“Be in charge of your own destiny or some one else will.”

-Jack Welch

Your destiny is determined each day by the path you choose.  But just having a goal and putting one step in front of the other each day isn’t enough.  You also need to let other people know what you’re doing.   That means communicating up, around, sideways and down the middle.

Let me give you an example.   A story about guy who had his eyes on the prize, but forgot to let his boss in on it. 

He told the story right before I got up to speak last night in Rye Brook New York to a group of IT leaders.  He had read chapter one of Motivate Like a CEO, realized where dropped the ball, and wanted to share it with everybody.

Turns out he and his technology team had worked feverishly to bring a project in on time and on budget.  He was proud of the fact that he’d been communicating exceptionally well with his team.  They were engaged in the work; in spite of some challenges they were excited and firing on all cylinders.  Trouble was- he forgot to tell the folks upstairs.   

He was so busy making sure those cylinders were firing that he failed to tell the executive team they were taking a trip. When he finally looped them back in, it became clear they didn’t understand what he’d been up to.  “Why are you spending so much time and energy on it?” they asked.  What a shame – a great effort without the applause.  Phase II?  Who knows if it will even happen?

What Went Wrong?

This story must have a familiar ring; I hear it all the time.  Your team loves you, they work hard for you, but somehow you and they aren’t getting the credit or the recognition you deserve.  Nine times out of ten it isn’t because you work for a boss who is a jerk.  It’s because of a simple failure to communicate up.

Communicating “up” is one of the most strategic aspects of the job.  You have to do it - for yourself - for your team - for your organization.  When you don’t, precious time, resources and effort are wasted. 

Ask yourself, this - in an ever changing world, where priorities are shifting, how can you possibly know that your activities are aligned today’s goals?  The only way to know is to have a robust dialogue going with the top of the organization.  

Remember This, When Briefing Top Executives

·         When you go in to give a briefing, be prepared, and be flexible.  Things may have changed.  Week to week, organizations are juggling a host of priorities and business realities.  Sure, in an ideal world, the company sets its sights on a target and focuses like a laser beam.  But we all know how difficult that is in this ultra volatile economy. 

·         That’s why you need to keep people in the loop - formally and informally.  Pick up the phone, send an email, schedule a meeting - be available - and don’t assume they know.

·         Be sure to ask questions and listen between the lines.  You may see heads nodding while the tone is less than enthusiastic.  That’s a signal.  Pay attention.  

·         You can still champion your project or idea if you believe in it.  Just be sure you can make a rock solid case for how it aligns with the company’s priorities.

·         Come in well prepared with facts and information that helps them see it the way you see it.  Your job as a leader is to communicate not just what, but why.

It isn’t Just Up - It’s Around, Sideways, and Down the Middle

I have a client who is living a nightmare right now - after six months of hard work a major project has been scuttled.  She and her team spent months planning, preparing and discussing with the top leaders of the company, only to have the rug pulled out from under them at the 11^th hour. Chaos has ensued.

Her team is not only deflated and demoralized; planned promotions will not take place; people will be moving to other parts of the organization; some may leave the company.  Perhaps most ruinous- it was a pretty good plan- so the benefits to the organization will be lost.

The issue really wasn’t just communicating up.  It appeared the top folks were on board.  Behind the scenes, however, some powerful forces who didn’t like it prevailed.  It all went down in about three hours.  This is what I like to call unpredictably predictable.  The post-mortem will show that the failure was in building alliances around the organization, going sideways and down the middle.

Maybe it would have happened anyway.  We’ll never know.

How To Avoid This Fate

• When you’re working on a major project, I recommend that you create a communications plan. 
• This document should live side by side with the project plan, or better still, inside of it.  
• Make a list of every single individual or group who can influence, touch, derail, question, wonder, doubt or decide something related to the plan. 
• Make a plan to circle around, ask questions,
• Listen between the lines, and be sure that you address head on not only the merits of an idea but the impact on others

As always, leave a reply if you’d like to contribute to these ideas on communicating up, around, sideways and down the middle.

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This week I’ve been thinking about that saying, “lead by example.”  The origin of this well-worn standard is a Chinese proverb, yi shen zuo ze, which means ”to set a good example,” or “set yourself as the standard.”  For thousands of years people have known that a leader’s actions must match his or her words.  As I have discussed in the 8 principles of Motivate like a CEO, great leaders walk the talk. 

