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Innovator Charlene Li Communicates her Vision with Passion

After another Spring break, ("le pont du mois de mai": "bridge" for long May week ends  in France...), I'm back  with an Inspiring  Role Model for Women Leaders.

Following up with my Women Speakers Series, here is another illustration for the Innovator Style of Leadership, with Charlene Li.

The corporate world would be such a better place if more leaders were to invent a new kind of leadership, an "innovative leadership", an open leadership, opening new possibilities, solutions and collaborations. We need more role models, especially for girls and women, to show us the way and inspire us to action. That's the reason why I'm writing this series, and collecting stories of remarquable women leaders, from different cultures, with different personal styles and values. We can't identify anymore with the stereotyped representation of the "LEADER" ( a WASP Superhero). We aspire for different models, reflecting the diversity of the world, in cultures, in genders, in classes, in skin colors, and ...in souls also.

Now, back to Charlene Li!

Typically, someone communicating with a strong preference for The Innovator dimension (from the SPM Spony Profiling Model), would be seen as:

"Prolific and creative brain-stormers who are attracted by abstract issues and intellectual challenges. Attached to freedom of expression, they feel comfortable in initiating original and unconventional projects."

There are many American women leaders who fit in The Innovator Style of Leadership and Communication. Just like the Persuader and the Pioneer styles, it makes perfect sense with the Anglo-Saxon cultural result and change orientation:

• Entrepreneurial spirit
• Pragmatic
• Informal style
• Openness for change

One of the most famous today is Charlene Li, and I want to make a special post about her and highlight her communication and leadership style.

Who is Charlene Li?   Who does she know?    What does she do?

I'm asking these 3 questions, because it's what Charlene stresses in her talk, and I found it original and fun to present her this way, as well!

Who are you? IDENTITY

Who do you know? RELATIONSHIPS

What do you do? ACTIVITIES

Who is Charlene Li?

Her Identity? You can find everything about her on her site: charleneli.com

She's the founder of Altimeter. Altimeter is " a strategy firm that provides clients with a pragmatic approach to using new technologies".

Three keywords here: Pragmatic, New and Technologies

Who does she know and who knows her?

" Charlene is frequently quoted by leading media channels such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, and The Associated Press. She has appeared on 60 Minutes, The McNeil NewsHour, ABC News, CNN, and CNBC.  As noted social technologist, Charlene has earned a vast following through her blogs, website, columns, articles, and keynotes." (from her website)

Her social networks could be illustrated by one of them, Twitter:

What does she do?

She "provides clients with a pragmatic approach to using new technologies"

She creates: she writes blogs and books (the last one is a must read "Open Leadership", I have ordered it and will write a post about it very soon)

... and she speaks at SX about The Future of Social Networks!

Why is she emblematic of the Innovative Leadership and communication style?

She was named one of the 12 most creative minds of 2008 by Fast Company, and one of the most influential women in technology 2009.

She's innovative in the way she talks:

• Simply

• With energy and passion

• Openly

• Fast paced

• Informally, dressed casually

She's innovative in what she says:

• Future oriented she takes us 5,10,15, 20 years from now!

• Visionary: "The Social network will be like air" "Open: how open leaders win by letting go"
  

• Planting new Ideas, Encouraging Change:  "The open network will be the new norm."
  

               "Leaders will engage at all levels, outside as well as inside the organization."

She's a role model for the next generation of girls and young women entrepreneurs and business owners and might also be an inspiration for women executives who aspire to be on the 21st century boards!

She's congruent : her style of communication conveys who she really is, how she's perceived as a leader, leading from the inside out, openly and pragmatically. She really is an open leader.

"If you truly want to get advantage of the social networks, you've got to get your own identity, inside your house, in order." Charlene Li.

If you truly want to be a leader, start by leading yourself, with your own style and create your own life!

