Press pause - check you're talkin' about the right thing

Ooo eeee! Sometimes I think these sorts of behaviours are long gone but I was in a meeting today and three colleagues all spoke over the top of each other... for several seconds. It felt awkward, rude and just... well, wrong!

I was taking a project brief in this meeting. My job = listening. But I had to step in and play facilitator, to make sure I got to hear what each of them were saying. 

Sounds so basic, so simple. One person speaking at a time. But no. 

Three people trying to get 'air time' at the one time so I literally hit the 'pause' button. 

I said 'Let's pause a moment and hear what each of you need to add to this brief'.

I pressed 'play' for each of them so we got to hear one 'track' at a time. Two of them had relevant content and thoughts and information. The third had great stuff too, but so unrelated to what we were doing there.

I step in and play facilitator again and say 'How does this content relate directly to the project and the brief today?'

She says 'Well actually it doesn't. Sorry about that.'

I'm happy to play traffic cop, air traffic controller, DJ or director - whatever metaphorical role you like - in a meeting and conversation - but if you're going to speak over someone... well, just don't.

Wait until there's a break in the music and then start your track.  

Bright lights, big production

You know the scene : big arena, 10,000+fans, stage set for a live concert, pre-concert music playing...

Then the lights go dim and the artist hits the stage. Bam! They're on!

Usually at a large concert there is an oversupply of lighting, mini fireworks, massive visual extravaganza and all other sorts of visual effects. It's part of how it's done these days. 

But last night at the Bryan Adams concert, things went a little more 'old school'. 

Celebrating 20+ years in the business, he had a string of recognisable hits to pump out. And it was a brilliant concert. 

What impacted me so much was the 'pared back' staging and production. It was the band, on the stage with some Marshall amps. The so-called visual extravaganza was a large screen behind the stage, showing footage from three roving camera crews. And the footage was tinted with a sweet sepia, black and white tone. 

This style gave the audience a look at the gig from all angles. It was so simple. And it so worked. It was very smooth and it let Bryan's lyrics and the band's music be the star. 

I was reminded of Leonardo Da Vinci's quote : Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. 

So true. It was simple, clean and clear. It was sophisticated. The clarity of what this gig was about was crystal clear. 

Pare back your own production extravaganza this week.

Delete the elements that aren't really needed.

Get rid of the fluff, the fireworks and the pizzazz that you think you need to dress up your message.

Pare it back to get to the clarity of the message, the content and the bigger picture. Simplicity is the best gig of all. Rock on!

All hail the talented management consultant

Tomorrow I’m spending the day with a team of management consultants. Imagine the knowledge, ideas, solutions and know-how in that room! Imagine all of the situations they’ve seen and how many times they’ve brought someone or something back from the brink.

And yes, you might be thinking of jokes, one-liners and other comments about management consultants... but I think at the core of what a management consultant does is helping a client find a solution to a problem or issue, or find a way through to a new way of doing things.

Tomorrow I’ll be equipping them with some powerful visual thinking skills so they can use in-the-moment visuals (that’s words, shapes, pictures, images – quickly sketched) to give them visual agility.

I say ‘agility’ because they need to be quick, thinking on their feet or quick to listen and respond…with another question, or a possibility, and help the client 'see' that possibility.

It’s vital in this information-dense world that they are able to

• Capture: what the client’s key points are, and to distil the essence of the problem or situation. Then to ...
• Convey: to pitch and propose, to present and consult on the types of solutions the firm can work with the client on. They will map out the possibilities, show the client what the future can look like and what milestones along the way can get them closer to resolving the issue or creating that situation.

And then throughout the client/firm engagement, there will be the:

• Collaboration: meeting after meeting, the many conversations, workshops, brainstorms and innovation discussions – all of that talking can be ‘caught’ so that together the solution will be proposed, adjusted, implemented and embedded.

The skills will give this team of consultants a shorthand and a shortcut to clarity. Rather than talking back and forth, trying to reach understanding, some key words and concepts will help get to ‘same page’ understanding so both parties know what is to be worked on and how it will happen.

This team is in for a powerful day. They’ll likely go from “I can’t draw” to using visuals every day in so many situations.

I’m so excited for them! And for the value their clients are going to receive as a result of this development.

Yes, now we can hail the (even more) talented management consultant!

Now, let’s get their kits together of markers, journals and other cool visual tools… lucky I love stationery. 

4 Ways to Tell if You're a High Engagement Leader

"So glad that's over... what a yawn-fest." No doubt you've enjoyed that type of meeting, workshop or conversation today?

If you were the leader or convenor, of course not. It was somebody else, yes?

High engagement leaders know that having a meeting or a conversation that's a 'yawn fest' is a no-go zone.

High engagement leaders focus on establishing and maintaining high levels of engagement with the people they work with: team members, colleagues, stakeholders... whoever they work with... high engagement is a high priority. 

(Sure, you can have a high engagement gathering on a Friday afternoon after work. Not many outcomes achieved, but gee, we had a g-r-e-a-t time!)

A high engagement leader aims to create and build engagement and connection with others... and then, once they've got that engagement, they are able to make stuff happen. In other words, get to outcomes. 

Engagement and outcomes. That's it. 

I think there are four ways to tell if you're a high engagement leader. 

In this model, you're aiming for the top right of the four quadrants - high on engagement, high on outcomes. 

If you're creating a hostage situation : you're getting great outcomes, but dragging people along.... pssst, you're not high engagement. 

If everyone's engaged, happy, singing sweet songs but you'll work on the outcomes next time... you're still not a truly effective leader. 

And if you're not getting the engagement and not getting the outcomes, cue the 'yawn fest'. 

Get the participants at your next workshop, meeting or conversation to answer this question:

Was this meeting/workshop/session a:

1. Hostage situation
2. Yawn fest
3. Party
4. High on engagement and outcomes?

Show them the model. Get them to tell you how well you went with engagement and outcomes.

You may well be somewhere between these, but whatever you do, keep shifting away from the hostage situation, the yawn fest and the pure party. The people you work with are counting on you. 

This is your leader speaking...

Blue skies, white fluffy clouds, flying at 31000 feet - all was good.

Then the First Officer announced from the flight deck that he had some "bad news". 

Come on! You're in a plane, hurtling through the air experiencing the miracle of flight - my view is there is only one type of 'bad news' when you're 'up there' and that is you're going down, possibly unexpectedly.

Maybe it was a delay, maybe a toilet wasn't functioning, maybe our choice of lunch is no longer available. 

But that First Officer has HUGE context at play, competing with his message. He needs to be oh-so careful about the language he chooses so that things are kept real and in perspective...for his clients or customers. 

The First Officer (not the Captain mind you) was flying us on this trip and The Captain had introduced him at the start of the flight.

The leadership position, status and role of the Captain and First Officer is massive ... big .... and impactful. What they say can carry so much more meaning than say, the flight attendants. Sorry, but that's how status plays out in this sky high world.

Leaders of all sorts need to remember that the environment, situation or context is just as important as what they are saying. During times of stress, crisis, change or restructure particularly. 

Are you making announcements or presentations to staff in the lunch room, the board room or the training room? Think of your audience, where they are and what you want to say. It all works together. 

And the bad news from the First Officer? Apparently there had been some showers of rain in the city we were landing in. 

What?! Is that all? Phew! I thought I was gonna die!

That First Officer will have a smoother journey to Captain (who was a woman - yes, go girl!) when he remembers that the context he is in everyday, isn't as familiar to his passengers.