Leading Through Language

11 THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP IS…AUDIENCE-CENTRIC

A few years ago I was having lunch with Bonita, the head of talent development for a large U.S. retail company. Over coffee, she told me about Marcus, a senior vice president of sales, who could wow customers and win major agreements – but couldn't inspire his sales people to buy into his vision and sales strategy.

Bonita was concerned because sales people kept leaving Marcus's team, and those who stayed reported low levels of employee engagement and even lower confidence in the future. They complained about Marcus's poor communication skills – and a lack of direction. This was surprising to Bonita; Marcus seemed like the last person to be branded with “poor communication skills.” He was known as “the magician” for his ability to walk into a customer pitch and pull a rabbit – a deal – out of a hat.

Bonita laid out these facts to Marcus, and asked him to explain why his employees didn't seem inspired by him. If Bonita was expecting sheepishness or even accountability, she was quickly disappointed.

“It's simple Bonita,” he said, “my audience isn't smart enough to understand my vision and strategy.”

Bonita blinked, trying to process whether she'd heard correctly. “Excuse me?”

“It's true. I did my MBA at INSEAD. I'm the top sales person in this industry. I'm operating on a level that really only our fellow executives can grasp. That's why I've been able to win these huge mandates. And that's why the Board and our executive team ...