Everything Speaks

Auxano Design with Will Mancini just completed a [Visual Summary] of Church Unique.  Just as when we wrote the book, the collaboration to find just the right expression and just the right words to communicate our meaning and connect with the reader, was an enjoyable yet challenging process.  More to come on the summary.  For now, I just want to encourage you to reflect on the power of refining your communication toolbox.

What worlds have you created in the minds and hearts of your people? Do they captivate hearts and minds? Use this tool for Articulating Vision to test yourself and find ways to inspire and motivate.

Be intentional, be bold, be clear.  And with every decision remember that  ”Words Create Worlds”.

It’s good to be back.  After several months away from this blog, I am excited to relaunch.

The movie “The Perfect Storm” gave us the picture of what happens when several powerful elements occur at the same time that, when combined, culminate in an event with catastrophic consequences.  Not to overdramatize, but recent revelations made me realize that is a great analogy for my world over the last several months.  Multiple projects and and initiatives (all of which I am excited to launch and share with leaders) pulled me out of my flow, my strengths – my sweet spot pathway.  While I am excited to launch these great resources, the tasks I was call to do stole the wind from my sails. I experienced first hand what I discuss with leaders when I consult on building teams and wrote about in Auxano’s Insights online newsletter this month.

I love blogging.  I love writing.  I love creating, expressing and interacting with ideas and people.

Enough said.  I look forward to connecting with you again. It’s good to be back.

In a recent survey, Harvard Business Review found that he biggest challenge to execution and implementation is making strategy meaningful to frontline workers.  People look for meaning and purpose.  If  an organization fails to articulate a mission, and clearly state and communicate a strategy for accomplishing that mission, often silos and miscommunication result. As one of the survey respondents stated, “Failure to communicate strategy causes frontline workers to invent their own strategy.”  Or as Will Mancini wrote in a recent blog post, “If leaders are vague, Silos breed and people ‘do what’s right in their own eyes’.” Compounding this fact are two additional findings.  First, many people in an organization do not know what the strategy is.  Second, people involved in strategy development are most likely to buy in.

What’s the remedy?

Clear communication, according to the survey, is the primary factor affecting implementation.

These finding resonate with what we evangelize at Auxano.  We encourage each client to develop communication tools to help them integrate and implement their vision.  Most of our clients work with us to develop a strategy icon to reinforce and communicate their vision-based strategy throughout the organization. Some examples can be seen below.

If you feel you may have some obstacles preventing implementation, or perhaps you are challenged by “silo mentalities,” ask yourself these questions:

1. Have we a clearly stated a vision-based strategy?

2. Was it developed in a collaborative process?

3. Is our strategy clearly communicated consistently throughout the organization?

4. Have we developed communication tools that help you integrate your vision and make the organization’s direction meaningful to people?

To see more strategy icon examples with explanations, view Auxano’s Symbols and Icons flash booklet.

How much thought do you give to the TOTAL experience people have with your organization or product?  Opening your mac for the first time.  The greeting you get as you enter.  The aroma as you enter the bakery.  Every one of our senses informs our reaction to an experience and ultimately our decisions. (note to Starbucks – if you are about the third place,  could you turn the music down a notch so people can really gather and have conversations?)

Sound matters. Our sense of hearing is included in this. Different sounds, instruments, melodies all evoke personal and often emotional responses.  Even organizations that have done their visual communication and branding well often do not take the time to consider the total experience with their brand.  Neuroscience Marketing shares details of how Audi has created brand standards for all sound that one would experience when interacting with the automotive company. Pay close attention to the sound in the video below.

If you check out all the Audi A5 ads on You Tube you begin to not only hear but feel the pulse of Audi because the sounds are repeated.  Audi’s Head of Brand and Sales Development, Sven Schuwirth states, “All sound elements are derived from the AUDI brand values.” That includes the sound that accompanies their logo.  If you are interested in more detail, there is a video that describes in detail the aspects of the Audi sound guide . Fascinating.

Does that mean you should develop sound guides?  Maybe.  But more importantly,  I encourage you to take time to think about the total experience that people have with your brand as you develop communication and marketing strategies.  Are you taking every opportunity to differentiate and express your organizational essence? What might you do to enhance the experience of the people you are trying to reach?

Here’s a simple exercise to get your thinking started from Auxano’s Vision Deck:

What are the characteristics of the best leaders you know?  I suspect they are CEO’s - Chief Energy Officers - as proposed by HBR contributor, Tony Schwartz. Thinking about the leader as the energy officer  merges the leadership characteristics I addressed in my last post “A Nonverbal Nugget (how leaders lead without even saying a word) with a previous post challenging leaders to “Be Electric.”

In his article, Schwartz states, “The most fundamental job of a leader is to recruit, mobilize, inspire, focus, direct, and regularly refuel the energy of those they lead.” I would add to that statement, that through their leadership, they build the capacity in other leaders and throughout the organization to refuel others. In his list of characteristics that effective leaders exude, over two-thirds involved emotional intelligence. (e.g. encouraging, positive, inspiring, positive, decisive, visionary) Check out his article for reference.

Taking that and some previous thoughts into consideration, I would say an effective CEO leads with E3 Leadership- Energy, Electricity, and EQ

1. Energetic – the leaders needs to be able to to refuel, inspire, focus and direct

2. Electric – the leader must transfer energy, not simply to refuel others, but to develop other leaders’ capacity to refuel

3. EQ – the leader needs to  develop their emotional quotient.  In other words, tune into how positive energy can inspire and motivate

That is E3 Leadership.  A leader can be most effective if they think intentionally about how they cast vision to inspire action, how they are develop other leaders, and how every aspect of their communication and interactions affects others.

Many of us forget to develop ourselves as leaders. You know you have the gift of leadership.  Take a moment to think about  how you are developing your E3 leadership.