Even in business, you’ll see the debate method in action—with parties arguing for their own point of view, each person needing to be right . . . to look good . . . to win the day. They are silent, not to listen but only to wait until it’s time for them to state their case again.

But is debate really the best way to reach agreement and solve problems? More and more, the answer is a resounding NO! Today’s problems—at the corporate level, nationally, and in our own lives—are so vast and complex, that backing the other guy into a corner in order to win is a colossal waste of time. The win-lose method of solving problems leaves casualties on both sides, resulting in:

• Misused resources,
• Work that misses the mark,
• Unintended consequences,
• A cross-functional ripple effect that has a negative effect on everyone.

I believe it’s time to put aside our adversarial methods of resolving differences and consider a different method . . . Dialogue. Dialogue is the open and frank interchange of ideas in order to achieve mutual understanding or harmony. It’s an incredibly effective method whereby you explore alternative points of view with an open mind. You influence others, yet remain open to being influenced. In a debate, the other person is positioned as the enemy, but in Dialogue, he or she is a collaborative partner.

Here is a brief review of the steps required to enter into Dialogue, either with an individual or with a group.

1. Provide accurate and complete information, including feelings that bear upon the issue.
2. Use reasoned arguments to advocate your own position, not just opinions.
3. Invite others to critique your reasoning.
4. Inquire into others’ reasoning when it differs from your own.
5. Voice the other person’s point of view.
6.  Confirm others’ personal competence when disagreeing with their ideas.
7. Regard all assertions as hypotheses to be tested.
8. Design ways to test competing viewpoints.
9. Be willing to change or adjust your position when others offer convincing data and rationale.

Note that throughout the Dialogue, you are showing respect for the other person, yet insisting that the ideas of all parties, including your own, are tested for validity. The goal is to find the best possible solution, not to be right or to disparage anyone else.

One criticism of Dialogue is that it takes too much time. It is true that providing accurate and complete information may take some homework and the testing of hypotheses will need follow-up. But if undertaken in the appropriate spirit, Dialogue can take less time than a formal debate. And the results are much, much better. All parties are happier with the solutions and there are fewer surprises down the line.

What does it take to become proficient in Dialogue? A number of skills are involved, including interpersonal communication skills, listening, and the ability to advocate effectively for one’s cause. Respect and courtesy toward all other parties is a must.

So take off your debating hat and set aside your need to win. Join the real problem solvers of the world in Dialogue. It’s effective, it’s resourceful, and it can elicit astonishing results.

Let me hear from you.

Image by Jessica-in-Norway

In part one

One of the points I mentioned before was that people want to know why a change is taking place. It’s easy to think about the more literal response to that question. “It will save money.” “It will help us respond faster.”  “It will open up a new market.” Or, in these tough times, the answer is often, “It’ll help us hang on until the economy turns around.” Those answers aren’t enough. They aren’t enough to qualm fears. They aren’t enough to build buy-in. They aren’t enough to inspire belief and action.

Getting to positive change requires communication skills, powered by leadership skills. Let me explain. All of us are rational and emotional beings – and we bring both those outlooks to the workplace. Transformational leadership requires us to connect with both. The rational mind responds to goals. The emotional mind responds to vision. The two must be interconnected and both must be communicated for successful change. Why?  

• Goals appeal to our intellect. Vision engages us. Goals tell us what we need to do, what the changes will require of us. But that’s just the beginning. Vision brings meaning to the change, captures our imagination for the good that could come from it. 
• Goals give us timeframes and results. Vision shows us our future. Always, the logical mind wants and needs the specifics of goals. Vision helps us soar above the everyday to see the big-picture possibilities.
• Goals drive performance. Vision inspires. We want to understand the standards by which we’ll be measured and rewarded. But vision asks us to think for ourselves and empowers us to find ways to expand upon it.
• Goals solve problems. Vision opens possibilities. For example, goals say, “Reduce customer wait time by 20%”.  Vision says, “Delight customers by easing the stress of their time-crunched days.” 
• Goals are concrete, written. Vision is a living story to be internalized. One you pull up and access on your computer. The other you carry in your mind.

Chances are, you already have skills and training in goal-setting. So, I want to focus on visioning here. Where do you start? You’ll need to do the same thing you’re going to be asking your team to do. Think beyond the current actions to the future.  What does “good” look like? What will a day be like when the change is in full force? What will be the response from customers? How will they write the article on your success in the Harvard Business Review? Gather those mental images for your vision story. Then think about how you want to characterize the vision. Are you on a mission? Is it a battle? A quest? Is it a marathon or a sprint? Is it art or science? Are you creating or conquering? Now build your thoughts into your story, filling it out with details that tie it to the everyday experience. 

