In honor of those who died to protect our freedoms

 

 

I fly the Stars and Stripes for you.

And I thank you.

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You mustn’t be the Etch A Sketch messenger

Politics is great theater. It also delivers priceless lessons on the importance of clarity, consistency and authenticity of message.

For example, during a conversation on messaging with a CNN reporter today, senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom juxtaposed moving into the general election campaign with the Etch A Sketch children’s toy proclaiming, “you can kind of shake it up and we start all of over again.”

Tell me he didn’t honestly say that.

Oh, but he did, and his Republican opponents and Democrats jumped all over the statement. They are getting a lot of mileage out of it and are mercilessly pummeling the Romney campaign.

I have to ask: where is the discipline in the Romney camp? These kind of bonehead statements seem to come out of Mr. Romney’s or a spokesperson’s mouth with regularity. It’s alarming and disturbing.

I wonder if the Romney campaign’s theme song is The Cars hit “Shake it up”.

Abject lesson for business

It’s also another prime example of how talking off script can burn you. One slip-up can decimate months, if not years, of work and instantly destroy credibility.

Business and marketing communications professionals know this all to well. The best of us are on the straight and narrow at all times when publishing content for, or speaking on behalf of, our clients.

Precision in communication requires focus and mental acuity. Spokespersons must always be on message, tuned to what they are saying and how it will be received and perceived. If what we convey is true to the brand’s value proposition and the customer experience, all is well.

Unanticipated windfall

One organization that is undoubtedly thrilled with all the buzz Fehrnstrom generated is the Ohio Art Company, the manufacturer of the Etch A Sketch. Headquartered in Bryan, Ohio, which is my home town, I suspect folks there are positively giddy about the blue bird Romney’s senior advisor threw them.

"Happy to see Etch A Sketch, an American classic toy, is DRAWING attention with political candidates as a cultural icon and important piece of our society," said Nicole Gresh, spokeswoman for the manufacturer. "A profound toy, highly recognized and loved by all, is now SHAKING up the national debate. Nothing is as quintessentially American as Etch A Sketch and a good old fashion political debate.”

Who would have thought national politics would put the spotlight on little old Bryan, Ohio?

There are probably a lot of people in my home town with big grins on their faces. I’m happy for them.

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To be a leader, write like a leader

So your CEO laces his speeches, presentations, press interviews and conversations with crutch words, slang and a few catchphrases, and it makes you cringe.

Why? Is it because what sounds funny coming from the mouth of a teenager, sounds a bit pathetic coming from a middle aged man (or woman)?

Do you believe that to be respected and viewed as a leader, he needs to not only act like one, but sound like one, too. You don’t want him to sound like every other business leader; you simply want him to appear educated, somewhat sophisticated and capable of articulating a vision without using words like “awesome” and “amazing”. You want him to be able to announce a new product with resorting to catchphrases, like “keeping it real”, “occupying ____” (fill in the blank) “just sayin’”and “going viral”.

These words and catchphrases are not in the lexicon of renowned and respected business leaders in any industry.

What’s good for the goose

Do you apply the same rules and expectations to your writing? Or do you invoke adjectives like “fabulousness” and “super cool” in email messages to colleagues? Do you relax the grammar rules and write incomplete sentences when presenting the creative platform for the next product launch in a marketing meeting?

Do your colleagues and managers view you as a “hipster”, or a professional with a highly valued skill that delivers measurable value to the company?

Is good for the gander

Keep in mind that all business communication helps shape other’s perception of you. If you want to be viewed as a leader, write like a leader.  Always write with purpose, clarity and precision. Keep your copy crisp and to the point so you leave no room for interpretation.

That doesn’t mean your works have to be dry or vanilla. You have your own style and your own way of expressing yourself and your ideas. Have the confidence to infuse your uniqueness into your written works.

For example, when conveying the big idea for a product launch, your words do need to carry the weight of the concept and power of payoff; yet, a tinge of excitement is permissible and even encouraged to show that you are passionate about the idea and absolutely convinced it will achieve the desired business results. It’s important to do so to secure buy-in.

