What do the world’s business leaders need now, in the midst of economic gloom and doom?  At Davos, those attending the World Economic Forum are trying to revive their enthusiasm and passion.  They are heading out in droves to a seminar where they stand on the chairs and sing at the top of their voices.  

The program is delivered by Benjamin Zander, the famous conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, who knows the power of music to lift the mood and reignite passion.   “There is even more need for music in times of trouble,” he said before delivering a speech on an artist’s approach to managing complexity.

Purpose and passion are vital to building and sustaining a business.  It is virtually impossible to succeed without it.  In times like these, we need workforces that are engaged, excited, and passionate about what they are doing. I wrote Motivate Like a CEO , Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act! to provide people with practical, simple steps to discovering their passion and communicating it to others.  

Your passion attracts like-minded people who enjoy throwing themselves into a project - surveys show that employees long to be connected to a powerful purpose — something greater than themselves.  Work is where we discover our talents and passions.  Leaders who are in touch with their own purpose and passion connect others, who can then do great things.  Passion and energy are needed now to ignite the creativity and resourcefulness that will allow us to overcome the business challenges we face.

As a leader, you have to feel the passion - and then learn to communicate it to others in a powerful way.  When you think about it, this is really the highest definition of leadership.  If you believe your organization has lost its passion, I’d like to share an analytical tool from Chapter 7 of the book: Create Momentum and Keep it Going.  This tool is a 5-point Questionnaire that will ignite a conversation among your leadership team, and your larger organization, and help you to rediscover why you do what you do. 

The power of this tool is in part, to help you articulate the story of your organization.  Through storytelling we discover why we do what we do, and why it matters; we also discover how we’ve overcome obstacles in the past; and what makes us truly successful.  Once you find these stories you use them to help others connect with mission and purpose.   The tool also helps asks you to examine what’s caused you to lose a connection to purpose.  These are essential  questions right now, while we are rebuilding our organizations, and our economy.

If you would like a complimentary copy of the Story of Your Organization Questionnaire, which is from my new book, Motivate Like a CEO, please contact Shellie Dunlap: sdunlap@bates-communications.com

Click here to listen to a brief interview with Benjamin Zander by Evan Davis of the BBC.  When you get to the page, scroll down to number 0824.

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Yesterday, household names such as Caterpillar, Home Depot and Sprint Nextel announced they are laying off a combined 35,000 workers.  This only reinforces the severity of the worldwide recession.  More job cuts are likely as consumer and business spending keeps falling.   Some economists say the worst job losses are still ahead of us.

If you’re looking for a management job right now, the going is tough.  Just landing an interview is a challenge.  More likely you’re going to be meeting at first with friends and acquaintances who can help you along the way.  And, once you do have the opportunity to interview for a management position, you have to make the most of it.  There is little room to “fail” when competition is fierce.

If you are seeking a management position, you may feel concerned that the companies “failures” will reflect on you.  There will likely be questions about what happened, decisions that were made, your knowledge and involvement in those decisions.  You need to be prepared for these questions, and also be ready to redirect the conversation to highlight your leadership qualities.

If you prepare effectively for an interview, you can handle tough questions and position yourself as an outstanding leader.  It may have been some time since you’ve interviewed.  Be sure that you write down all the tough questions  in advance, and then write down your answers – you don’t want to be “making it up” on the spot.

Here are five steps to preparing for an interview for a management position in a tough economy.

Step One: Take Stock of Your Career

Employers are looking for not just experience, but leadership qualities – decision making, analytical skills, people skills, as well as the right combination of personal qualities, such as a balance of humility and confidence.  Before you even go on an informational interview with a friend, spend some time taking stock of your career.  What challenges have you faced?  What have you learned?  How have you used those lessons to become a better leader?  Get some personal perspective on the road you’ve taken, so that you are able to articulate your value to a future employer.