Here’s a crucial reminder. Your goals – and especially your vision – may be most important when the changes you’re facing are triggered by “bad” news. Downsizing, financial reorganization or the departure of a key leader can scar a company’s performance for a very long time if not approached correctly. Without being a Pollyanna, you need to focus on the positive future. Not the pain, but the gain. Try to set goals within a positive framework. Define your vision, not in terms of loss, but of the open door. Once you have your messages in place, communicate them often, in as many ways as you can. Update the vision with success stories. Share goals reached. And, when necessary, recalibrate. 

Change is a reality in today’s world. To be a true leader you need to go beyond managing change to empowering it.

Image by David Reece

Be prepared with clear expectations.

Claire and I were in a boat called a shredder. It has two side tubes that you sit on, with your feet on the “floor” of the boat. With Claire on one side and me on the other, we paddled our way down the river. Claire has boated on the Gauley and New Rivers for 25 years. She guided rafting trips for many of those years, so she knows the twists and turns well. She also knows the power of the rapids—and the danger that goes with it. With that knowledge comes an intense respect for the river—and a lot of dread too.

Me? My boating has been filled with joy and excitement—and total ignorance. I had never been thrown out of a raft and forced to swim through a rapid. Until you do, you have not truly experienced the full impact of a white water river trip, so you might say my brain had only tapped into the positive side of rafting.

My cautious sister, on the other hand, has the negative side of rafting imbedded in her brain. She has swum most of the challenging rapids, and she knows what it’s like to get thrown out of a boat when you least expect it. Boulders and swirling eddies await the unwary swimmer. On that beautiful day, when I looked over at Claire, she would be staring downstream . . . holding her breath. When I looked downstream, it didn’t look all that dreadful to me.

When I asked what was up, she said, “Can’t you hear that?” The sound was the next rapid coming up. This seemed like more fun and excitement to me. For Claire, however, it signaled time to think about what was ahead and how to navigate a rapid that she knew well, but that might have a surprise or two in store. (This is what made my sister a sought-after rafting guide. She knew what she was doing and didn’t take unnecessary chances.)

Turn negatives into positives

On that glorious day of rafting, I did have my first rapid swim. I got thrown out of the boat so fast that I didn’t have time to worry about what might happen to me in the water. The worst part was the egg on my shin where my leg hit a boulder. But I didn’t die. I popped up downstream, got back into the boat and thought, Excellent, now I don’t need to worry about swimming again because I just did. If and when it happens again, I will handle it.

How do you want to move through your life? Check in and monitor your thoughts. Are they positive or negative? Do you want to avoid the experiences of life because of what might happen? Or do you want to enjoy the excitement of what’s coming around the bend? My choice is to deal with what is at hand, and deal with what might happen when it happens. If I spend my life in dread, and the dreadful things don’t happen, what an enormous waste of time. I would much rather be joyful.

Make your choice

How you move through your world can be joyous or full of dread. Experience and knowledge is powerful. It will make you a great boater, as long as it doesn’t paralyze you. My sister doesn’t stop boating because of what might happen. She has too much skill for that. She just needs a gentle reminder to keep breathing.

VoicePro has been called in by numerous clients to help manage change initiatives.  A mistake I see over and over again is that communication is an afterthought. 

Sometimes the call to VoicePro comes when there’s been a breakdown in the system – reduced productivity, high turnover or other problems.  In response to my question about a communications plan, I often hear, “We had a meeting and sent out a memo.”  That’s simply not enough.

People need more than that for change to be truly understood and accepted, and for the change to have the full positive force you intend.  It’s so important that I’m going to devote a couple of these posts to the issues you’ll face and how to prepare for them.

Let’s start with an example to illustrate my point. I participated in a training exercise a few years ago in which the participants were broken into one of two groups – the “employers” and the “employees.” I was an employee.  Unbeknownst to us employees, part of the exercise for the employers was to NOT communicate with us, but only to let us have access to their public news releases.  Even in a small group of pretend employees, complete strangers together for a 3-hour “game” on a Tuesday morning, we became suspicious and confrontational, doubting our employers wisdom and motives.  Amazing – and eye opening.  

Think of change management as facilitative leadership. How can you help assure the change you’re undertaking is going to achieve the hoped-for results?  Here are some things to keep in mind in your communications plan.