But is that enough?

Yes and no.

If you work in a high functioning organization, chances are your leaders walk the talk.  They live the values.  It comes from the top down.  Leaders who live the values inspire others.  

This brings me to posting your values statements on the wall.  This is a form of communication, but it isn’t the answer to creating a values based culture. People believe what they see and hear from their leaders, not what they read on a poster. If one leader in the organization is acting by a different set of rules, people will see that individual as an outlier.  However, if employees see that more than one leader living by different standards, that’s a trend.  They’ll scoff at the values and their cynicism will foster a negative, demoralized workplace.  

So of course, leaders have to live the values.  But is that enough?

Not really.  Why?

Because in a large organization, most people don’t get to meet you.  They certainly don’t see you every day, every week or every month.  In fact, they may go years without ever shaking your hand.

However, most people will be invited to a business meeting and hear you speak; they may receive emails from you; they may hear from their own bosses about how you’ve handled certain situations.    

This is why a leader has to not just lead by example, but also talk about examples of how the organization are living by its values.  If you can’t have lunch with every employee, you need to connect with them in a personal way through the stories of the organization.  You can do this through speeches, presentations, videos and even email and blogs.  

Tell stories that demonstrate how successful people in your organiztaion are walking the talk.  Collect these stories routinely and then share how teams and groups have been living the values.  Once you start to do this people will tell you more stories about living the values and you’ll soon have a collection of these stories to share. 

The ability to share compelling stories with points through speaking and writing is a critical leadershp skill.  if you’re not sure how to find stories - think of a time when your team has faced a difficult situation.  Perhaps you disappointed a customer and had to “do right by them.”  Perhaps someone working on a project had to go above and beyond.  What happened?  Why did the team or individual make that decision?  What was the outcome?  How did it illustrate the values? What did the team learn from that experience?  How can others apply the lesson?

These are the stories that you need to share with your organization.  For your next presentation, investigate three examples of how the organization has succeeded, and analyze how those successes are tied to your values.  It will be well worth it, because when people hear a story, they remember the story, and then they remember the point.

So living by example is only half of the battle. The rest is sharing the stories with others. 

以身作则
yǐ shēn zuò zé
To set a good example / Set yourself as the standard

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I’m just back from an intensive week in which our Bates team coached 23 top leaders of a Fortune 50 company on their strategic recommendations for the organization.   There was a lot riding on it for each of them, since the Chairman and CEO of the company and members of the senior leadership team would be evaluating their presentations and providing feedback. 

What the SLT was looking for were clear, bold solutions to significant challenges facing the business.  They wanted to see how effectively the groups worked together, defined the challenge, analyzed the data, developed strong solutions, and answered tough questions.  The final exercise was an outstanding way to see how these leaders think and how they show up as leaders.  Here are a few things I learned that I want to pass along to anyone who is presenting to their SLT.  

1.  Clearly define the problem: If you have not correctly decided what to look at then everything you propose will be for naught.  Remember, most senior leaders have already looked at issues you’re raising and they demand and expect precision.  Clarify the issue by thinking through the real issues and using precise language.

2.  Tell them why it matters:  Why is it important right now for the company to address this issue?  You must make a compelling case for the company putting its time and attention on the matter at hand.  Explain what the market opportunity is, or what is at stake, or what is at risk, if they do not address it, and conversely what the positive results might be if they take action now.

3.  Prove it:  How do you know what you know?  You need rock solid facts and analysis.  You data should be impeccable.  You also need to be intellectually honest when presenting it; data can be ambiguous and interpreted many ways.  There can be flaws in the gathering of it, as well.  Senior leaders will see right through any attempt to stack the deck in your favor, and they will consider you junior if you try to do so.  They also will insist that you apply rigor to your own process and will pounce if you have not proven your case.

4.  What’s the action step:  Be prepared to get to the bottom line quickly with a set of proposed  next steps that the senior leadership team might take.  If you’ve already sold them on the what and why you need to be ready to move on.  However, don’t tell them what to do; propose.  Avoid phrases such as ”have to” or “must,” and instead use words like, “we strongly recommend,” or “the most prudent action would be,”  because trust me they’re going to make the decision.  Be bold in what you recommend, just don’t be presumptuous in the way you address the top leaders of the organization.

