I often start my reflections with pointing your focus into a certain direction … to listen with nothing on your mind. Why is that you ask? Because the message of what I am sharing with you is not in the words I am writing, it is behind those words. When you read with a busy and intellectual mind your focus is on the words and the meaning that you give those words. That is its function. Now I am not saying there is no value in this but the intellectual mind is biased and can get in the way of seeing beyond that bias and create blindspots.
When you are reading with a quiet and empty mind you tap into what I call the domain of creativity and deeper insight. This is where you step above your blindspots. This is the space where you see with greater clarity and where fresh thought and the answers to your problems emerge!
If you could tap into that space, would that be useful to you? Then give yourself permission to suspend your judgment and read with nothing on your mind!
Do you care and do you want to make a difference?
Now my approach and thinking is not for everyone. It is for leaders and influencers who genuinely care about the wellbeing of their people, to grow with them and through them. It is for leaders and influencers that want to create meaningful and sustainable workspaces and organisations. Those that want to make a difference to the people they serve and the wider community. If that lands with you then this conversation is for you!
Leading Change and the Power of Your Message!
I have recently had the pleasure of teaching hundreds of vocational education students the art of presenting in public. Most of these students are inexperienced in speaking to an audience and quite anxious about it. The nature of the program asks them to pick at topic that involves a contemporary social issue which can be confronting to them and their audiences.
While assessing them, I started to notice a difference between the ones who seemed to connect and engage well with the audience and who got their message across, despite their nerves, versus the ones who didn’t do as well.
The ones that didn’t do well seem to mainly focus on ‘The What’ they where delivering, their key points and the content of their presentation. They were trying to remember their content and worried about the bits they’ve missed.
Whereas the students who did very well were focused on ‘The Why’ they were delivering their presentation, their message! They were very clear on what their message was, why it was important to them and how to express that message in a way that reached their audience. Funny enough, when the message is clear, the content seems to fall into place. Even if some bits get lost in the process, the key message still lands!
But that’s not all!
An embodied understanding of their message, expressed through them!
As part of the preparation of their presentation the students have to develop a presentation plan. One of the key tasks I set them is … What is their key message? Why is that topic and message important to them? Why should the audience listen to their message?
The students who get that seem to develop an embodied understanding of what is important to them about their topic and their message. Because of that, they become the message. They don’t just verbally deliver their presentation. Their message is expressed through them. It is grounded in the way they show up, in their conviction, in their body, in their tone of voice, in their energy. The audience doesn’t just hear the message. They can also see it and feel it. It is compelling, influential and impactful … it connects!
What is your message and how well is it grounded?
Let’s translate that to your individual and organisational leadership. How well is your work unit and organisation travelling? What is the message that you are projecting onto your people? How is it impacting on them? Are they drawn to it and collaborating with you or are they put off and resisting?
You cannot not project a message … you are the message! It shows up in you. It is all over you. It is expressed in your behaviours, in your energy and your actions. It might be subtle but people still smell it!
If your message only focuses on ‘the what’ your business is about and what it does it may only be a place that people come to earn a living.
If your message also reflects a clear vision and a meaningful purpose, that is embodied and expressed in your leadership and throughout your organizational culture. Then it becomes a place where people go beyond their call of duty and their paycheck!
Which place do you rather lead from? Your choice! In a turbulent world, choose wisely!
If that resonates with you and you want to know how develop a well grounded message that connects with your people, brings out the best in them and that taps into their collective wisdom read on. If not, I like to thank you and I look forward to serving you with my next reflection!
to your best
Mike
About Mike Schwarzer
Mike is a Transformation Professional and an Internationally Certified Trainer in Applied Neuro Synergy & NLP with the Global Association of Applied Neuro Synergy, GAANS. An experienced facilitator and coach, with an ability to connect and align people, he helps leaders and organisations to solve the problems that they have not been able to solve elsewhere and create the results they want to achieve.
For more information about Mike visit www.mikeschwarzer.com and www.thoughtleadingpeople.com.au.