• Over-communicate.  Create a message calendar to cover 3-6 months of the change process.  Start early to let people know what’s coming.  Include a kick-off communication at the start of the change.  Then follow through with regular updates. 
• Explain why.  People respond more positively when they know why a change is happening.  Even if it’s bad news generated by difficulty, trust your team to take on a challenge when they know what the stakes are and how they can make a difference.  And don’t assume that the need for a “simple” or “good” change is obvious. Change always brings some discomfort or inconvenience. Help people understand how learning a new sales and marketing system will help them better serve customers and grow the business.
• Listen.  You can’t possibly predict all the questions and concerns your team will have – that’s the nature of the human spirit.  You need to offer frequent opportunities for people to ask questions.  Take those questions seriously and provide serious answers.  Be sure to plan for Q&A throughout the process; issues are certain to arise as you go along.
• Use different communication methods.  Kick-off meetings, newsletters, video, focus groups, training sessions.  Each one reaches people in different ways and invites different (and important) feedback opportunities.
• Reach out to key groups.  You know which groups are most affected and where the fulcrum points are.  Losing these key people can hobble your organization for months. Use change as a team building exercise.
• Involve the whole organization.  Even when a change targets a small group, you may want to widen the communications audience.  Why?  First, there’s a ripple effect to change.  Something new in the accounting department can cause headaches or concerns to anyone who interacts with them.  Plus, organization-wide communication can help control gossip and the fear that goes with it.

Change isn’t just about systems or organization charts, payroll numbers or business plans.  It’s about the people who will implement it, live with it, work with it.  If your want your change to be a positive one, remember make people a part of it.  And communication is the key.

Image by Veri’s kleiner Winkel

I often find myself in this trap…wondering, What if I do it wrong? or How am I supposed to do this?

Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, you’re doing it exactly the way you should be? Because, if you did everything right the first time, you’d never learn anything new. And who is defining the right way? What if your way is the right way?

 Sue Thomas is the owner of MAP.  She uses horses to teach people about leadership skills, collaboration, effective communication and team building. One morning, I was in her pasture with three horses and three other people to learn some new approaches to managing. My task, with rope harness in hand, was to go get Boss, a large, black gelding, and lead him back to Sue.

Now, I love animals and I am not particularly afraid of horses. So this was no big deal, right? I just needed to go and get him. But as I found myself walking towards Boss, I began to get nervous because the trap had taken hold. Was I going to do it right. What if I did it wrong? What if I looked foolish in front of the others?

When I got to Boss, I looped the rope around his neck and said, “C’mon big guy,” and walked back over to Sue. My legs were shaking so badly I could hardly walk. And I was so worried about doing it right that I couldn’t enjoy my connection with this big, wonderful horse. Yet I had successfully accomplished my task. So, what is my point in all this? My fear of being inadequate very nearly got in the way of my success. I was getting in my own way.

What thoughts do you have that get in your way? Try this:

• Set a clear goal. If you don’t know what you need to accomplish, it’s hard to clarify your approach. I needed to get Boss and bring him back. This was very clear for me.
• Tell yourself, until you actually believe it, that your way is the right way. You can approach a task quite differently from others and still be successful. You may even experience something new and different that surprises you. If I had taken this approach with Boss, I would have found joy in my accomplishment rather than feeling frustration and pain.
• Take comfort in the fact that, most of the time, other people aren’t aware of your mental chatter and how it can undo you. The feedback I received from the others in the pasture was that I looked confident, comfortable and that I made the process look easy. They had no idea my knees were buckling under me.

When you are faced with something new and challenging, give yourself permission to do it wrong. Then enjoy the process of learning instead of beating yourself up over it. My lesson learned – I don’t need to be like everyone else. I can be different, which makes me unique. My knees can definitely support that.

I have just spent two weeks working on projects with diverse groups of people. At VoicePro, we use the DISC Behavioral Assessment to help clients understand how individual work styles impact relationships. It’s one thing to understand the DISC principles, another to know them well enough to teach them to others, and quite another to respond appropriately when the need arises in real life.

According to the DISC, I am highly results-oriented. At the start of a project, I want to come in, take stock, dive in, barrel through, and be done with it. No chit chat. No messing around. But if I want to accomplish anything, I have to remember: MOST OTHER PEOPLE DON’T WORK THAT WAY. So I must stop, press my reset button, and proceed with a softer touch. Sometimes, I can manage this quite well; at other times it’s not so easy.