Next, in Geronimo Leadership Women Series, the Networker, with Arianna Huffington

Presenting With Elegance: Lessons From The Irreverent Coco Chanel

Here's a video of Coco Chanel's first television interview. It's in French, watch it even if you don't understand French. Coco Chanel 's body language is eloquent...

How does Coco Chanel express herself in such a formal context?

She's incredibly original, irreverent and free to be herself.

Remember, it was the early 60s, the beginnings of the television in France. People interviewed were more static, contained, conventional, almost severe...(take a look at General de Gaulle at the ORTF and you'll see what I mean!)

ORIGINAL

• She's standing, when most people sit down and stay put during interviews

• She's moving all the time! Her arms, her head, her whole body, completely at ease in her impeccable tailleur...

IRREVERENT

• She starts her talk by saying NO!
• She's smoking and keeps one hand in her pocket, contrasting with the classical feminine silhouette

• She's even scratching her back, like a 12 year old school girl!

FREE ... SIMPLY FREE!

• She's improvising as she's talking
  

• She's bold and natural, sometimes soft and polite, other times interrupting and irreverent

• She's 100% herself : Coco!

What does she say about elegance?

"Elegance is to allow women to move with ease. To prevent them from feeling dressed up, to prevent them from changing attitudes and styles depending on the dress in which one has put them! It's very difficult. I think it's the gift I have, if we can call it a gift, and I think I have got it.

The human body moves all the time, even when we do not want him to move.You see, I wish I could stop moving and speak calmly. That is very difficult for me. I am moving all the time. If I had a costume which bothered me, I wouldn't be moving at all. I would be afraid it might change place.

Well, I don't care! My suit can move, not move, I don't care at all, it can do whatever it likes.

It holds itself!"

What a beautiful metaphor of a well designed and structured presentation,(the tailored suit) which you then can deliver simply, figure-hugging your own style!

"Les femmes sont toujours trop habillées mais jamais assez élégantes!"

"Women are always too much dressed and never elegant enough!"

I love it when she says: "Oh my god, this is such a difficult question! You're asking me questions that are far too difficult! " Then, she scratches her back, casually, completely at ease in her body. Wow!

What's in it for you?

• Dare To Be Different from Others-Be Yourself- Be Unique

"in order to be irreplaceable one must always be different. People laughed at the way I dressed, but that was the secret of my success: I didn’t look like anyone.”

• Be Bold

"In fashion, you know you have succeeded when there is an element of upset."

• Use Your Intuition and Experiences

"Fashion is not simply a matter of clothes,” said Chanel. “Fashion is in the air, born upon the wind. One intuits it. It is in the sky and on the road.”

• Keep it Short and Simple

"I get rid of everything I can, every thing that is not useful. Until I reach  simplicity..." 

• Leave a Strong Impression

"Dress shabbily and they remember the dress,” said Chanel. “Dress impeccably and they remember the woman.”

Present  with elegance and they will remember your message, not your slides.

Find in your memory, an experience when you felt you were daring, you were free to be yourself, unique and completely aligned with your values.

You were "elegant".

Share with us these moments of "elegance" in your comments, I'm sure you have plenty of them which could be inspiring for others. Give us your thoughts!

How to Develop a More Creative and Innovative Communication Style?

It's already April and on Geronimo Leadership's Calendar, we have "the April Girl", The Innovator Communication Style!

Before introducing you to the woman leader I picked up to illustrate this dimension, let me present you the main Dilemma between The Innovator and The Analyser leadership and communication styles.

 

Previously, on Geronimo24 hours:

The Achiever with Ursula Burns, stretching towards The Facilitator

The Persuader with Meg Whitman, stretching towards The Moderator

The Pioneer with Gail Evans, stretching towards The Maintainer

(The Next one will be The Networker, with Arianna Huffington, stretching towards The Monitor)

Now, The Innovator!

Typically, someone communicating with a strong preference for The Innovator dimension would be seen as:

"Prolific and creative brain-stormers who are attracted by abstract issues and intellectual challenges. Attached to freedom of expression, they feel comfortable in initiating original and unconventional projects."

