Words Mean Things
By: Dave Mather
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Innovative Ideas for Forward-Thinking Executives
Words Mean Things By: Dave Mather, Corporate Specialist
Almost one hundred years ago Stuart Chase wrote, “Words have no meaning. Meaning is in people, not in words.” Effective communication involves the transference of meaning, not words. Communication is not a “problem” to be solved; it is a tool to be applied at the highest level. Communication is our most powerful, under-utilized business tool. WORDS HAVE NO MEANING
MEANING IS IN PEOPLE
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In previous articles we’ve explored the term “buyin” at great length. Typically this term carries the connotation of agree/disagree. It is not necessary or desirable for each person to agree on everything. What is important is each person’s clear connection to our core values and business strategy. When we listen for and seek buy-in, we inadvertently send out signals of mistrust. We coach executives away from universal speaking, which includes the habit of speaking for others. For example, “I’m sure we all agree that ….” Or “When you try a new skill, we all tend to fall into old habits.” These, and many other examples, lump the world’s population into a mass of humanity sharing the same worldview. Many of us are similar, but we are distinctly individual. When we speak for others, we end the conversation. Do not speak for others
by saying things like, “I’m sure we all agree that . . .”. Instead, listen for, and connect with, other’s commitments. This approach opens up new avenues of genuine collaboration. Alignment is fast becoming a meaningless buzzword. I could align with alignment if it had a universal meaning. The common background implication in alignment is command and control. If you are trying to “align” someone to something, you may inadvertently be attempting to control the uncontrollable. Dale Carnegie suggests that the only handle-hold you have over others is helping them get what they want. Connection is distinct from alignment. Dialogue connects while PowerPoint “roll-out” presentations tend to disconnect. Presenting implies a one-way conversation. Dialogue, on the other hand, includes listening and responding. “Aligning” people to a strategic plan leads to a different outcome than genuine connection. We often see clear disconnects between executives and the people tasked with implementing strategic plans. If you have a strategic plan, we offer the following:
1. Is the plan obviously strategic?
We often see “strategic” plans that are simplewish lists, not genuine strategies.
2. Is the focus clear and narrow? Spraying ideas at a jaded market is less effective than a clearly targeted approach. 3. Is your strategy internally driven or customer-driven? True strategy requires a focus on designing and implementing ways to provide genuine service to customers that they value and are willing to have you make money providing. 4. Do your actions clearly and logically move you from current reality towards your desired end-result? If your actions are not clearly linked to the desired end result in contrast to current reality, connecting to the plan is almost impossible. When given clear, focused, customer-driven strategies combined with action-plans that make sense, most committed people effortlessly move forward. Without a clear and distinct logic, people will try to “guess” the logic and often play Monday morning quarterback.
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Section Title
Are we really customercentric? Look Again Before you conclude that being customercentric is selfevident, here are some implications present in overheard boardroom conversations: Our goal is to impose our view on our customers. After all, we’re smarter than they are, we’re the experts. Customers only care what we know about our specialty. They have no interest in us knowing anything about them. Justify our viewpoint. Blame circumstances. Stay on our message. Let’s prove how smart we are to our customers.
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5. Is your strategic plan dynamic or static? By dynamic we mean ever-changing. This is not a frantic, confusing, schizophrenic series of missteps. Instead, after each action we make adjustments based on a clear view of current reality. This relationship turns a static, academic strategic plan into a genuine roadmap. More often than not, strategic plans are evaluated using what I call a honking gas gauge, an imaginary feature that blows the horn once your gas tank is totally empty. Now your vehicle is stopped and your horn is blasting! In order to remain strategic, you require timely information before a post-mortem. As one of my British friends says, “The post-mortem (autopsy), while educational, will never revive the patient.” We began with a scrutiny of words, let’s turn to a command and control word often heard in boardrooms – accountability. This tends to be a code word for “blame.” It also carries with it a strong implication of mistrust. What does “I’m holding you accountable” imply? Is it, “If it goes wrong, you’re to blame?” or “I don’t trust your commitment, therefore I’m holding you accountable?” In the most positive sense, genuine “accountability” requires absolute, granted trust, a rare commodity in today’s business culture. Granted trust means once this task is under your radar, I trust the fact that it will be done. If you need help or support, you’ll ask for it. If not, it will be done effectively and on time. The use of fuzzy, vague, conceptual words does not transmit meaning. Dialogue requires sending a clear message combined with high-level listening to ensure the message is clearly received. Scrutinize your strategic messages based on the above benchmark and evaluate the results of your actions from a customer-centric view.
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