Here’s what I’ve learned—or relearned—or re-relearned—about myself and how to work with others. And while my work style may be different from yours, the lessons I continually have to teach myself might be of value to you as well. I hope so, anyway.

Know yourself.  This is where the DISC Assessment and other “personality” type instruments come in handy. You can easily see how your personal characteristics have become your strengths and how, taken to the extreme, they can get you in trouble. Being results-oriented, I put my blinders on and head for the goal. I get a lot done that way. On the other hand, I must be careful not to ride roughshod over people in my zeal to reach the finish line. They tend not to like it very much.

With the DISC you are also able to see how other people differ from you. And how that’s all right. If we were all alike, it would be a pretty dull world. (And if everyone was like me, the details would be lost and gone forever.)

Don’t take yourself too seriously. This is important advice for me. Once I understand what makes me tick and I accept that reality, I need to lighten up. If I use my work style as an excuse for unacceptable behavior, I negate the whole purpose of the assessment. Instead, I can turn it to my advantage by recognizing the humor in the human condition—and in mine.

While you are settling down to analyze the situation, weigh all the arguments, and check your data one more time before making a decision, I’m probably tapping my foot, snapping my fingers, and muttering, “c’mon, c’mon,” under my breath. But if we can recognize the fact that we could easily make each other crazy and then laugh about it, odds are that I will be more patient and you’ll decide a little more quickly.

Keep your mouth shut. Okay, I know you probably don’t need to be told this, but I do. Over and over again. “You don’t have to be right all the time, Carolyn,” I tell myself. “Even if you are right, you don’t have to be right.”

The impulse to argue is alive and well in most of us. If that’s the case with you, stop and ask yourself what’s more important: to win the argument or cultivate the relationship. Most of the time you’ll be better off if you opt for the relationship.

Recognizing and celebrating different behavioral styles is the hallmark of someone with excellent interpersonal skills and is good practice for all of us. And while it’s easy to understand, it’s not so easy to accomplish. The learning continues throughout our careers, and it never hurts to have a refresher course—either in the classroom or the laboratory of real life.

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As a child, I loved the Pollyanna books because I liked happy endings (and still do). So when I grew up, I was dismayed to learn that the term pollyannaish had become a pejorative one, used to describe someone who is happy to the point of naiveté, someone who is unwilling to face the realities of an adverse situation. Somehow, in our cynical culture, looking at things in a positive light has become very uncool.

Our society reeks of negativism. If it bleeds, it leads, is the mantra of the news media. Politicians use fear tactics to get elected; smear campaigns have become the norm—and they work. Ideas get trashed before they’re even understood. Everywhere we look, we see fear and doubt. And because pessimism is contagious, it’s quite easy to succumb to the negative pressures and complain about everything—or just give up.

Apparently, the tendency to pessimism is a inbred trait. According to Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D., author of Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life, “The benefits of pessimism may have arisen during our recent evolutionary history. We are animals of the Pleistocene, the epoch of the ice ages. Our emotional makeup has most recently been shaped by one hundred thousand years of climactic catastrophe: waves of cold and heat; drought and flood; plenty and sudden famine. Those of our ancestors who survived the Pleistocene may have done so because they had the capacity to worry incessantly about the future, to see sunny days as mere prelude to a harsh winter, to brood. We have inherited these ancestors’ brains and therefore their capacity to see the cloud rather than the silver lining.”

Dr. Seligman goes on to say that some people are born optimists, some are pessimists through and through, and the rest of us lie on a continuum between the two. But research shows, he states unequivocally, optimism can be learned.

I believe it’s time for a healthy dose of more positive thinking. Not the Pollyanna cliché, where everything is wonderful, no matter how awful it really is, but the kind that can see the possibilities present in almost every situation.

Granted, there’s a time for playing the devil’s advocate and a place to examine potential risk, but that’s not what this article is all about. So, if you’re tired of looking at life—and your job—from under a dark cloud, here’s how to start turning things around:

1. Begin by identifying a minor adversity, some small event in your life that triggered an adverse reaction. For example: My boss completely ignored me in the meeting, even when I made a good suggestion.
2. Now, analyze your reaction, including how you felt. I got really irritated. In fact, I stopped listening halfway through the meeting. I know my boss doesn’t like me. Nothing I do satisfies him. I’m just incompetent, so why bother.
3. The next step is to play the role of opposing counsel and argue against your response. Examine the facts; don’t let any part of your response go by without checking for its accuracy. Was it unreasonable for you to stop listening? Did that help or hurt your cause? What actual evidence do you have that your boss doesn’t like you? Has he said so? Does he criticize your work all the time? If he does, is it in the nature of a personal attack, or is in honest, constructive feedback that helps you do your job better? Are you really incompetent? You might want to list your successes, just to prove to yourself that you’re doing a good job.

