stop writing, debating, and learning about leadership because it is a moving target.  In every generation, at each point in the history of human life, what it means to be a leader changes.

Case and point:  One of the organizations that produces the most leaders on earth regularly changes its definition.  In 1948 the US Army defined leadership as

Leadership is the art of influencing human behavior through ability to directly influence people and direct them toward a specific goal.

–Gen Omar N. Bradley, Chief of Staff

They changed it again 1951, 1953, 1958, 1961, 1965, 1973, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1998 (I may have missed a change after 98′) and in 2007, the latest revision of the Army’s regulations on leadership says,

The Army defines leadership as influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation, while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization.

–Gen Peter J. Schoomaker, Chief of Staff

Has the scope of leadership increased so much that the definition of a leader needs to constantly change?

Yes.  What leaders need to do to so people want to follow them changes.  This problem isn’t specific to the Army.  Experiment today with the people around you on teams where leaders need to be effective.  Stop 10 people in the halls later and ask them the same question, “What is a leader?”  You’ll get at least 8 different answers and awkward pauses as people stretch to find the right words.

The definition is situational.  The meaning and actions of a leader change depending on the organization’s purpose and the role the leader needs to play.

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Posted in: Framing, Leadership.

Absolute Clarity

Sep 24th, 2010
by Jon Wortmann.
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The most important commitment any of us can make to the people with whom we work and live is clarity.  If you promise to always communicate until absolute clarity is reached, almost all of your people problems would disappear.

What is absolute clarity?  Absolute clarity means that you go through a simple three step process to frame every conversation you have and then make sure that the meaning you intended was heard by the people with whom you’re communicating.

  1. Choose words that communicate your message, but don’t distract. Choose your words intentionally before the conversation.  If you’re making changes at work don’t start saying, “There are going to be big changes around here.”  Say, “I want us to talk about how we will operate going forward so everyone knows their roles and how to have the biggest impact.”  Test the language ahead of time with a colleague to make sure you’re clear.
  2. Ask what the person heard you say in their words. Usually, when we say something, our meaning isn’t perfectly clear.  Something simple like, “I need twelve copies of the annual report” still leaves a lot of room for interpretation.  The person may make them on the machine at work in black and white when you meant bound, in color, and on glossy paper.  After you communicate an idea ask, “To make sure we’re on the same page, summarize what we talked about today,” or “Describe what’s going to happen next to make sure we didn’t leave anything out.”
  3. Check in the next day. Our brains change what we hear over time, and when the stress and chaos of life kicks in, making sure the message didn’t change gives you the greatest chance of having the knowledge or delegation stick.
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Posted in: Framing.

Delegation: Our Most Recent Article

Aug 21st, 2010
by Jon Wortmann.
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Here’s our recent article as contributors to HR Professional Magazine.

And Ethan will be on Fox 25 News this Sunday Night in the Boston Area.  Check him out at 10 PM.  The story is about Facebook and Communication.

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Posted in: Leadership, Press.

“I’d Like My Life Back”

Jul 28th, 2010
by Jon Wortmann.
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“We’re sorry for the massive disruption it’s caused to their lives,” Hayward said.”There’s no one who wants this thing over more than I do, I’d like my life back.”

That’s what former BP Chief Tony Hayward said.  What’s wrong with it?

Now watch it.

He was apologizing, and his apology was about him.  I assume he was trying to make a personal connection to listeners, to say that he was feeling pain too, and his statement was so absurdly unaware that it ruined his ethos (his credibility) forever.

The oil spill is entirely awful.  Without going into what could have been done to prevent it, a leader’s job in disaster is to get the right people in place to heal the brokenness.  Part of that is connecting with the people in desperate need.  Plain and simple, it’s all about them.

It’s really hard to say the right thing when everything is going wrong; but people will forgive the wrong words if your spirit is right.  Watch the tape again.  His spirit is the problem.

To connect with people takes an attitude that focuses entirely on the needs of the people you serve.  Leaders:  It’s not about you.  What is about you is paying attention to what you think and feel, focusing your energy on caring for your people,  and then communicating with intention to make sure they get what they need.  One of the things they need:  Your caring, and evidence in how you communicate that shows you really want to make things right–especially when situations are so bad that everything will be wrong for quite a while.

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Posted in: Framing, Leadership.

The Future of Our World

Jul 9th, 2010
by Jon Wortmann.
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Since the disasters won’t stop–oil spills, financial meltdowns, epically stressful lives–we have to be ready.

I’ve had the privilege to help clean up after hurricanes Hugo and Katrina.  I’ve worked with people in crisis since I began my career in public service.  As I’ve worked on communication with the spectrum of organizations from political to professional to corporate, I’ve learned something essential:  The people who prepare for the things that will go wrong live better lives.

Not only do they have the ability to take care of themselves, they have the resources to support others and have the biggest impact on the situations that need leadership.  What they all know how to do is communicate clearly when things go wrong.