There are many American women leaders who fit in The Innovator Style of Management and Communication. Just like the Persuader and the Pioneer styles, it makes perfect sense with the North-American cultural values.

One of the most famous today is Charlene Li, and I will make a special post about her and analyse her communication style (with a great video, that I couldn't find for this example)

In this post, I'm going to star a woman whose name you may have never heard of, but I bet you will, very soon!

Because I wanted to find women leaders, from as many different cultures around the world as possible, I picked up a fantastic woman entrepreneur from Jordan.

Her name is Randa Ayoubi, she's the CEO and founder of Rubicon.

She created a 3D animation and computer graphics company in the Middle East

How did it all started? "With an idea, way out of there", she says.

She had a vision of creating a business whose purpose would be to teach children from her country, while playing and building a better world in the Middle East.

"Kids learn best when they play". Randa Ayoubi (link to WISE Muslim Women, a site I discovered when researching for her)

She imagined and designed two characters 'Ben & Izzy' , heroes of a children's animation series, in a co-production with some of the best animation directors in the US :

"The production will follow the exploits of two pre-teen boys, one Arab and one American. The boys meet in Amman, Jordan, where their respective grandfathers, who are life-long friends, are working on a massive archeology excavation project. There, the mischievous boys become friends, and through their adventures uncover an ancient treasure room containing a time travel mechanism that takes the boys back to great historical moments. The series is about the east-west cultural differences presenting it from a children's point of view. The stories will be educational both for the western and the Arab audience as it includes many of the Arab/ Muslim historical accomplishments with the characters traveling through Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq and other places."

Here is how she communicates visually: with this Avatar of herself!
Quite informal and very expressive when talking through projects or ideas.

What are the core competencies of The Innovator?

Free-minded, visionary, strategic thinker, unconventional, independent, original.

Randa Ayoubi seems to embody these skills.

When asked about how she sees Rubicon in the next 10 years, her instant reply:

"You know Pixar? We're going to be Pixar!"

As she 's a very successful business woman , has an Executive MBA from Harvard Business School, I guess she must have developed a lot of other dimensions in her leadership style. Especially the Analytical dimension, with a focus on quality, details, methodical mindset and well-defined strategy. But how she communicates, and how she has expressed her vision is very innovative.

So, how can YOU develop a more creative and innovative communication style?

If you're more Analytical oriented, you might find it challenging to rely on your intuition and to express emotions.In search of precision and clarity, you may lack flexibility and creativity.

Here are some advices for you:

Out of Professional Context

• Participate into improvisation classes, they're excellent to prepare your next presentations
• Have fun communicating differently in informal contexts
• Volunteer to make a small speech during family gatherings (get some help first!)
•  Tell 3 short stories about yourself,your personal experience and find the link between them (this technique , The Magic Three, is very well developed by Terrence Garguilo at Making Stories)

At the Work Place

• Practice your "elevator pitch" via a bubble tweet video (like the one above )
• Go to networking events and really engage with the people you meet, rely on your first impression, connect with your intuition, with your emotions
• In your next meeting, share your vision of the future, encourage brain-storming, new ideas
• Be curious, ask plenty of questions, even silly ones...(yes, especially silly ones!)

Start with "it may be silly, but, what if we...?"

With "What if", we can create incredible stories and make them come true!

Next post will be about a French woman entrepreneur, very innovative, Coco Chanel, and you will also see how original and "avant-garde" she was in her communication style!

Isn't it funny, but I have much more examples for this Innovative style of communication, than, let's say, for example, the monitor or the analyser!!! I guess you will not be surprised to learn it's my favorite style, with the Humanist and Facilitator!

3 Presentation Tips From The Comics

Are you stuck preparing for Your Next Presentation, putting together a short intro about yourself?

Follow these 3 powerful tips, your presentation will be fantastic!