Learn to catch yourself in the act of responding negatively to events. You may be surprised to find how often it occurs. Examine your initial reactions, and then refute them. You may discover that much of your negative thinking is nothing more than a bad habit.

We don’t need to live with habitual negativity that weighs us down. We can change the way we think and change the way we communicate our thoughts to others, which would make Pollyanna very, very happy.

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The fact is, people long for goals that reach farther and demand more. Imagine that. People want to take on big goals, difficult goals. Is that you? Your team? I’ll bet it is. We seem to be longing to accomplish something important and valuable.

The research then goes on to discuss eight make-or-break factors that are predictors of whether goals are going to help people actually achieve great things. Here are three of them. You probably don’t have to be a professional in leadership development and teambuilding to know they would be on the list:

• I will need to learn new skills

There’s no question that new goals require new skills.  But here’s the one that I bet takes you by surprise:

• I will be pushed outside my comfort zone

Did you do a double-take? Many people do. Why? It’s easy to associate getting outside our comfort zones with mistakes, failure, feeling foolish, getting laughed at. 

But, I’m not the least bit surprised. You know why? I’ve spent my whole career at VoicePro helping people get outside their comfort zones. They aren’t crushed by the effort – they’re transformed by it. The word “empowered” is barely descriptive. I see magic happen every day. People “step out” and discover new strengths and abilities that can transfer far outside the specific knowledge they’re pursuing.

Of course, helping people out of their comfort zone is a skill – and an art. That’s why years of experience lead me to agree with the third success predictor:

• I will have access to formal training needed for new skills

As much as we all can learn on our own – from a book, from a mentor, from e-learning – we sometimes need formal training in a safe environment, where leaders won’t let us back down, but help us find new abilities.

It starts with a safe place away from the people and situations that can make us timid. But there’s much more. My job is to find a way to help you find yourself. Sometimes I coax.  Maybe I nudge. The trigger could be a question – or a story. Sometimes I’m a flashlight that shows the way. And sometimes I help swing that axe that chops a hole in the comfort zone wall. 

That’s what formal training should be about – not just knowledge, but power. By the way, this isn’t a sales pitch. It’s a mission statement and a commitment my staff and I live by.

What are your goals for yourself this year? For your team? Are you’re ready for a trip outside your comfort zone? Are you ready to reach for your goals?

Image by btmlinedan

The premise is this: When an idea is offered, someone will like the idea, someone else will think it’s crazy, and another will be reminded of something else entirely and take the conversation in a different direction entirely. People will argue over who is right and who is wrong. Sides are drawn, arguments ensue, and nothing really gets accomplished.

The Six Thinking Hats creates an environment where everyone operates in what DeBono calls parallel thinking. That is, together people look at a topic from one side, then switch their thinking and look at it from another side, then another, and so on. By calling for people to “switch hats to one of a different color,” a group leader or facilitator can orchestrate a problem-solving session free of ego, power plays, and/or emotional outbursts.

In the past few years, we haven’t heard much about the Six Thinking Hats. Perhaps they’ve fallen out of favor. They can be such a valuable tool, however, that I believe it’s worth taking a fresh look at them.

The white hat. The white hat is about information. It is neutral and objective, concerned with facts and figures. It answers the questions: What information do we have? What information do we need? What information is missing?

The red hat. The red hat gives you an opportunity to express feelings, emotions and intuition without any need to explain or justify them.

The black hat. The black hat is the hat of caution. It helps us figure out what is wrong, what does not fit, and what is not going to work. The “devil’s advocate” wears the black hat.

The yellow hat. The yellow hat is positive and constructive. Under the yellow hat, people think of possible ways to put the idea into practice. They ask, “How can we make this work.”

The green hat. Under the green hat, people brainstorm. It’s the time to be creative—off the wall—out of the box. The green hat is a way of escaping from old ideas and making a deliberate, focused effort to find new ones.

The blue hat. The blue hat is for the management of thinking. Like the conductor of a great orchestra who brings the diverse instruments together into a brilliant, sonorous ensemble, the group leader or facilitator wears the blue hat and orchestrates the thinking of the group.

As you can see, these six colored hats cover the range of thinking needed in problem solving. Although there are many ways to put them in order, here is one example of how they can be effectively sequenced.