Step Two:  Write Down Stories That Highlight Your Leadership  

A job interview is an opportunity to tell the story of your management career.  This is not something you do “on the fly.”  It’s best to write down these stories, and discover the point of the stories, so that you can effectively and briefly share the highlights in a job interview.  Time is precious and your story needs to tell well, and make a powerful point.  You don’t want to be searching for the point of your story while you’re speaking to the interviewer, or wandering aimlessly to get to the end.  Write down these stories and practice out loud so that when you go to the interview, you know it cold.

Step Three:  Emphasize Qualities That Differentiate You  

Among the qualities that differentiate great leaders is the ability to communicate, motivate and inspire their teams.  In writing my new book, Motivate Like a CEO, I learned that many business people rise to the top because of their business and technical skill; however they often plateau because they lack the ability to communicate, influence and motivate others.  Your stories should emphasize these skills.  Have you brought together a group of individuals that worked tirelessly on a project because they were so engaged?  What was the outcome?  Why were they so inspired? Can you point to instances where employees were excited about what they were doing? These are the stories that a future employer will remember when considering you against other candidates.

Step Four:  Don’t Wait to Be Asked

You have the ability to manage the interview –find ways to share these stories no matter what you are asked.  For example, let’s say the interviewer asks, “What are your strengths?”  Instead of ticking off a laundry list of skills, share one of the stories that highlights a leadership quality.  Brag about your team, brag about results, not about yourself.  The message that comes through will be that you care about your teams, care about the companies you work for, and care about results.  Don’t wait for the perfect question – many interviewers are not skilled interviews– even at the senior levels.  Look for the opening to share those highlights.  Take responsibility for making it a great interview.

Step Five:  Make it a Conversation – Ask Your Future Employer to Share Stories, too

The best job interviews are really conversations where there is a meeting of the minds.  At the end you want to have created a feeling, an impression, that this would work.  People want to work with people they like and respect.  When you connect with people by asking them to tell their story, they remember you and are impressed by your curiosity.  Their stories also give you a chance to size up whether the organization is a good fit for you.  People love to share their stories and appreciate someone who is interested in them.  Make it a conversation you’ll make a far emotional stronger connection to a prospective employer – and this will make you a standout candidate in a crowded field.

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Reuters reports this morning (Monday January 26, 2009) that the U.S. business climate is the worst in 27 years.  The National Association of Business Economics‘ (NABE) quarterly industry poll found that the economic slump worsened in the fourth quarter and the majority of respondents expected gross domestic product to contract at a faster pace in 2009.

“The NABE’s industry survey depicts the worst business conditions since the survey began in 1982, confirming the U.S. recession deepened in the fourth quarter of 2008,” said spokeswoman Sara Johnson.

I’m not posting this to promote the gloom and doom news.  I’m want to talk about how leaders … how you…must act now - to focus your organizations, survive and position yourself for the future. 

First, remember while times are still challenging this is historical data.  There will be an economic stimulus package out of Washington.  While the details are being hammered out - we can hope it will address both the credit crisis and lending, as well as job creation and infrastructure.

Moreover, what we need right now is for business leaders to step up and lead the way.  We need to hear from America’s top business leaders and get their voices engaged in the public discourse.   Business leaders have a role in restoring public confidence.  We cannot leave it all up to Washington.

In the meantime, what we need to recognize is in our own organizations, there is a “secondary crisis” of confidence.  As we started New Year - looking ahead to the inauguration of President Obama in sight, most of us felt hopeful about a recovery, if not immediately, at least this year. 

But the drumbeat of economic news — and the fact that we still don’t have a stimulus package is now creating a pervasive, sense of malaise in many companies that is going to take over if we don’t manage our own emotions and give people hope.

Pessimism and doubt threaten to undermine the very qualities within your organization that will speed a recovery – productivity and creativity.  This is why now more than ever, business leaders need to get out front, and motivate and inspire their teams.

As a leader, you have no control over the credit crisis or the stimulus package but you can and must manage the motivation of your own team and keep people focused on what matters now.  The biggest mistake many leaders are making at this moment– they are not communicating often enough with their own teams.  You need to open up the channels of communication, even on a daily basis – by email, blog, through meetings let everyone know how they can help – and solicit their ideas.  In crisis mode, executive teams tend to become insulated – instead they need to put more time on their calendars for communication and make sure they are in the loop with employees and customers.

