Business is communications, not the use of devices or channels, as important as they are. Here are 10 skills of the best leaders and marketers, often forgotten when hiring internal resources or outside consultants and agencies.
- Move over James Lipton: conducting interviews that uncover interesting, entertaining and enlightening ideas
- Texas girls do it best: politely hijacking the conversation, steering it to where you want it to go while making others feel really good about where you’re taking it. (My hypothesis is that Texas women excel at this.)
- Tackling the taboos: provoking healthy debate on “off limit” issues that need to be addressed, especially to overcome obstacles
- I believe!: performing vs. presenting in order to open minds and help people see the possibilities
- YouTube tribal chant: telling stories with video moves people rationally and emotionally, but too many of us have been exclusively trained in words
- Change the context, win the game: resetting context to help people see a situation through a different lens. One of the most powerful selling strategies.
- Reading between the lines: extracting meaning from what’s being talked about, in person and amid the millions of online/mobile “conversations”
- Mind your manners: practicing small kindnesses that make a big difference in getting great work done and attracting people with well directed energy and talent
- The Jon Stewart revolution: creating stories that people love to share
- The innovator’s real dilemma: asking questions that get to the “aha”