1. The blue hat comes first. State the purpose of the meeting and lay down the guidelines.
2. Wearing the white hat, go on a fact-finding mission. What do we know? What do we need to know? How can we get information we don’t have? What questions do we need to ask?
3. Green-hat thinking comes next. Brainstorm new ideas. Anything goes, No one can censor an idea when he or she is wearing the green hat.
4. Now is the time to think positively. Put on the yellow hat and find ways to make things work. Look for value in every idea.
5. Even though it’s been difficult, the black hat has had to wait. Only now can you examine what you’ve done with a critical eye. What’s the downside? What are the risks?
6. Finally the red-hat question can be asked: How does this make you feel? What’s your gut reaction? What does your intuition tell you?
7. Throughout, the blue hat has been managing the process, making sure people stay on track and change hats until it’s time.

This method takes personalities out of problem solving. If everyone is in yellow-hat mode, no one can turn the discussion negative. But when it’s time for the black hat, cool, clear-headed analysis takes the sting out of negative thinking. And emotion can take its rightful place when the red hat is called for.

The Six Thinking Hats can be a valuable tool in the facilitator’s bag of tricks. I hope you will give it a try.

Image by Øyvind Brunvoll

Andre Agassi

In an effort to achieve distinction in the market place, corporations hire marketing firms and branding consultants, sometimes at great cost, to help them redefine who they are and how they are perceived. This work can be painstaking and expensive, requiring a substantial commitment in terms of corporate man-hours. Their efforts often pay off in the delivery of a high quality product that is the enterprise’s new and improved brand image.

But where does it go from there?

We’ve seen it all before. Company leaders determine that a rebranding will help the bottom line. The marketing department, brand image taskforce, or high-priced consultant, launches into action and comes up with the new brand image. A corporate rollout ensues: Bands play, balloons wave in the air, everybody cheers. The new brand, with logo, tagline and mission statement, is plastered across every available surface, with announcements and decrees reverberating down every hall. “Our image is remade,” they declare. “Hurrah for us!”

Then—everyone goes back to work. Business proceeds as usual with little or no follow-up on how to implement this new image over the long term. The efforts of so many, and in some cases the expenditure of millions of dollars, fade away—another memory of another unfinished corporate initiative.

There is no question that brand image is critical to the success of many companies. Moreover, there is no question that rebranding may be important to claim, or reclaim, market share. However, the question begs to be asked, why curtail the rebranding effort when it is only half-complete? Why halt the initiative on the threshold of success?

In order to eliminate the business-as-usual syndrome, a branding initiative must become a strategic imperative that goes beyond banners, slogans, and new marketing materials. You must actively engage those who matter the most—the employees that carry that brand image to the customer and out into the market place—by making the brand a way of life within the company.

The associates and employees of a company are the voice of that company. They speak to customers and clients, they speak to venders and partners, and they speak to family and friends. In short, they carry the image of the company into the world at large. Without the acceptance and commitment of the entire workforce an image makeover is destined to fail.

So how do you attain associate buy-in? Start at the top. The direction must be set at the top echelons of the organization. Everyone at the senior level must be on board, speaking with one voice, living the cause. Then, the message must be handed down so everyone at every level not only sees the brand, and hears about the brand, but actually experiences the brand in every aspect of corporate life. Through educational programs, town meetings, and special visits to staff meetings, everyone must be speaking with the same voice—over the long term. With perseverance, dedication and consistency, the organization will become the brand, and true employee acceptance and the culture change that comes with it will have been achieved. The company and the brand image will have become one.

It’s interesting (and, well, just a little entertaining) to look at the world in that cut-and-dried way. But we all know people in every profession everywhere whose authenticity we can count on. You’ve bought a car from someone you trust. You’ve voted for a legislator you believed in. How did you know you could trust them? We say it’s “just a feeling.” However, the fact is, human beings are constantly gauging credibility by reading very real signals people give in every interaction.

Now you’ve probably got two questions in your mind. 

1. What are the signals of credibility? (More on that in a minute.)
2. Are people judging me by them, too? (You bet they are.)

Let’s take a look in the mirror and see how the way we communicate affects perceptions of our authenticity and credibility – and what we can do to raise our scores. The good news is, the indicators people watch are skills you can learn. With this knowledge – and practice – you can communicate credibility that builds your influence. You can take steps to boost the trust of colleagues and customers, supervisors and employees. You are in control of how much impact your words have with others. 

