Since our beginnings, we humans have defined our individual value by what we share with others. It's as important a step in self-actualization as any other: Acknowledgement from an audience (of one or many) for providing information perceived as valuable.
Does this mean we're selfish? Hell yes. And we should be proud of it, too. Isn't that what effective leaders do? We look for more ways to deliver more value, faster. And we give others credit when deserved.
Sharing Takes Many Shapes
Today's "I recommend we execute this project differently than the last" is born from the same need state as yester-millennia's "There's a tiger by the stream where we usually get our water." The member of the tribe who shares newest, most compelling information is the star. And if we manage to move her audience – who is also wired to survive – to act, we can be the hero too.
No wonder we constantly feel like we're presenting. Every meeting, every conference, every conversation at work is a pitch. They're all sales jobs, crafted in our own minds to help the other parties see us as necessary. We're on stage every day, whether or not we're ready. Not entirely due to the pressures created by the workplace, but also manufactured by our own innate desire to be valuable.
Embracing the Responsibility
There are results, for which we're on the hook, that won't be achieved unless others buy in to our mechanisms to deliver them. Supervisors, peers, direct reports, customers, vendors, investors... All are vital to our work. All must see us as having the answer. Sometimes to a problem they don't yet know they have.
Any successful leader, surveying her surroundings, will see a number of individuals who "get it." They show their partners what's possible when their ideas are embraced. They tap into this cognitive phenomenon regularly, and have become quite deft at moving a crowd from point A to B.
But what about those who haven't? What about those with opportunities to improve? Are they valuable? Do they have the same potential? What gets recorded on their performance reviews
Looking for Help
We're not so selfish that we can't ask for assistance. Especially not today's millennial workforce, who sees vulnerability as an opportunity rather than a weakness. It's pretty clear why 70% of employees say they want presentation skills training (Prezi). They want to improve. They want to deliver more value, to more people, faster. Doesn't that make them leadership potential?
Our teams may have the drive, but do they have the skills? They may have the passion, but do they have the tools?
Turning to What's Always Worked
Today's slide deck is yesterday's campfire. Today's 3:00 budget meeting is the sewing circle of yore. Today's whiteboard session might as well be a sermon. We create, change and reinforce beliefs with the tools available to us in the modern workplace. We equip our passionate people with devices. Every team has a template. Every decision requires a dongle. Every call is full of clicks.
There's certainly no shortage of mediums, but how confident can we be about our content? How do we know the material will stick? How do we know our employees will connect with their audiences? What will happen if they don't?
Defying Convention
According to Bill McCartney, coaching is "taking a player where he can't take himself." Sometimes that means sticking to the playbook, and sometimes it takes an extra shoulder. Would you believe there's a way to short-circuit the expectations of modern communication? Would you embrace it if it appeared on your doorstep? What if you could deliver twice the results of a deck in half the time? What if you could increase your team's presenter effectiveness by 20%? What if you could attract 54% more attention from audiences? Would you try it?
Deck-dependent or otherwise, 70% of your workforce has spoken, and it's time to act. If you've ever considered improvement – for yourself or your team – now is the time. GatherRound will tailor a workshop to meet the specific demands of your group.
What would a team of heroes look like?