5.  Watch your tone:  A good leader balances confidence and humility.  Leaders recognize high potential leaders when they do this effectively.  Don’t presume that your senior leaders don’t know a lot of what you know; that’s why they have the top jobs.  What they are really looking for in you is someone who cares about the company, in fact, loves the company, and wants to add value. 

6. Focus on the highest priorities for the business:  Business priorities change constantly so you need to be on top of what is most important for your senior leaders and your CEO RIGHT NOW.  Understand the business strategy thoroughly before you start proposing new programs, solutions or spending.  It may be a great idea but if it isn’t perfectly aligned with what the CEO wants to accomplish right now the SLT will have no bandwidth to listen.  And, stay current.  Don’t assume what mattered last week matters this week.  When crisis arises, everybody focuses on that until its resolved. 

7.  Look at the challenge from the top down, not the bottom up:  Don’t come in with a littany of complaints about how people see a problem or what the naysayers are yapping about.  Imagine you’re the CEO and look at the challenge the way he or she would look at it.  Solve the business problem first and then worry about how it gets implemented, including how you’ll work with people on culture or change management.  Change is difficult but it follows big strategic decisions; get the strategy right and then work on the rest of it.

8.  Work as a team and make the presentation as a team: Work out your differences among your team prior to making the presentation.  This is hard work but it will pay off when you have a unified front.  This isn’t to say that you might not have minor differences in how you would approach the issue but if you look like you’re arguing in front of the CEO, he or she will tell you to go back to the drawing board.  CEOs and senior leaders value team work and want to see how you make it happen.

9.  Socialize your idea before you present it: Your idea will probably go through several iterations during the process of gathering data, analyzing and developing recommendations.  Talk with other senior leaders, influencers and experts to be sure you are on track and answering their questions.  Find out whether there are third rail issues you shouldn’t touch until you understand them better.  Get feedback and accept feedback from people who are in the know.

I’d like your comments on this article - especially if you have new tips on presenting to senior leaders.  Click below to “Leave a reply.” 

I’m also interested in knowing whether you’d like to read more articles like this.  Let me know and also suggest other article topics.

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Maybe you’ve read Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado.  Parrado co-wrote the 2006 book Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home, with Vince Rause. In Miracle in the Andes, Parrado returns to Piers Paul Read’s 1974 book, Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors (which tells the story of the Uruguayan Rugby team who were alumni of Stella Maris College (Montevideo) who were involved in the airplane crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 which crashed into the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972).

 Miracle of the Andes, however, is told from Parrado’s point of view thirty-four years later.  Last week, I had the extraordinary opportunity to hear Parrado speak.  His gripping tale of survival in the harshest conditions imaginable held the audience in a state of suspension for almost an hour.  As in the book, he takes an introspective journey presenting both the jaw-dropping realities of the 16 survivors’ story and the life-altering lessons he learned from the experience.

While English isn’t his first language, Parrado never the less took us on a remarkable journey with flawless storytelling execution.  He is not a high energy, motivational speaker in the classic sense - in fact his presence on stage is utter calm.  Yet he is simply one of the most inspiring, powerful people you’ve ever seen on a stage because of his ability to allow the story to unfold.  He shares powerful insights and turns them into universal lessons for us all. 

Early on, you learn that the entire group of survivors went on to become very successful businessmen.  Why, you wonder.  He creates the question and then tells you that as a teenager he learned how to make life and death decisions.  As you hear his story you realize after this ordeal, nothing would ever be hard.  We suddenly appreciate how we, too, must be courageous, move ahead and keep going.

Few of us will ever live through such a harrowing experience, however, we can all appreciate and tap into the power of storytelling in our presentations.  Stories not only relate powerful points; they transform the psychological and emotional experience of the audience.  Leaders who tell stories know the power of relating experiences that allow others to share in the insights and learn from them.