Here are some proven tips we’ve been sharing with others at VoicePro for more than two decades. Try these ideas in your next presentation or conversation and see the difference:

• Be open. Credible people have nothing to hide, no need to be defensive, and nothing to prove. They can listen, keep eye contact, and have relaxed body language. Their easiness communicates integrity.
• Breathe deeply. When you speak you’ll project your voice with an air of confidence. When a situation gets tense, this advice gets twice as important.
• Turn off the “internal critic.” You know that voice that tells you you’re not smart enough or strong enough?  Don’t listen.  It can unnerve you, cause you to act in ways that aren’t authentic. Learn to trust yourself – and others will, too.
• Loosen up and share your enthusiasm. Your comfort is contagious and so is your dynamism. You’ll connect with people and they’ll respond with trust and respect.

Want to dig a little deeper? You’ll find more tips and newsletter ideas on building influence, creating more powerful presentations and developing a strong presence at our website.

Image by Gregg Obst

In a great piece by Inc Magazine, CEOs were asked for their best productivity tips. One of my favorites was this one from Kevin Ryan, founder of DoubleClick and now head of internet start-up AlleyCorp. He says he’s always interviewing because he believes 80% of business success is in the people. That includes talking on a regular basis with up-and-comers in his organization who are two or three levels down from him. Why? “I want them to know I’m paying attention,” he says.  How could you reshape your organization by thinking of communicating with others as a productivity booster – not a distraction?  

Similar advice is found in an article from The Chief Executive titled: You’re Always a New CEO. Carlos M. Gutierrez, former chairman and CEO of Kellogg Co, may have said it best: “You need to over-communicate, to be willing to walk the talk and to make sure the actions are consistent with the messages.” How well are you communicating with the people in your circle of influence? Do you want to make those interactions more productive? Start with few ideas on effective communication skills from VoicePro^®.

Here’s another suggestion, this time from the global business arena. In a CNN article titled What Bosses Can Learn from Indian Business Leaders, one core suggestion was “act as a role model.” Are you modeling the behavior you value in others? Does your behavior align with your words? Actions do, as they say, speak louder than words. 

Here’s one more tip that reminds us what CEOs know: listening is as important as talking for good communication. On the website of The Center for Social Leadership there’s a great member post for new CEOs that applies to all of us. The writer suggests spending the first six months on a “listening tour.”  Isn’t that the truth? How else can we be clear on how well the company’s (and our own) goals and expectations are being understood? Unless we listen to people first, our communication is likely to be a scattershot, not on target. As important as listening is, our experience at VoicePro^® suggests it demands an incredible amount of concentration and self discipline. 

No matter where you are on your career ladder, try these ideas out in your own workplace. See how acting like a CEO can take you, your organization and your career to the next level.

Image by KovaZg

In this biographical sketch, the narrator commented that a poor dancer falls behind the beat, a good dancer stays on the beat, and with the masters—of which Kelly was one of the best—their steps come before the beat. This hit home with me. As a musician, it’s been drilled into me to anticipate what’s coming in a song. In other words, I need to sing just slightly ahead the beat. According to my guitar teacher and friend Paul Kovac, this is the hallmark of the outstanding bluegrass and old-time mountain singers of our time.

Now, I have to say I’m not the greatest guitar player in the world. I’ve spent most of my life in the business world, not in the hills of North Carolina soaking up the playing styles of the old-time experts. In the overall scheme of things, I haven’t been at it very long, and I still struggle with getting the fingers of my left hand to play the chords correctly and the pick in my right hand to hit exactly the right string at exactly the right time.

So, while I was dismayed by a recent conversation with Wayne Erbsen, it didn’t really surprise. Wayne is the leader of The Log Cabin Band, a group I play with once a week.  When I asked how I could speed up my playing, he said, “Carolyn, you don’t have to play any faster. You just have to stay ahead of the beat.

What does it take to stay ahead of the beat? In music? In business? In life in general? The first thing it takes is confidence. If I weren’t so worried about hitting the right strings, I wouldn’t lag behind. By the same token, if you have honed your selling skills, or your speaking skills, or your leadership skills, you’re more likely to speak up and lead others to where you want them to go. Otherwise, it’s too easy to sit back and wait for someone else to grab the spotlight—and the prize.

Second, you need to be willing to take risks. This means putting yourself into situations where you’re forced to deliver. The perfectionist in me abhors even the idea of looking inadequate in front of my peers. But if I want to take my skills to the next level, I have to play in groups who are better than I. Sooner or later, all of us must give up sticking just our toes in the water and dive in. In a sink-or-swim situation, you will learn to swim.

