Great CEOs are often great communicators. They are able to speak in vivid terms and mobilize us to achieve great things we never imagined or thought possible.
I got a chance to learn by observing the legendary Lou Gerstner, the former CEO of IBM, in action when I joined IBM and felt he was able to reach every single employee with a clear view of where the organization needs to go and what every employee should do to get there with a sense of urgency.
Finally, thanks to Jack Welch Management Institute, I get a chance to learn formally about the art and science of great communication.
Delighted to see Ethics as the first ever topic in focus especially in light of the recent happenings on Wall Street which show how organizations that bypassed ethics in their culture eventually fell from grace.
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Course: Business Ethics & Communication
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1. Fundamentals of Persuasion
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(i) Liking - people like those who like them
(ii) Reciprocity - Give what you want to receive; Platinum rule - treat others the way they would want to be treated
(iii) Leverage Social cues - People follow similar others
(iv) Consistency - Get people to commit in writing
(v) Authority - People defer to experts as shortcuts for decision making
(vi) Scarcity - People want exclusive things
2. Communication Channels
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Optimize the Business Communication strategy for any situation looking for a match with channels including:
(i) Spoken, Group - Presentations, Meeting; expensive and time consuming and so invest in this with care and forethought
(ii) Written - Notes, Letters, Reports, Electronic media; lacks cues about body language and so don't take it personally; exercise care since it can be permanent and forwarded
(iii) Spoken 1 on 1 - Phone, Meeting; for sensititive topics and greater privacy, intimacy
(iv) Symbolic - impressive large scale dramatic actions to get the point across; create memorable and empowering events
3. How you say matters equally as what you say
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Need to pay attention to not just What I say but How I say it
4. DiSC Personality type is i for Influence
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Leadership, Encouragement, Action, Collaboration comes naturally for me and are great strengths
I understand how to recognize and better interface with the D, C, S personality types
With D, give more room for achievement and autonomy but don't confuse their assertiveness for competence; track carefully
With i, make sure enthusiasm does not obscure facts or important details; exercise care and objectivity
With S, give hands on support and do not expose to abrupt changes or improvisations that come naturally to me
With C, take the most caution of all - approach them systematically with facts and data (not instinct based ideas or emotions), details (don't gloss over details and focus only on big picture), avoid expecting them to collaborate since they prefer minimal face time
5. Motivation is not just through great speeches
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Motivate people by genuinely caring for and addressing their basic human needs
6. Communication Strategy
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Use Professor Mary Munter's Managerial Communication check list for audience, message, channel, culture strategy depending on the objectives of the situation- to tell, sell, consult or join.
7. One key principle I will apply in workplace going forward would be:
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Definitely to improve team work in my project by leveraging the insights from classifying behaviors I see at work into DiSC types and approaching the employees in a type-optimized way.
Additionally I will consciously be looking for the best communication channel to use to achieve the desired outcome. I will pause to think about "how" to communicate instead of pouring 99% of my energies into "what" to communicate. I understand 50%-50% is a better balance between how and what.
I recognize clearly that Business Communication is about persuasion to win the hearts and minds of people to accomplish the larger objectives. Reflecting back at my career experiences I can see how lack of effective business communication in some situations led to inefficiency and confusion in the ranks. I understand that as a leader I must stay on top of business communications.
These are indeed immediately applicable principles that help my performance at work and in life.
Great week 1 !
Dr DP
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