Author: Colin Browne
Sharing a grand vision is important, but often employees want to know they’re being led by someone who also has two feet firmly on the ground with BEER AND BASEBALL Many years back, I sat in an audience, watching my CEO hitch up his pants in between sentences, sip from his water, and mumble about […]
Sharing a grand vision is important, but often employees want to know they’re being led by someone who also has two feet firmly on the ground with BEER AND BASEBALL
Many years back, I sat in an audience, watching my CEO hitch up his pants in between sentences, sip from his water, and mumble about how proud he was to be the leader of a great team.
Except that he wasn’t. Not really. That was obvious for everyone to see. Instead, he was divorced, dissociated and distant; desperately awkward in front of the people he was charged with leading.
And for the most part, the favour was returned. In the few moments he set aside for mingling after his address, the conversations were vague with all the warmth of a maths exam.
Why? Because there wasn’t anything to hitch an engaging conversation to.
Politicians, or at least their strategists, understand that winning people’s support isn’t always about vision, strategy or a pithy articulation of the issues. There is a very clear reason why the President of the United States gets handed a baseball mitt for a quick game of catch in front of the press photographers, when Air Force One touches down on the tarmac, or why the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom pops into a local pub for a beer when he’s out gathering votes.
Without such 2 moments, those leaders are hard to separate from their wealthy families, top educations and privileged backgrounds, which themselves offer only an embarrassing comparison to that of their would-be electorate.
If they have one thing in common, leaders of highly engaged organisations are great at creating a compelling personal narrative separate from their professional roles.
Ooba sales head Bradd Bendall has built a niche as a ridiculously well informed rugby pundit. His #DearHeyneke posts during the reign of the hapless Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer earned a broad readership and nearly spun off a range of t-shirts (Meyer stepped down too soon, unfortunately).
Sage ONE boss Steven Cohen rides a motorcycle to work, is a self-avowed fan of alternative rock band Radiohead and is known for his casual dress sense and even more casual language. During his monthly addresses to the entire company, he pulls no punches in saying things exactly as he sees them.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin often joined in a game of beach volleyball on the company’s campus, with the other Googlers.
Politicians know that creating easy points of connection helps to build a narrative that is key to winning mass votes. It’s probably no different for you.
ARTICLE WRITTEN BY COLIN BROWNE,
Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter
The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
Few months ago, I was supposed to go somewhere with someone and realized What Drives You. We’d agreed to meet at a particular spot but I was trying to renegotiate our meeting place so I can avoid having to take multiple local taxies. And so this person exclaim in total shock…and said, “Nicky, you mean […]
Do you have to be a manager or executive to Being A Leader? No! Leading others is a choice. It isn’t about your title. Many people with executive titles are terrible leaders, and many people without a fancy title are outstanding leaders. More than your title, being a leader is about influencing change and inspiring […]
Howard Saunders, a leading retail keynote speaker was wrong. FORGET COVID. THIS IS THE KILLER VIRUS. I thought that the crescendo of hysteria that’s been festering like a planet sized boil in the wake of Trump and Brexit would dissipate once a serious crisis came along. It’s like we’d been massaging a giant zit with […]
It has been said that “one should never let A Good Crisis go to waste”. I am an eternal optimist and I believe that in the midst of any crisis is opportunity. My diary has gone from an anxiety-inducing jam-packed schedule for the next month to having most meetings and events cancelled. Many people are […]
Over the last four weeks, I’ve elaborated on what I call the Closing the Loop with Cycle of Listening. This consists of: Step 1: Recognizing the Unsaid – Unspoken things in your culture’s organization to recognize that your people aren’t telling their entire truth. Step 2: Seeking to Understand – Leaning in to understand someone’s perspective and […]
Something about being Attracted to the PAST seems much more romantic than the future so Are you more attracted to the PAST or the FUTURE?. Maybe it’s because the past is a time we can look back on with nostalgia, or perhaps it’s because the future is an unknown quantity. Whatever the reason, it seems […]
This season is all about being thankful, even when you have nothing to Using Thankfulness as a Core Value. If your current situation doesn’t reflect the ideal person and/or life you want, it may be difficult to stay positive. However, when you look at everything you do have, as opposed to what you don’t have, […]
Culture and Talent Retention is a real challenge and employees are looking for organizations that inspire them, uplift them and create opportunities for growth and progression. Of significant importance to retaining people is the ability of an organization to create alignment between what they say and what they actually do. Misalignment of value systems is […]
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