And third, be a strong support for other people and their ideas. An old-time string band is made up of four, maybe five instruments: fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, with an occasional bass player added to the mix. The fiddle, banjo and mandolin are all solo instruments, so it’s the job of the guitar to back up the others and keep a steady rhythm. A string band can’t succeed without a strong guitar player, who (you guessed it) stays ahead of the beat, thereby driving the ensemble forward. In the same way, your strong, judicial support for those around you will put you in a position of influence and power. They won’t be able to get along without you.

Here, then, are some specific things you can do to stay ahead of the beat:

1. Check your skill sets, and master the ones most important to you and your career. Never stop learning.
2. Be aware of what’s going on around you. Listen between the lines to what both your colleagues and your customers are saying. Get a feel for trends, both economic and cultural. Compare reality with rumor, and make your own judgments about what to believe.
3. Make the first move. When you’re asked for your opinion, give it. Then take the lead in inviting others to comment. Volunteer for the tough jobs, the ones nobody else wants. Use them to develop new skills or perfect existing ones.
4. Be a good back-up player. It’s the way leaders are born.

 The great hockey player Wayne Gretsky said it best: “A good hockey player skates to where the puck is. A great hockey skates to where the puck is going to be.”

A great leader is ahead of the beat in music, in sports, in business, and in life. Let me know where you are.

Image by Matthieu A.

While the outcomes of the summit, and its ramifications for the country, won’t become clear for a long time, I also believe it has given us a great opportunity to review the principles of facilitation. At one time or another, almost all of us find ourselves charged with facilitating a group session, and it can be a wonderful experience. At the same time, it requires a clear understanding of your role and a willingness to go out on a limb to assure a satisfying conclusion for everyone involved.

As the facilitator of a group you are more than the guardian of an agenda. You are the coordinator and the director of the discussion. You are the keeper of the process. You must make clear what’s expected of each individual and make sure everything proceeds as planned. Even though you will be working with a diverse group of personalities, it is up to you to keep the group focused so that objectives are met. In short, it’s your job to keep your ducks in a row–everything and everyone on track.

Getting Things Started

Your opening remarks provide you with an opportunity to set an energetic and positive tone. Build rapport with the group by stating your own objectivity; you’ll sabotage the whole affair if they think you have an axe to grind. 

Here are some guidelines for getting off to a good start:

• Announce the topic of discussion is and explain why it’s important.
• State the goal of the session: We’re here to determine whether or not to go forward. Or: When we’re finished here, we’ll have a new contract. Or: By the end of today, we’ll know what we agree on and what we don’t. Ask for agreement on the goal; watch for nods that signal acceptance.
• Lay out the framework and ground rules. Explain how you will make sure the rules are followed and that it’s your responsibility to do so. 

During the Meeting

To put it mildly, our legislators at the health care summit didn’t enter into the discussion in a neutral frame of mind. Rarely does anyone come into a facilitated session totally impartial. People come with their energy, expectations, interests, perceptions, concerns, and emotions on the line. Drawing such disparate individuals into a cohesive group allows the facilitator to draw on the collective diversity of each member.  For a cooperative and highly interactive environment that yields successful results:

• Involve everyone. Recognize their diversity, value it, and encourage open communication.
• Establish listening as an important part of everyone’s responsibility. To keep the process moving smoothly, it’s important to reinforce the fact that points of view can (and usually will) differ. At the same time, recognizing and respecting the other person’s view does not require you to agree with it.
• If something is unclear, ask for clarification, then occasional summaries of what has been said.
• When it seems you have agreement on a topic, test for consensus.
• Recognize and manage disruptive behaviors by not permitting excessive examples, time domination, digression to personal agendas, interruptions or intimidation.

Keep Your Eye on the Prize.

If things get tense and emotions erupt, keep your cool. Sit back, relax your shoulders, and breathe. Remind the group what they’re working for and the value a good outcome will have for everyone. It sometimes becomes evident the stated goal won’t be reached in this meeting. If that’s the case, stop, regroup, and set a new goal—one that’s more realistic and can be achieved. At the end of the session, summarize succinctly, indicate next steps, and thank everyone for his or her respectful participation.

The strength of your leadership can be a huge influence on the success of a high-stakes facilitated session. By keeping your eye on the prize, you can mold and shape a process that leads to outcomes beneficial to everyone involved.

 I’d love to hear your stories. Keep me posted.

Image by Jocelyne H