For those of you unfamiliar with the story of the crash, below this photo you’ll find an abridged version. If you’re interested in learning the art and magic of storytelling, I invite you to go to our web site www.bates-communications.com and find resources, including free articles as well as my book, audio programs and home study course on How to Speak Like a CEO.  Also don’t forget our next boot camp is coming up in October - our early bird rates are still available until early August.  www.bates-communications.com/bootcamp

FROM WIKIPEDIA

Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, also known less formally as the Andes flight disaster, was a chartered airline flight carrying 45 rugby team members and associates that crashed in the Andes on Friday the 13th of October, 1972. The last of the 16 remaining survivors were rescued by December 23, 1972. More than a quarter of the passengers died in the crash and several survivors of the initial impact had died of cold and injuries by the next day. Twenty-nine were alive several days after the accident, but the number of survivors was further reduced by an avalanche sweeping over their wreckage shelter.

The crash survivors, thinking they would be found and rescued within hours, a day or two at worst, had very little food and no way to make heat in the harsh climate, at over 3,600 meters (11,700+/- feet) altitude. Faced with starvation and the radio news reports they heard that the search and rescue mission for them had been abandoned, the survivors eventually fed on the dead passengers who were preserved in the snow. Rescue teams were not aware of the survivors until 72 days after the crash when survivors Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, after a 12 day snow trek across the treacherous Andes mountains, found a Chilean huaso who guided them to safety where help was found for the other survivors still trapped at the crash site.

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Do you remember where you were September 15^th, 2008.  No?   My day began with a staff meeting and lunch with one of our consultants, the afternoon, a scheduled meeting with a prospective client was postponed.  Not a particularly memorable day.  Funny I had to look back at my calendar.  How about you? Still nothing coming to mind?  Interesting, because that was the day everything changed.  That was the day they threw out the rule book on business as we know it.

September 15^th was the day that Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the largest bankruptcy filing in US history.  The Dow Jones closed down 500 points that day, at the time, the largest drop since September 11^th.  Five days later, Lehman Brothers was liquidated, beginning a tsunami that took down the credit markets and launched an economic meltdown around the world.

Yesterday, Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman declared that the recession (which technically began back in December 2007), should end by  September 2009.  But what will that mean?  He also predicted that unemployment will continue to rise.  That’s what I mean when I say the rules have changed.  We’re hanging on for “back to normal” but nobody knows what it will look like.

Since we don’t know what to expect, it’s time to prepare for the new normal - an extra level of preparation for our career path as well.  Imagine you’re taking a day hike in the mountains - when you were younger, you might just have grabbed a bottle of water and a granola bar - but if you’ve ever experienced any uncertainty while hiking - the feeling you’re not sure whether you’ve taken the wrong path - and you’ve heard about other hikers being lost for days - you realize that isn’t going to do it.  To be sure you get there and back you decide to pack a compass, rain gear, substantial provisions, matches, and a fully charged cell phone.

The analogy to career preparation is that to be certain you get where you’re going, relying on your wits probably isn’t enough.  You’ll be far better off if you have mentors, coaches, trusted advisors and a team of colleagues you can rely on.  If your company is offering training and development, you need to take advantage of it - especially develop skills that are not your strengths.

In that spirit, I want to let you know that our next Speak Like a CEO Boot Camp has been scheduled for October 15th and 16th in Boston and it is going to be a dynamic session.  If you sign up this week we’re also giving you a complimentary coaching session.  It’s an hour and a half, one on one, with one of our top coaches.  This is the first time I’ve ever done this and it may be the last.  So if you’re really interested in attending our boot camp, this would be the time to let us know.  Contact Meredith O’Connor by Friday to take advantage of this offer.  moconnor@bates-communications.com

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Many of you have already read my books Speak like a CEO, Secrets for Commanding Attention and Getting Results (McGraw Hill 2005), and my new book Motivate Like a CEO, Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act (McGraw Hill 2009).  I hope you’ll let me know what you think, and how these have been helpful to you in advancing your career.

From time to time people ask what else they should be reading.  Today I have a recommendation.

Debra Benton’s new book, CEO Material, How to Be a Leader in Any Organization, discusses how to become highly visible and indispensable to your organization.  Debra is a respected author of  numerous books, and has worked with some of the top companies in the world.  In CEO Material, she focuses on the core skills and competencies you need to develop, and how to get noticed by those who matter.   Debra and I have had several great conversations. Our views on leadership are very much in sync.  We believe business people who rise to the top are those who can communicate a powerful message to their important audiences.

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