Think of the people you work with every day.  Are they ready for the angry client, the production error, or the internal, relational crisis that will happen no matter how hard you work to prevent it?

Think of your community.  Is it prepared with people who know how to keep people safe, calm, and direct them in times of disaster?

Most people freeze and lose their confidence during a crisis because they don’t know what to say and do in those moments.  What would happen if the people at your workplace and where you live had the words and the action plan, to lead when the unusual strikes?

When preparing how to communicate and act during a disaster is a regular part of every day, everyone communicates better on ordinary days, and, on the rare and vital days when the way people communicate decides the future of of our world, you will be ready.

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Posted in: Uncategorized.

Which Is More Important: Communication or Character?

Jun 10th, 2010
by Jon Wortmann.
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I recently found this quote from Whole Foods co-founder and CEO John Mackey.  In discussing how he hires leaders he said,

I understand people a lot better today than I did 30 years ago. Back then, I was more impressed with people who were very articulate. In many companies, the person who talks the best usually gets the job. I got snowed by a few of those people over the years. I still think communication is important, but I don’t think there’s always a correlation between being a great communicator and other virtues that make for a great leader.

Here’s what is really important about his comment:  A person who stumbles over his words, who isn’t the smoothest communicator, and has great character:  That’s who Mackey hires now.

I totally agree, and at the same time, his statement that there is not a correlation between being a great communicator and other virtues that make a great leader is risky.  If you’re not a great communicator, people won’t follow you.  If you’re a great communicator,

  • You can validate your people so they always feel valued, even when you disagree with them.
  • You can frame conversations so no time is wasted.
  • You can read communication tendencies to build a connection quickly.
  • You know how to motivate people by speaking to what motivates them.

If a leader can’t communicate, people will be confused by what he says and what he means, even if his character is unquestionable.

Character is essential and people give great people the benefit of the doubt.  But unless leaders can communicate effectively, they can’t produce results through other people.

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Posted in: Leadership, Quotes.

Are You a Leader?

May 24th, 2010
by Jon Wortmann.
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I’ve started blogging at whyilead.org/blog.  It’s a research study for leaders and a community I’m building with one of ING’s Heads of Learning.

The excitement about this project has been really fun, and we have a problem.

What we keep finding is that people who are doing some of the best leadership don’t consider themselves leaders.  Other leaders are so busy they don’t have time to reflect.  We’re asking folks to answer a few questions and write 250 words or less on why you lead.  The one-pager is causing folks who do consider themselves leaders another problem:  They’ve never thought about it.

That’s the first reason we started this study.  We want today’s leaders to reflect, to appreciate the powerful work they are doing, and to help them focus their energy in a time when so many people are exhausted by the leader’s daily grind.

We also started the study for the next generation.  We want to know the core reasons leaders are motivated to do the difficult work our world needs accomplished; why they take on challenges no one else can or will.  The next generation of leaders needs to know why today’s leaders have fought so hard, so they can rise up too.

A leader is someone who wants to get things done.  They are the person who, even when others won’t, takes responsibility.  A leader is a person who sees opportunities and helps a group of people seize them.  A leader can lead at work, in her community, and at home.  Get your daughter’s girl scout troop to enjoy selling their cookies?  You’re a leader.  Help your neighborhood stay safe by organizing a watch program?  You lead.  Make sure that project at work that’s been holding everyone up gets completed (even if you don’t get the credit)?  You are a leader.

Go to whyilead.org and tell us “Why?”

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Posted in: Exercises, Leadership.

Mayors and Malaysia

May 8th, 2010
by Jon Wortmann.
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Ethan is giving a public lecture in Malaysia today.  Over 250 people signed up to learn about the eight things most common communication challenges in every organization.

Thursday I’ll be leading off the Mayors of Massachusetts Spring meeting before they meet with the candidates for Governor.  It’s always a treat to work with great leaders who are hungry to learn!

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Posted in: Press.

They Don’t Know What You Know

Apr 16th, 2010
by Jon Wortmann.
2 comments

You cannot assume just because you’re in the same environment, they get it.

Your unique perspective, whether you clean the floors or run the organization, has value and the people making the decisions need you.  They may not know it.  They can’t know it unless you tell them.

In the last few days I’ve had a 2 CEOs, an NCAA coach, and a Head of Learning all be surprised at the way people on their teams or in their organizations had behaved.  All four said almost the same thing, “This is so obvious, why don’t they get it?”

I asked, “Did you tell them?”

They all said, “No, they should know this.”

I asked, “Really?”

They said, “Oh.”

People say, “Yes” to you because they either don’t know or don’t want to make you uncomfortable.  People act like they understand and everything is just fine because they don’t want to add drama to workplaces and organizations that already feel more frenzied than ever before.

If you don’t say what you see that can:

  • Make things better
  • Change the game
  • Heal conflict
  • Strengthen relationships

It won’t happen.  The secret:  Ask questions from which their answers prove they know what is so clear to you.

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Posted in: Leadership, The Secrets.

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