As leaders, we don’t need more words. We need better ones. As leaders, we like to speak. Sometimes it’s more effective to not. We talk too much, not because we’re arrogant per se, but because we’re thinking out loud and that became a habit on our way up. I recently changed my hearing and I still say to my wife, “What did you say?” And she replies, “Is that just your habit or you really not hearing me? ” Of course, it is my habit and so I need to change it. As leaders, we may have the same kinds of built-in habits. I want to speak because that’s how I got here. And when I speak, people pay attention and that’s why I’m in leadership, right? Well, maybe not. What I really need to do is edit before I open my mouth. This idea that I have to have the answer fast, well, I just don’t buy it.
The real skill is saying the right things and not the most things. So let’s edit. The highest leverage leaders pause. They choose. They choose a sentence that leads with a point and then potentially some adds some context. So here’s a framework to try.
#1 Pause.
Buy a breath to think. Silence is a leadership tool, not a space to fill in.
#2 Lead with the headline
I need to start with the headline and not with all the stuff. Start with the decision, the direction, or the ask, no throat clearing or apologies.
#3 Be direct
Phrases such as maybe, kind of, what if, should I, versus this is what I recommend, this is where we’re going. What we’re looking to do is avoid the dilution of your authority or any confusion in any action we want people to take.
#4 Just enough context
Not everybody needs everything all the time. Too much can create confusion (the opposite of what we want). You need to build an appendix or a Q&A.
#5 Stop
Let others process what they just heard and maybe respond. You’ve been thinking about this for a while and it’s brand new to them. Let them enter the conversation. Think dialogue and not necessarily monologue.
Five easy steps and you can do them every time. Maybe you need to record something. Maybe you need to prepare before you go into your next meeting. Maybe you need to write down that opening sentence, deliver it. You’ve got a group of people. You’re spending a lot of time and effort and resources with them. Should I not prepare? I think we should. And so my encouragement is to take a look at these five pieces in the framework.
You might want to just write down that first thing you want to do, lead with it. If they need more, generally speaking, they’ll ask. Have some fun with it and get better clarity in your communications for a much higher leadership impact.
Leave a Reply