While writing Motivate Like a CEO, what I saw in the interviews and research was clear - a motivated workforce is the key to building a strong culture that will survive the ups and downs of the economy.   

What’s the biggest worry on the minds of your employees?  They’re hearing that 1.9 million jobs were lost in the last four months of last year. The NABE report said job losses are expected to continue in the first half of 2009. 

Even if you are still uncertain about what lies ahead:

• Get out front with a positive message
• Tell people what you know
• Ask for their ideas - get them engaged
• Focus your message on the most important things they can do
• Communicate good news immediately, even if it’s small
• Be honest about where things stand - don’t sugarcoat
• Tell them you believe in them
• Reward and recognize achievements

Today ONLY, I want to let you know that we have a 24-hour complimentary offering of gifts, if you purchase a copy of my new book, Motivate Like a CEO, Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act! 

Purchase the book, copy your confirmation number and send it to moconnor@bates-communications.com and we will send you a full page of links where you can collect dozens of complimentary gifts like audio programs, white papers, tip sheets and other valuable offers from authors and experts like Keith Ferrazzi, (Never Eat Alone); Lois Frankel (Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office); Lynn Robinson (Divine Intuition and Trust your Gut); Sheryl Lindsell Roberts (Business Writing books galore) and many, many more! 

Among those who are also “buzzing” about the book today are Jeffrey Gitomer (Little Red Book of Sales) David Allen (Getting Things Done) and we have endorsements from among others, Ken Blanchard (One Minute Manager).

Remember, copy and paste your confirmation number from amazon, and email it to Meredith O’Connor: moconnor@bates-communications.com

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Just want to pass along something I saw on the Daily Stat from Harvard Business Publishing:

A recent survey by McKinsey asked about decision-making practices and compared them with decision outcomes. Decisions that were made after a company’s executives sought out contradictory evidence and opinion were more likely to turn out well.

In cases where decisions turned out poorly, only 25% of respondents agreed that the decision makers had sought out evidence contradicting their initial plan, compared with 51% who strongly disagreed. But in cases where decisions turned out well, 43% of respondents agreed that decision makers sought out contrary evidence, and only 23% disagreed.

I’m preparing an article on how to lead effectively by facilitating productive discussionsand encouraging dissenting views, for an upcoming newsletter.  

If you’re not yet on our Voice of Leadership newsletter list, just email Shellie Dunlap and she’ll take care of it:  sdunlap@bates-communications.com  

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Just want to alert you to an article just published in the January 09 issue of Chief Learning Officer Magazine.  Reporter Lindsay Edmonds had some some great questions about why it is so challenging to help leaders become better communicators, and how you can address this need in your own organization.  

Here’s a short excerpt:

“Many leaders tackle organizational problems behind closed doors, separating themselves from employees and perpetuating uncertainty. Instead, leaders should open those doors and communicate, motivate and inspire their employees.

“There’s this malaise in many organizations because people are confused. They don’t know what to do [because] they’re not getting direction from their leaders,” said Suzanne Bates, author of Motivate Like a CEO: Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act! “[So] motivation is more important than ever, [and] leaders need to ramp up their communication and connect to people with the purpose and mission of the organization.”

To read the full article, click here to go to Chief Learning Officer Magazine

Lindsay Edmonds Wickman is an associate editor for Chief Learning Officer magazine. She can be reached at editor@clomedia.com.

For information about how to design a high level communications training program for senior executives that teaches skills such as motivating and aligning your organization, contact me directly:

sbates@bates-communications.com

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Today, Barack Obama ushered in a new era in American politics with a powerful 20 minute Inaugural address that struck a pragmatic yet undeniably inspiring tone.  I’m not sure there was a memorable ”phrase for the ages” like “Ask not what your country can do…” that should be carved in stone; however, the delivery was exceptionally powerful, the tone remarkably hopeful, the words truly eloquent, and the themes crystal clear: hope, responsibility, unity and resolve.  