Let your writing project a comfort in who you are as a leader, a business professional and role model.

Your clarity of message, your personal style and the consistency in how you act and communicate will win the confidence of your peers and management. Where contributions and leadership abilities are properly rewarded, perhaps it will write your ticket to a promotion.

Sounds like a sweet deal, doesn’t it?

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Strike these words from your vocabulary

Last Thursday, I wrote a post on crutch words, and more specifically, on the annoying overuse of the term “like”. Crutch words seemed to strike a chord with many of you. One reader wrote:

Please don't get me started...if I only had a nickel for every time someone used "amazing" or "awesome" over the past few years. AND THEY WON'T GO AWAY, no matter how meaningless their overuse makes them. Stunning.

Business Talk

I couldn’t agree more. “Like”, “amazing”, and “awesome” used to be words you’d only hear out of the mouths of teenagers. Not anymore. Now network news anchors and CEOs are guilty of the crime.

Why are our lions of media and industry sounding more and more like kids? Are they attempting to exhibit some kind of street cred? If so, they are failing miserably. They need to re-visit leadership books like “The Effective Executive” and “Management” by Peter Drucker. I’m pretty confident Mr. Drucker never counseled leaders to sound more youthful.

Sport Talk

In the world of sports, coaches and athletes apparently are given a handbook that serves as a guideline for press interviews. It consists of one verb: “execute”. It’s so overused and abused now that it has no meaning whatsoever.

Sports reporter: “Great game Athlete! How did you find a way to beat those guys? They’re a great team.”

Athlete: “You know, it all was because we were able to, you know, execute. The coaches, you know, put together a great game plan and, you know, we executed and, you know, pretty much did what we knew we could do.”

I’m convinced the handbook for play-by-play announcers and color analysts consists of one adjective: “great”.  I suspect sports reporters and talk show hosts stole the handbook. Listen closely to the next broadcast and the post game interviews of any sport on the national and collegiate levels. I kid you not, you’ll hear a single football play described as follows:

“It was a great throw by the quarterback, but what really made it a great play was the great route run by the receiver and a great catch in the end zone.”

This caliber of commentary is probably true at the high school level, too, although I’m telling you more than I know since I don’t listen to high school sports broadcasts.

This is what our society is becoming as communicators. A lack of an expansive vocabulary is dumbing down our public discourse, literature, music, movies, new reporting and personal conversations. It’s a disturbing trend.

Presidential Talk

When I hear the President of the United States describe a meeting with the G8 Summit leaders as “awesome” and the hospitality shown by the host country as “amazing”, I’ll know doomsday is imminent.

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Aspire to inspire

All of us recognize incompetent leadership. Many of us have worked for an imbecile at some point in our career. Some survived the ordeal, some chose to extricate themselves from the insanity and moved on to other companies, and some were unceremoniously tossed to the curb like yesterday’s trash.

In today’s economy, if you find yourself suffering some fool with a title and authority, you may have few options. So how do you overcome? Better yet, how do you maintain your self respect, continue to perform at a high level, keep your stress level low and maintain a positive attitude?

Never doubt yourself. Show up for work every day, give your all and beat your deadlines. Always be prepared for staff meetings and one-on-one meetings. Do everything you can to minimize the opportunities to be called out for criticism.

Exceed expectations and champion your department. True, the light may shine on your manager, and that might turn your stomach, but some will shine on your colleagues, too, and they will appreciate the recognition the team receives.

Set an example for your peers through your actions and your attitude. Do all you can to maintain unity on the team. Keep everyone focused on the work. Pay compliments with sincerity for accomplishments big and small. If you have the courage, in a staff meeting, give a shout out to a team member. Show them you have their back.

In other words, act like a leader yourself.

Aspire to inspire. And take solace in the knowledge that poor leaders are eventually found out and either neutralized, encouraged to move on or dismissed without remorse.

SIDEBAR:

Have you ever worked for a manager who truly knew how to lead? Are you working for one now? Celebrate and thank her or him today, tomorrow, and the next day. Do so by giving your all every shift with exuberance and pride.

Are you a leader who inspires? Thank you! You are appreciated.

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