Category: Leadership

Last I heard we’re supposed to be watching the pennies very carefully. Quite right too. When I work in London I cycle to and from the office. It’s only 15 miles each way. It keeps me fit, and it’s a very low cost form of travel.

Don’t panic, I’m not advocating that we all cycle to work.

A few days ago I arrived for work on my bicycle. Keep fit, low cost. Later that morning I had to step out of the building for some fresh air and a coffee. As I left I watched one of our directors hail a taxi right outside our head office and hop in.

Hmmm. OK, maybe he was going on a personal errand in work hours and just happened to be dressed in a suit and carrying business papers. Maybe he’s not going to claim that taxi fare on expenses.

Whatever, I couldn’t help but marvel at the insensitivity. We’re trying to slash cost to the bone, redeploying people, removing contractors, focussing only on the essential. Quite right too. And yet visible leadership behaviour in this case equals jumping into one of the most expensive modes of transport on a per mile basis, right outside the door of head office. Next time I suggest at least walk a block away from the front door and get in where no one can see you. That way lies a tiny bit of keep fit, even if the low cost bit still proves elusive.

Be courageous. Courage is critical in your role because it helps build trust. Your leaders need to know that you will not shy away from conversations that they need to have, because you’re afraid. If you need to build your courage, start small. Do something today that’s just a little bit courageous.

Be curious. Curiosity is important because you can’t give good advice if you don’t completely understand the issue, the perspectives or the obstacles. You need to come from the perspective that your leaders are creative and resourceful and already have the answers. Your job is to be curious. Make sure your questions are open-ended, not a yes or no answer. Make sure you don’t lead. Ask 3 questions before giving an opinion. You’ll have more influence if you’re the person who helps people come up with the best answers they can stand behind.

Point out the possibilities. You must try to be the instigator of what’s possible. This can be accomplished by having an open mind, consistently asking what else? And wondering if there wasn’t anything in the way, what would be possible? Possibility is not a skill, it’s a choice.

Be knowledgeable. You may know most of what there is to know about communication, and that’s great. But if you can’t apply those skills to the business, you won’t be influential. You need to know what the corporate objectives are and how communication can help reach them. Easy ways to build your knowledge include knowing your gaps and making a list to fill them, reading what the boss is reading, getting curious and listening better.

Listen. We have an amazing capacity for taking in information faster than it’s tossed at us, yet most people are terrible listeners. Many people are thinking about how they’re going to respond to what’s being said and never hear what’s being said. You can’t advise effectively if you don’t listen. Some pointers for increasing your listening are to clarify what you think you’ve heard by bottom-lining it or putting it “in a nutshell”.