• Start "as if" you were telling a story. Find the thread, the situation, the main characters and begin telling your story aloud. If you can, record yourself via your computer or your phone. A great way to do that is to tell what you are going to talk about to a trusted friend, someone who would listen to you actively and reformulate what you really want to say.

Recently, I've been lucky enough to be interviewed by 2 trusted professionals, Susan Mazza and Lolly Daskal, for their Radio Show, You Matter.Initially, I thought I would mostly talk about my business. I eventually found myself telling the story of my life and the reasons why I was into a mission of empowering women to speak and to become leaders of their own life.We started talking without a clear set of questions. However, very soon, the underlying structure, pattern, emerged, and the story shaped into flesh and soul.I clearly expressed three major events in my life, which shaped my professional life, and highlighted three women mentors.Suzan and Lolly are talented coaches, interviewers," midwives of true selves". Merci.You can listen to this story here.

• Call your Superhero! Be the hero of your own life! Use your whole self (mind, body and heart) to express what you want to say. Deliver with passion. Believe in what you are going to talk about.Be 100% certain about your intention: why you want to speak, why does it matter? Identify with your purpose, your values and stretch yourself!

How do you do that? Recall your own success stories, these fabulous moments in your life where you experienced "flow", where you felt aligned with your values, purpose, skills and actions. Reconnect with the feelings and emotions associated with these experiences of success.If you had to name a character, a "hero", fictional, historical or ordinary, who would it be? Make it personal, make it fun, make it yours. How did you feel like, in that situation of excellence, of flow? The only limit is your imagination!

My own favorite superhero is Mrs Incredible, Helen, the elastic girl, with her incredible family!

Why? She seems to integrates brilliantly work and family, is (very) powerful and has a strong sense of humor. She's flexible, warm-hearted and leads a very simple life, most of the time...

Don't get me wrong, I don't take myself for a Superhero! I can only too easily identify plenty of other role models (Garfield, Coyotte, Lucy in Peanuts, Droopy or the ugly little duck...)

But this little figurine keeps me focus, it stands on my laptop, sometimes in my pocket and gives me strangely confidence, when I need to stretch like an elastic out of my comfort zone, especially!

• Follow the magical "Rule of Three". The best stories always follow the Rule of Three.There were the three musketeers, the three little pigs, Goldilock and the three bears...

Think of the generic three-panel daily comic strip.

In the fairy tales,Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk

has Jack climb the beanstalk three times.

The wicked stepmother visits Snow White in the forest three times before she finally causes her to fall dead.

Rumpelstiltskin spins three times for the heroine and lets her guess his name three times and days.

Wicked Stepmother

 

Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin is a character in a fairy tale of the same name that originated in Germany . The tale was collected by the Brothers Grimm, who first published it in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales...

Regarding the rule of three in presentations, much has been said already, so I recommend you read some excellent articles and tips from Max Atkinson and Nick Morgan.

Andrew Logan, in 6 minutes tells us how using the rule of three can improve your speeches by:

1. Writing triads of words, phrases, and sentences
2. Applying three-part speech outlines.
3. Adding an unexpected twist to the third element   (from BoomBoomBoom to BoomBoomBANG!)
   

        

“We find something complete and satisfying in a group of three, like a three-legged stool that can stand firmly on uneven ground”  Nick Morgan

"One of the attractions of the three-part lists is that they create an impression of completeness. Lists with only two items in them sound inadequate, while lists of four items or more are more difficult for an audience to take in." Max Atkinson.

Take Action, now!

Use the power of Comics and Storytelling

• What is Your Story?

• Who is Your Superhero?

• How could You use The Rule of Three?

Believe in Yourself and Speak Up!

If "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."  as Mahatma Gandhi said, then when I express myself via comics, stories and fairy tales, I feel happy and in harmony!

Next post will be how to use comics "figurines" to improve confidence, develop focus and achieve your goals.

Tough New-Yorker No Nonsense Style

“Believe That There Are No Limitations, No Barriers to Your Success – You Will Be Empowered and You Will Achieve.”