I would urge every leader to analyze this speech and consider what worked and why.  How did the themes of Mr. Obama’s address resonate for you?  How might these themes move your organization forward? Reflect not just as a citizen of this country (or the world) but also as an executive who must motivate and inspire others. 

Let’s look back on the President’s words with an eye toward finding themes that resonate for our own organizations.  If you wish, you may read the full test of the speech by clicking on Boston.com

The President told the nation we must choose “hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord” to overcome the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  He delivered a simple but powerful message - that it is up to us.

In many ways, this is precisely the message we need to deliver to our businesses, too.  Each of us must take personal responsibility.  Every employee must act with courage.  Have you said this to your organization?   If not, when and how can you deliver this powerful message, in a way that people take it to heart? 

This theme of personal responsibility resonates for all of us.  The President said, “What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility, a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.”

Building on that theme in your business today, you can also urge people, beginning with the leaders at the top, to seize responsibility not grudgingly but gladly.  Acknowledge the challenges but urge people to own what they can own.  As I learned while writing Motivate Like a CEO, people long for a purpose; they want to contribute — to be a part of something greater than themselves.  When you ask them, they will commit to working hard and overcoming obstacles -because they know what they do really matters.   

One of the most powerful ways to drive home the message of personal responsibility is to celebrate difficult achievements in your own organization.  Look around.  Have your people accomplished something great lately?  Tell the story to everyone.  Emphasize the important aspects of taking personal responsibility, and how that created real, measurable results.  Talk about how the hard road can lead to reward, not just financially but also personally.  

A third theme that should resonate for your organization is one of unity.  In American politics today, Obama reminds us we must come together and put an end to “the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.” 

In many companies today, there is little unity.  Have fiefdoms formed?  Have a few, powerful groups been allowed to rule?  Are petty grievances keeping people from working together?  How can you speak about the spirit of genuine collaboration, and move your organization forward?

Perhaps one of the most memorable lines from President Obama’s address was when he urged courage and resolve in the face of our enemies. While promising the Muslim world that “good relations would be based on mutual interest and mutual respect, he warned, “to those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.”  In challenging times, great leaders never flinch when describing things as they are; they do not shrink from tough messages.  They simply state things are they are, and as they will be.  You can do this, too.   

Perhaps the time is right for you to start talking about the character that made your company great, and will make it great again.  Think of this as a “State of the Union” address.  Get beyond the numbers and the challenges, and communicate in an inspiring way.

Charting a course for the future depends upon our ability to rally our employees and inspire them to do what is best, and right, and often difficult.  As this country begins anew, it seems like a good time for us to renew our own organizations, with a powerful message of hope.

P.S.  I’m going to send the first 5 people who post here a response with a specific theme from the President’s Inaugural Address and share how it relates to their business today- a signed copy of my new book, Motivate Like a CEO, Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act! (McGraw Hill 2009).  Post your response here, and then, email: sdunlap@bates-communications.com.  Please be sure to include your mailing address so that we can mail your book promptly.  We cannot send a book to a PO Box so be sure it is a valid mailing address.  Thank you.

You can read about the new book in the press section of our website, or on amazon.com

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At noon today, President Barack Obama gave the speech of his life. History will judge which words will be etched in marble.  

Perhaps what’s most notable is how our President-Elect has been communicating with us all along.  You might say he’s decided to become not just Commander in Chief, but also ”Communicator in Chief.” 

What is impressive is not just his command of the podium.  President-Elect Obama knows his way around modern technology.  He fought with government lawyers and security agencies to keep his own BlackBerry for personal and private messages.  He already seems to be mastering the art of communicating through imagery – those awful Greek columns aside – yesterday, the President Elect was photographed with paint roller in hand –a powerful image that says how each of us must do our part.

Mr. Obama’s rhetorical flair and unflappable confidence on the platform catapulted him onto the national stage four years ago; he just kept getting better.  It isn’t all about style — it’s the way he thinks about communication.  The fact that he created an office of the President-Elect –complete with a media room and a presidential-worthy podium, demonstrates how important he thinks it is.

