Tools—what, why & how

Be a positive, present and engaging entity in the mind of others.

Presence arises from a mindset - something that we choose to be - it is not just something that we do. You can learn presence: you may have to adjust some mindsets and habitual behaviour.

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Give meaning: not just facts and intuitions, but your interpretation of them.

An effective message directly addresses the conclusion that you want your listener to draw. It resonates with the values and priorities of the listener. Make powerful messaging a habit.

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Engage and move others to a particular way of thinking, feeling or acting.

Ability to influence is the first essential quality of a leader. A magnificent vision, insightful understanding, brilliant strategy—such attributes achieve value only with your ability to influence others, to persuade them to listen, to get their buy-in, to lead them to a shared conclusion, to inspire them to act, together.

Influence can be formal or informal, and both forms must be understood, respected and exercised.

Influence is morally neutral, i.e. it is neither a ‘good’ thing nor a ‘bad’ thing. It is a tool that can be used for either good or bad.

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When the time is right, tell a story. When not, get straight to the point. No half-measures.

A story is a vicarious experience, where we learn from the learning of others. People instinctively engage and listen. Use this instinct to suspend disbelief, develop understanding and deliver a meaningful message: capture the audience from the first word, hold them until the last, and prepare them for the aha! moment.

‘Story’ is how we think. Rational argument is how we think we think. My advice is to communicate to others the way they DO think, not the way you think you think, or think they should think.

And when the time is wrong, just get to the point - and avoid rambling Antistory.

Read more on Storytelling & Antistory

Think of a presentation in two parts: Discovery and Understanding.

Respect your audience’s preference to discover meaning for themselves, and lead them to a shared conclusion by making it easy for them to understand you.

I think we need a more engaging approach to public speaking than the standard we usually experience, which is based on persuasion techniques for 20th century audiences. Times, and expectations, have changed. I follow a 21st Century approach, or ‘presentation for the thinking person’.

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What worked on the last few jobs may not work in the next one.

Career changes - transfers, promotions, new jobs, new projects - each bring their own challenges. What worked on the last job (and got you promoted) may not work on the next, and in fact may work against you. Many careers have ended suddenly and surprisingly in a failure to recognise this.

You must understand the new role and its demands (which change predictably over time); strategise the upcoming career change for fast transition and success; and execute from before the starting date - and not default to old patterns or habits under pressure.

Read more on Transition Optimisation

Some of the attributes that got you promoted are the very attributes that prevent further success.

The ascent to management can be accelerated by certain key attributes, and yet some of these same attributes can prevent us from rising any further (e.g. aggression, ignoring detractors, detail-focus, micromanaging, withholding information, and many more). To succeed further one must learn to recognise these factors and mitigate or eradicate them.

This demands a level of self-awareness, an ability and desire to solicit honest feedback from those who know you, and the willingness to change.

Read more on Career Breakers

Human engagement and relationships move in a predictable cycle.

Every communication style has its place, and more important its timing. We each tend to adopt one approach and tie ourselves to it. Consequently we become engaging and effective at certain times (which we notice) and poor at others (which we unconsciously overlook). We can be like a broken clock: perfectly right twice a day.

Understanding this fourth dimension in communication helps to understand why initiatives work for some people at some times, but not for others—and how to use this knowledge to motivate people, engage them fully, and get consistently higher standards of performance.

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See yourself as others see you.

Self-awareness is the ability and desire to look dispassionately at your own behaviour and how it compares to your own standards. It means choosing to see into your blindspots. We all have them.

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We will have all experienced finding people who can connect with anyone.

Everywhere they go, these people can communicate without any particular language skill, or without knowing the intricacies of the culture they are dealing with.

These few practise a universally productive code of communication, and they intuitively understand the difference between what is universally natural and what is culturally imposed. And they target similarities, not differences.

Read more on The Myth-buster

Add top level coaching techniques to your own toolbox.

Our coach training program addresses both leaders and coaches.

Read more on Professional coach training