Five Fundamental Questions for Leaders: Question Five - Who Listens When You Speak?

Guest post by: Clive Hook
Become an Author

Free PDF Download
Five Fundamental Questions for Leaders: Question Five - Who Listens When You Speak? - By Clive Hook

For today’s organisational leaders it’s important to be able to adapt to new circumstances, stakeholders and environments. This does not mean changing principles, values or beliefs - some political leaders seem to move with the wind of change when their focus is on themselves rather than a real belief in their cause. For leaders to survive and thrive they must manage the conflict between being true to themselves and what they stand for and the need for followers and supporters if they are to bring about the change they desire.

There are five fundamental questions that leaders need to focus on.

What Do You Stand For?
Why Should They Follow You?
What Will Be Different?
Who’s On Your Side?
Who Listens When You Speak?

Who Listens When You Speak? - This question directly addresses your presence and your ability to deliver memorable messages so that people notice you’re there, recognise your contribution and remember you when you’re not around.

Presence - This is not about choosing extraversion over introversion and feeling that you and your message must be broadcast at all times. It is about recognising your ability to be present and helping people notice you and feel you to be accessible. Eye contact, smiling, openness of expression, initiating greetings, listening to people and responding to people around you are all factors that affect your presence. The very best actors are trained to be able to fill the theatre with their presence and, when needed, shrink their presence so that the audience has to crane in to be part of their world. Leaders can (and do) learn a lot from this.

Memorable Messages - Practised spontaneity might seem to be a contradiction but it is one of the skills that top leaders are taught by their coaches - particularly media coaches. This consists primarily of knowing precisely what your message is and knowing what questions you might face as a leader. With these in mind, mental rehearsal and (even better) practising and getting feedback are what makes a leader and his or her message more memorable.

Modern leadership is about learning. Recognising the forces in play, the new circumstances the unexpected issues and learning from them. One of the paradoxes of leadership is having the confidence to act whilst not being over-confident and thus missing potential threats and opportunities. Eric Hoffer said: “In times of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” And Benjamin Franklin: “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished”

The essence of the leadership question “Who Listens When You Speak?” is to have the most impact and influence with the least effort. Top leaders have speechwriters and coaches to help them say the most with the least words. You can learn some simple rhetorical devices by searching the web and building these into your delivery to increase your presence, authority and reputation so that when you speak, people listen.

Five Fundamental Questions for Leaders: Question Three - What Will be Different?

Five Fundamental Questions for Today’s Leaders

Five Fundamental Questions for Leaders: Question Four - Who’s On Your Side?

Five Fundamental Questions for Leaders: Question Two - Why Should They Follow You?

Five Fundamental Questions for Leaders: Question One - What Do You Stand For?

10 Tips to Master Questions During Your Presentation with Authority

Truths for Introverts Who Sell: What We Don’t Need To Learn The Extroverted Hard Way – Part Five

Leaders Lead, Executives Execute - Responsible Communications Is The Difference

The Art of Asking Better Questions For Better Clarity, Focus and Greater Wealth

Workplace Leaders Don't Need Leadership Titles

Information Versus Ammunition - Are You Asking The Right Questions?

Reinforce Candor or Speak Truth to Power?

Quit Making Your Insurance Prospects Feel Stupid

The 9 Great Questions Real Leaders Often Ask

Motivating people -how do leaders do it?

Leadership Development in Different Cultures - What's Your Leadership Model?

The Art of Listening-what the 3% Leaders do

Ethical Transformation of a Leader

6 Questions for Better Conversations

Allow Your Webinar Audience to Ask Questions Out Loud

Home > Management > Clive Hook > Five Fundamental Questions for Leaders Question Five Who Listens When You Speak > Google +

Free PDF Download
Five Fundamental Questions for Leaders: Question Five - Who Listens When You Speak? - By Clive Hook

About the Author: Clive Hook

RSS for Clive's articles - Visit Clive's website
Clive is co-founder of ClearWorth - a company specialising in the design, development and delivery of bespoke learning, coaching, workshops and courses for senior managers, leaders and influencers and their teams. Clive lives in the UK and France and works all over the world from Ohio to Oman, Windsor to Warri Chatham to Chengdu, Helsinki to Hydrabad and Calgary to Kuala Lumpur. He specialises in the development of persuasion, influencing and negotiation skills and has a particular interest in their use within differing cultures. Clive's interest in leadership, teams and groups and his wide knowledge of conversational skills has spurred the development of a new approach which helps teams and leaders focus on what is really important through incisive questioning and intelligent conversations.
Click here to visit Clive's website.

More from Clive Hook
Conversation Control Map 1
Your Personal Potential
Behaviour Descriptions

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Share this post and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Five Fundamental Questions for Leaders: Question Five - Who Listens When You Speak?

Related Articles

Related Forum Posts

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.


Name:
Email: