Remembering Colin Powell

In memory of Colin Powell, here is one of Powell’s quotations that I often share with my clients:

‘Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers who can cut through argument debate and doubt and offer a solution everybody can understand.’

Here is a 2:42 minute clip of Powell answering a question. In the clip, Powell uses the powerful Message – Flesh out the message – Repeat the message structure. In fleshing out the message he shares a humorous anecdote.

Here is an 24:04 minute interview with Powell that might interest.

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Ernest Hemingway on getting the words right

Below is part of an interview with Nobel Prize winning author, Ernest Hemingway from an article titled “The Art of Fiction,” which appeared in the Paris Review in 1956.

Interviewer: “How much rewriting do you do?

Hemingway: It depends. I rewrote the ending of ‘A Farewell to Arms’, the last page of it, thirty-nine times before I was satisfied.

Interviewer: Was there some technical problems there? What was it that had stumped you?

Hemingway: Getting the words right.”

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When should you schedule a face to face, versus a virtual meeting?

As the Australia emerges from lockdown in the next few months, and progresses into a mostly vaccinated country in 2022, all of us will be needing to decide when it is best to schedule a face to face meeting, versus a virtual meeting.

Below is a playbook to use for deciding which meeting type you should schedule.

Overarching view

You’ll never replace the richness and vital feeling tone of a face to face meeting. (No matter what the CEO of Zoom says).

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Body language expert Michael Kelly examines Gladys Berejiklian’s resignation

The telltale signs a devastated Gladys Berejiklian was ‘utterly distraught’ during her shock resignation speech – as body language expert reveals the Premier’s ’emotional tipping point’

  • Body language expert Michael Kelly examines Gladys Berejiklian’s resignation
  • Outgoing NSW Premier appeared ‘utterly distraught’ as she fronted microphone
  • Her ashen expression on Friday indicated how devastated Ms Berejiklian was
  • Rapid speech indicated the Premier was ready to ‘get this over and done with’
  • Smudged mascara and nose pinching reveal she was at ’emotional tipping point’

By MIRIAH DAVIS FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA
PUBLISHED: 14:13 AEDT, 2 October 2021

A body language expert has weighed in on the moment Gladys Berejiklian delivered her shock resignation speech, describing her as ‘utterly distraught’.

The outgoing NSW Premier announced she was standing down on Friday, as the state’s corruption watchdog launched an investigation into her secret relationship with ex-MP Daryl Maguire.

Body language and speech expert Michael Kelly said Ms Berejiklian’s ashen expression revealed just how devastated and distraught the Premier truly was.

‘She walked up to the microphone ashen faced, my first impression was that she was utterly distraught,’ Mr Kelly told Daily Mail Australia.

‘It’s almost as if she thought, I’ve done my best I want to get this over and done with as soon as possible.’

He added it was reiterated in her inflection – through her rapid speech which sounded ‘rushed’.

Mr Kelly also closely analysed the Premier’s facial expressions throughout her resignation speech, which he said ‘read like a code’.

‘With some politicians they are very blind to their failings but she seemed very genuine with her misjudgments that have torpedoed her political career,’ he said.

Smudged mascara and nose pinching indicated the Premier was on the brink of an ’emotional tipping point’.

‘She would have been crying previously, it seems like her mascara was running if you look at it,’ he said.

Ms Berejiklian pinched her nose several times throughout the press conference, another subtle sign that revealed she was almost at the point of crying.

But Mr Kelly said the Premier ‘didn’t lose it’ despite showing ‘genuine disbelief’.

‘Gladys showed resilience, she maintained her composure,’ Mr Kelly said.

‘She took it on the chin.’

Gladys Berejiklian resigned as NSW Premier on Friday as the Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating whether Ms Berejiklian breached public trust when she awarded grants to several community organisations between 2012 and 2018.

The 51-year-old leader will also step down as Willoughby MP and leave politics for good as soon as a byelection can take place after Sydney’s Covid lockdown.

‘I’ve had to make a difficult decision overnight,’ Ms Berejiklian said as she hastily read a prepared statement in front of the cameras before she refused to take questions.

‘It pains me to announce that I have no option but to resign from the Office of Premier’.

‘Given the Covid restrictions, my resignation as premier could not occur at a worse time, but the timing is completely outside of my control as the ICAC has chosen to take this action during the most challenging weeks of the most challenging times in the state’s history.

‘Resigning at this time is against every instinct in my being and something which I do not want to do,’ she said.

View the original article here

Michael Kelly weighs in on Gladys Berejiklian’s body language in resignation speech

‘Utterly destroyed’: Expert weighs in on Gladys Berejiklian’s body language in resignation speech

Elizabeth Daoud for 7NEWS
Published: Friday, 1 October 2021 8:46 PM AEST

Outgoing NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian was “utterly destroyed” as she announced her resignation, according to a body language expert.

Berejiklian, who has held the top spot since 2017, said on Friday she would step down from the role after the Independent Commission Against Corruption announced it would investigate her over her relationship with ex-MP Daryl Maguire.

Body language expert Michael Kelly said Berejiklian’s ashen face revealed how she truly felt at making the announcement.

“Walking up to the microphone, she was utterly destroyed,” Kelly told 7NEWS.com.au.

The devastation was also apparent in her facial expressions, Kelly added.

“She’s very genuine in how she sees her role,” he said.

“It’s almost like (she thought) ‘I want to get this over as quickly as possible”.

That was reiterated in her rapid speech cadence, Kelly added.

Berejiklian pinched her nose several times during the press conference, showing she was at an “emotional tipping point”.

“It was so devastating but she didn’t lose it,” he said.

“She was so tough, so much pain but she took it on the chin and then she left.

“I would not doubt she did give it her all.”

Berejiklian said she was on Thursday night informed ICAC would be announcing the investigation and that she was given “no option” but to resign.

“My resignation as premier could not happen at a worse time, but the timing is completely outside of my control as the ICAC has chosen to take this action during the most challenging weeks of the most challenging times in the history of NSW,” she said on Friday.

“Resigning at this time is against every instinct of my being.

“I love my job and serving the community but I have been given no option.

“I’m extremely confident that whoever succeeds me will be more than capable of continuing this job. Please give them your trust and confidence.”

It’s expected a party room vote will take place on Tuesday to determine the state’s next leader.

“My only regret will be not to be able to finish the job to ensure the people of New South Wales transition to living freely with COVID,” Berejiklian said.

Berejiklian also announced she is resigning from the NSW Parliament once she has consulted the Electoral Commission on the appropriate time for a by-election in her seat of Willoughby, given the current COVID restrictions in Sydney.

View the original article here

Leadership lessons from former Westpac CEO Brian Hartzer

Recently I listened to an insightful 65 minute podcast, Enjoying the ups and overcoming the downs of being a CEO of a very public organisation where former Westpac Bank CEO, Brian Hartzer was interviewed on the podcast The Leadership Diet by host Pod O’Sullivan. Memorable points from the podcast for me included: #1 Hartzer lauding the book Made to Stick. Hartzer said the book was an essential read for leaders on how to communicate with their people. Made to Stick has six powerful ways to make your messages memorable. One point Hartzer made in relation to the book was that, ‘the value of novelty in communication is under-appreciated’. #2 How Hartzer cultivated his judgement skill. In a crisis, he would judge a situation with this process: – Sit back and think about what a certain action(s) would have on different stakeholder groups. – Determine what was the question that needed to be answered. – Field opinions from a wide range of trusted people on the matter at hand including what question needed to be answered. #3 To use a combination of humility and confidence when making decisions.

Own the Conversation

Clients I work with often ask me if there is one book I’d recommend they read on communication. I’ve recommended different books over the course of my career, including Made to Stick. After being reminded of the the worth of Made to Stick  by Hartzer, it will now be the top book recommendation for clients. I strongly recommend that you read it. You’ll discover at least one fresh idea or technique to make you a better communicator. And better communicators, make better leaders. ++++++ p.s. In the podcast Hartzer said he has learned many things from his time as CEO of Westpac. He didn’t mention any specific mistake he made. In my view, one glaring mistake Hartzer made, was how he communicated in a press conference – about the AUSTRAC scandal – during his final days as CEO of Westpac. Below is (1) my AFR analysis of Hartzer’s delivery in the 3:16 minute press conference, and (2) the clip of the conference. (1) My Australian Financial Review ‘Letter to the Editor’ about Hartzer’s performance in the press conference. (2) Here is the clip of the press conference. Hartzer’s performance in the conference is one you should, NOT emulate.

When was the last time you reviewed your leadership principles?

Recently I was having a virtual meeting with a friend, Dio Saucedo. Dio holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and regularly works with professional athletes to improve their performances.

One vignette Dio shared was as follows…

During a coaching session asked his athlete clients to consider how much time each day they spent on improving their physical performance. For example, for baseball players, improving the batting.

Then he asked the clients how much time they spent on improving the mental performance. He suggested several time options but in the end, the athletes agreed the amount of time spend on mental performance improvement, was just 3 minutes.

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When you open Q&A – never use this question

‘Does anyone have any questions?’

Admit it.

Near the end of a one of your prior presentations, I would bet – at least once – you have used this question to open a Q&A session.

And most likely you received a mediocre response to the question.

Here’s the first take-away message for you.

BAN all Yes/No questions when you open Q&A

including ‘Does anyone have any questions?’

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How counting your ‘ums’ & ‘ahs’ can make you a better speaker

Everyone uses filler words when they speak. The filler words become a problem, when they distract a listener from your message and/or when a listener starts counting your filler words. Filler words/phrases include ‘um, ah, like, so, well, you know’. Noah Zandan makes some good points in this article How to stop saying “Um” “Ah” and “You Know” . Here is a two step process I use when working with clients to reduce their filler word usage. #1 After identifying their target filler word they want to eliminate, I ask the person to talk for 30-50 seconds on any topic, for example, what they will do on the upcoming weekend. Before they start to speak, I tell them that I will say ‘wait’ for any filler word I hear (and on hearing ‘wait’ they need to stop speaking for a moment and then continue speaking). I then tell them when I hear a sentence with no filler words I will say ‘good’. This immediate feedback usually reduces the person’s filler word usage, but it often causes the speaker to use a slower cadence. #2 I then tell the person to do this task. For the first 10-15 seconds of every speaking episode, they should put extra effort to not use their key filler word. After the 15 seconds they should forget about eliminating the filler word and speak as normal. By using this process – over time – the person will gradually reduce their filler word usage. You can use Step 2 of the process. Another process you can implement is to

incentivise a trusted person’s awareness* of your filler word usage.

Here’s and explanation of the process: Find a trusted person and tell them your target filler word. Prior to a presentation or meeting, tell the trusted person to count the number of target filler words they hear. Tell them you’ll give them a reward them for every 5 or 10 filler words they count. A reward you can give the person might be, a Chupa Chups lollipop for every 10 filler words they hear. If you keep incentivising people for counting your filler words, again over time, your filler word usage will decline. By the way there is app LikeSo specifically designed to reduce filler word usage.

Own the Conversation

Here’s what to do over the next seven day:
  1. Identify your filler word/phrase.
  2. Trial either Step 2 or the incentivising awareness process.
  3. Reflect on trialling the process.
+++++ * Here is post on how luminary gridiron quarterback Tom Brady, incentivises his teammates to improve his passing of the football.

Canadian PM Justin TRUDEAU on how to HANDLE a QUESTION

In my Listen and speak under pressure programs one schema I share with participants for handling tough questions, is my signature Think on your feet, five step schema.

Here is the schema…

#1 As a person is asking you a question, simultaneously starting nodding to acknowledge that you are engaged. (I call this an ‘Engagement nod) and picture the letters DBAE (which stands for Don’t Be Anywhere Else) on the questioner’s forehead. (The DBAE technique will help nail you to the present moment).

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