 

 Angela Burns, could represent The Achiever Communication style, in my series about Women Speakers

 January, with  Meg Whitman, The laser Light with a Big Smile, illustrating the Persuader Communication Style,

 

February, with Gail Evans, with Play like a Man, Win like a Woman, for the Pioneer communication style.

If you're curious  about the 12 Communication styles, please read my latest post the SPM Profiling Tool Innovative, Cross-cultural and 21st century ready.

• What are the Key characteristics of The Achiever Style?

Achievers bring to their organisations a determination to achieve and an effective, focused and fast-paced working style.

Sensitive to concrete results, Achievers are more comfortable with concise and factual information rather than too much detail.

Assertive and direct, they can become blunt and impatient under stress.

(from the Spony Profiling Model Feedback Guide)

• What are the Key characteristics of the opposite style, The facilitator?

Facilitators are viewed as friendly, spending time seeking agreement and consensus.

Good at listening, they are sometimes seen to be too dependent on other people's opinions, or lacking effectiveness.

They communicate with enthusiasm, show empathy, maintain eye contact, are expressive, understanding. Under stress, they can become emotional and irrational.

• Why is Ursula Burns best to represent The  dilemna between Achiever and Facilitation Communication Style?

Hard-charging and blunt, Burns admitted to “letting my big mouth drive the discussion” and conceded, “Patience is not one of my strengths.”

 She has never been shy about speaking her mind.

Some people gave her sound advices:

At Xerox, one of her mentors, Mr Hicks advised her to "make people feel comfortable by listening carefully, not to intimidate them!" (communicating more as a "Facilitator")

Her best mentor and coach, after her mother, is of course Ann Calaway, former CEO of Xerox. Ann Callaway said: "You have to develop more of a poker face because people will watch you for everything."

"On my face, you could tell everything in 30 seconds. You could tell exasperation. You could tell fed-up-ness."

Ursula Burns listened to her mentors, but not to people who told her to adjust her speaking style. People told her that it was "too New York"- too fast, too informal.

“What I realized was I have to know my content and know what I want to say, and be significantly less concerned about how I say it,” she says.

• What's in it for YOU?

If you identify with the Achiever's style of communication and leadership:

Be cautious about not becoming too blunt or impatient.

Ask for feedback.

Find yourself a mentor and listen to her, to him.

Observe leaders around you who display more the characteristics of the Facilitator style and see what you can learn from them.

Learn to listen

Express empathy

and let go of the pressure for results, once in a while...

It's one of the 6 dilemna, coping both with a desire to achieve results and expressing consideration for others.

I'm feeling terribly shy to pretend to give any advice to this awesome woman...

What can be said for Her?

In her speeches to students, like at Syracuse University , Ursula Burns could have been less serious,more engaging and have had an even greater impact.

She could improve simply by smiling more and making eye contact,(just like in the great smiling picture on the right!), staying less time on her notes, and more often with the audience. Notice how her face becomes animated and her eyes sparkle when she answers questions or tells us a story. She would also express a little more of who she is, communicating her formidable generosity and gift of giving.

So I would tell her to be even more of herself!

Tough New-Yorker No Nonsense Style!!!

 

“I can’t try to say it in somebody else’s voice. I have to say it in my voice.” Angela Burns

 

I believe in the power of examples and picked 12 famous women leaders, from different cultures, to illustrate each style of communication and leadership.These conclusions are based on my observations, perceptions and interpretations, since these women have not yet taken the SPM questionnaire.

SPM Profiling Tool: Innovative, Cross-cultural and 21st century ready.

The idea of making a series on 12 women speakers, one each month in 2010, came from my experience of coaching hundreds of executive women and men, providing in depth constructive and personal feedback with a model called the SPM.

• What is the SPM?

Spony Profiling Model is an international profiling tool for individuals, teams and organisations.

SPM reveals motivations, preferences and flexibility, all valuable insights for modern executives. SPM highlights areas of tension; key challenges and opportunities for development, with individual advice for adaptation to different international environments.  This is achieved by measuring individuals’ work values and how others see them at work, manifesting their values through their management style

• What is the research and academic background behing the SPM?

SPM combines & extends Hofstede’s work on cultures with Schwartz's work on values systems.

• Who developed the SPM?

Dr. Gilles Spony  researched SPM at Cranfield School of Management,  winning First Prize for the best Doctoral Thesis presented in Europe in 2001, from the European Association of Personnel Management. 

"Forecasting the boom of current issues in cross-cultural mergers and acquisitions and the management of cross-cultural teams, Gilles’ has developed an analytical model aimed at analysing the impact of personality and cultural differences on managers’ decision-making style within the modern work context. His model represents a truly innovative step to adapt traditional personality profiling to the modern context of internationalisation and globalisation."

Nathalie Turner Founder of Entheo
 

• What are the twelve SPM styles?

Each style is always seen as half of a pair of dilemnas : two styles that are both good, yet opposite styles of management. I will share thumbnail sketches for each style, as I illustrate them each month.  

About the Persuader Style, read Meg Whitman The Laser Light with a Big Smile (January)

Although Meg Whitman display mostly characteristics from the persuader style, she demonstrates sensitivity, friendliness and empathy with others. She 's "stretching" on the relationship dilemna of the Persuader- Moderator.This flexibility makes her a brilliant communicator.

About the Pioneer Style, read Play like a Man, Win like a Woman, with Gail Evans (February)

This post provoked some polemic,(read the comments!) maybe because I stressed the Pioneer dimension of Gail Evans, at the expense of the opposite style: the Maintainer, that I will develop further, with an original example.

About the Achiever Style,opposed to the Facilitator, watch out for my next post,... with Ursula Burns (March)

                                                                                                                                                                             

• What can you learn, thanks to the SPM?

Understanding your styles and how others see you at work means you can make conscious or deliberate choices about the way you manage, with particular outcomes in mind.  You can find a way to focus on creating good working relationships, even with those whose styles you do not like, which often leads to diversity becoming a positive aspect within your workplace. 

 

• What about cultural differences?

When working across different cultures, SPM is particularly good at showing people where they need to pay attention to their styles, to ensure the best possible outcomes. SPM is still unique in being able to offer individual insight at the cultural level with a an Individualised Cultural Map.

 

• How can you take the SPM?

Contact Future to Be. Future to Be is a pioneer in the impact that culture has on individual value systems and how this impacts ways of working.

www.futuretobe.net

Accessed online, with online results instantly available, this tool is also statistically proven to offer valid colleague observation with just three responders.  It is easily described as efficient and insightful. With detailed written reports, for individuals, teams and organizations, SPM is perfectly integrative and 21^st  century ready.

 

• Who does it apply for?

Utilizing the same base axes for individual, team and organizational profiling, SPM provides a common foundation for integrated development for organizations, teams and individuals. A rigorous consultant qualifying programme means that the standards are carefully controlled.  

• What's the Philosophy?

 "We believe that there is much more power in learning to accept and leverage different styles, personalities, skills and backgrounds."

Looking at successful women leaders more closely, I realized that they displayed characteristics similar to aspects of the SPM styles.  Although they have not yet taken the SPM Questionnaire, it is possible to see that some elements are clearly displayed.  By thinking of their styles in terms of SPM, it is possible to understand one’s own styles and undertake development to enhance management styles for more successful outcomes.  Adopting styles of those who are successful is a good way to realize success for yourself. 

 

It has been my privilege to work with senior executives women, and men using SPM and I am convinced that this sophisticated tool is a solid foundation for development activity.  As is already evident, this approach has provoked comment and debate and hopefully will lead on to improved leadership development and greater diversity at the workplace.

