The Leadership Expert Simon Sinek, in his now famous Ted Talk “Start with Why” explains that;
“ People don’t buy what you do they buy why you do it”
What is your WHY?
What makes you get out of bed in the morning?
Why do you do what you do?
What makes it worthwhile?
Your why will also be the reason you will take the decision to communicate impactfully with others.
Now let’s consider the other person’s WHY.
Why do they do what they do?
What gets them out of bed in the morning?
Where they see themselves in 1/3/5 years?
Once you understand what they want for themselves and their why, it is much easier for you to shape your message and advice so that it aligns to what they see as being the future of career.
This opens the door to strategic communication.
Once you have taken the time to really understand the other person, it allows you to explore
other avenues and alternatives that maybe they have not thought of to achieve their ambitions.
Using empathetic communication allows you to be PROACTIVE rather than reactive, maximising the value of your interactions, allowing you to strategically engage.
Open questions are key to working out strategies that are proactive, forward thinking and progressive:
How could we make this easier?
-What can we do differently to achieve that result?
-What resources do you have available to help with that?
-What would stop you from creating an even bigger opportunity here?
-How can we work together to overcome this?
And it is here that you use your talent and expertise to do what you do best and find the right options for the client …again, putting them at the heart of the client strategy!
So while Simon Sinek starts with why… Don’t stop there!
Remember;
- Why
- What
- Where
- How
- When
The quality of our communication is pivotal to our success – Imagine if we could improve our communication skills by just 2%, the difference it would make to the results we strive to achieve!
Start now and start well.
As Aristotle put it, “We are what we repeatedly do, excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit”
Make great communication the habit that you invest in and reap the rewards!