What can business leaders learn from Mr. Obama?  First - charisma - it does matter.  Our new President commands the room, adapts with ease, and makes his one-on one interviews hip, down home and comfortable; he also delivers a rousing, motivational speech and makes you believe the rhetoric of hope from a big platform.  While he does have some annoying vocal habits –I noticed after awhile that the phrases “as I’ve said,” or “I’ve made it clear,” frequently creep in, just prior to the answer to a tough question; still you cannot help but admire how he connects.

Having said that, there is certainly more to Obama’s effectiveness than charisma.  He carved out precious time during the transition for press conferences.  He became highly visible, gaining control of the national dialogue, filling the potential news vacuum during the Bush to Obama transition.  Had Mr. Obama chosen to stay behind the scenes, the nation would no doubt have felt restless and leaderless.  Instead, we had the distinct perception that someone was already in charge.

So ultimately for every leader, it isn’t just about his style.  No leader can emulate another.  You have to be good at being YOU –find you own honest, effective, and authentic style of communication 

What it’s really about is acknowledging that in challenging times, communication is vital.  Shepherding your organization through the turmoil requires you to take the most active role in communicating with your employees, customers and stakeholders.  You have to be standing at the center of the communication universe.  You cannot view the communication “function” as such – something that “other people” manage and execute.  You have to stand right there and make sure it happens – position yourself in the middle of the loop. 

This can be difficult on a personal level.  It’s hard to communicate when you don’t have the answers.  In times of stress we are inclined to retreat and wait.  If you don’t feel like you have something good to say, perhaps you think you should say nothing at all.  Yet what is really required of a leader– is a commitment to communication, and a message of hope.  You have to communicate more often with your organization and make sure you tell people how important they are in helping the company survive and thrive.  Speaking with purpose and passion, you create an honest, open dialogue with your employees and customers, and you talk about the future.  What Barack Obama has shown us already is how powerful it can be when you deliver a message of hope.

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I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions but I do believe in taking an inventory of where you are professionally, financially and emotionally each year.  It’s invigorating to take a little time — and get a fresh perspective. 

In the current business environment, one of the most important and positive things you can do for yourself is to honestly assess how you feel about your work — your level of purpose and passion.  Working with purpose and passion brings joy to our lives.  With a goal and a purpose we have a far more fulfilling career, reaping emotional as well as financial rewards.  

As we navigate the challenges in our business this year, many of us are feeling overworked, depleted, and stressed.  This is natural. There is no easy road to recovery for any business right now.  If your company has been down the road of restructuring, layoffs or cutbacks, you’re undoubtedly spending more time in meetings, dealing with crisis, making tough decisions and managing with with fewer resources.  

In this environment, how can you possibly honor this intention to work with with energy and purpose –so that you wake up every day excited about your work and feeling good about how you’re leading your organization?

In writing my second book, Motivate Like a CEO, one of my primary purposes was to address this challenge - to help leaders work and live with purpose and passion.  We have the best of intentions- to spend time with people - to motivate and inspire them - but the day to day grind may keep us from fulfilling those plans.  That’s why it is important to take a step back, and assess what it is that makes your own work meaningful to you.  Motivating others requires you to be clear about your own purpose and passion. 

How are you feeling today?  Have you been as successful as you would like to be during the current crisis, in motivating and inspiring your team? 

Here are three questions that will help you explore your purpose and passion.

1. What activities do I enjoy most in my work and why?

2. What projects when completed, give me the greatest satisfaction and why?

3. What purpose have those activities and projects filled?

If you would like me to send you the full series of questions on discovering your motivation, taken directly from the new book (just published January 9th!) Motivate Like a CEO, Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act! (McGraw Hill) please contact Shellie Dunlap: sdunlap@bates-communications.com or call us at 781 235-8239.  Ask for the Personal Mission Questionnaire. 

To purchase a copy of the  book, go to our online store or visit the Motivate Like a CEO page on amazon.com

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