 

Below are a number of case studies that illustrate how the SPM can be applied and the effect that it can have in a variety of different environments:

• Outplacement, Personal Coaching & International Management Development
• Working with Teams
• Aligning HR and Corporate Strategy
• Designing objective Roles and Job Descriptions
• Addressing Cultural Issues in the work place
• Financial Times Article 16.12.04 - "Job tests begin to score highly" (21KB PDF)
• Expatica Article - 12.04 - "Virtual culture trainer?" (48KB PDF)

 

Ursula Burns Speaks : On Leadership

What Ursula Burns learned from Anne Mulcahy

• It's all about Every Body Else

• It's about being associated with greatness, it's not about being great!

• You have to keep an eye on what's important here, then everything else will kind of fold into place.

It makes me smile, because it's almost word for word what her mother told her :

  “You have to be good people. And you have to be successful. You have to give more than you take away from the world.’ ”

"  You have to perform at your best. You have to worry about the things you can control. "

Smoothest Transition from Mulcahy to Burns: Sisterhood at The Workplace?

Play Like A Man, Win Like A Woman

Who, better than Gail Evans, could represent The Pioneer Communication style, in my series about Women Speakers

• This is the second post, after Meg Whitman, The laser Light with a Big Smile, next will be about Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox. I will also write a post about the 12 Communication styles, based on the SPM profiling model. I've been using this integrative tool to provide feedback to corporate executives at Cranfield School of Management for more than 6 years and would like you to discover its implications in presentation skills.

I believe in the power of examples and picked 12 women leaders to illustrate each style of communication and leadership.

• Key characteristics of The Pioneer Communication Style:

"Enthusiastic, expressive, bold, risk-taker, not discouraged by failures, daring, independent, ambitious. They do not hesitate to change their minds to adopt a new course of action. Full of confidence, brimming with energy, Pioneers bring to their organisation a capacity to initiate change and an ability to deal with the unexpected." (from the Spony Profiling Model Feedback Guide)

• Why is Gail Evans best to represent The Pioneer Communication Style?

Gail Evans has been in the playing field long enough to learn the rules of the game. She was a pioneer in The White House in the 60s and the 70s. She began working at CNN at its inception in 1980. By the time she retired in 2001, she was its Executive Vice President.

She's the author of the best seller Play like a Man, Win like a Woman, famous speaker, teacher, and author of She Wins, You Win. 

After her speeches, Evans wants the first question to be, “When are we going to have a woman president of the U.S.?” Her answer: “The day women decide they want one!”

Watch her interviewed by Larry King about the unwritten business rules women need to learn in order to even the playing field.

What is her message to women?

• You first need to know the difference between how a man plays the game and how you play it.

• Recognize that for the time being, it's still a man's game!

• Decide if you want to change the way you play.

Out of the 14 rules she lists for success, I highlighted 7 rules for communicating successfully:

• Make a request. Asking is the only way to get what you want.Don't take no for an answer. For women, no means "Absolutely not, how could you even ask!".Men won't personalize the no and they'll keep trying.

• Speak out. Men speak out a lot and make mistakes too. Talk and be yourself.Don't strive to be perfect.

• Speak up. Don't ask for permission to speak. Learn to use the power of your voice effectively.

• Toot your own horn. Get noticed and take credits for your accomplishments.
  

 

• Wear your game face. Look as if you're going to win. Girls are brought up to be nice, pleasing and anguish for others. Anguish in private.

• Confidence is half the game.If you cant' make it, fake it. Take risks.  "When we make a presentation, we make sure that nothing is missed: thoroughly over prepared and over educated.The problem is that you'll never be 100% ready""
  

• Sit at the table with the Big Guys. You can't play if you can't be seen. Make your presence visible and be fully present.One of the key to success is to show up!

"You are who you say you are. Pick your goal and convince yourself that you can be successful. Don't complain or accept the role of the victim." Gail Evans.

For me, I know I still struggle with number one, ask for what I want, directly. I tend to circle around my objectives, and certainly take no as an answer!

Now , your turn:

Out of these 7 rules, which one is crucial for you, now, if you want to succeed?