Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Hands-On ... - always yours

COMMUNICATION AND EMPATHY TOOLS AND STRATEGIES 251
4. FIND YOUR UNIQUENESS
Davies is always interested in accessing people’s strengths and
unique abilities. His goal is to use those capabilities in the most
effective manner. When Davies is working with clients, he pays
close attention to the skills and capabilities that set them apart from
others. His focus is to discover their unique talent and skill set, and
then he and his team craft these fi ndings into the most effective and
compelling message and marketing campaign.
In his own company Davies uses people’s unique abilities to synergize
talents. He believes that each person contributes in his or her
own way to the success of a project, and he looks for a multitalented
combination rather than insisting that everyone be the same.
Davies has a demanding and rigorous hiring process that
includes using the Kolbe Assessment (to look at preferred instincts
in action), other assessments, and multiple interviews. He is always
looking for a full complement of abilities across his company. The
new hires see from the interview process that Davies Public Relations
is unique in its approach, values, and climate. They report
that the “challenge and the people” are the key reasons to join the
team.
5. READ PEOPLE
In a recent training of community leaders, Davies discussed how
touching or scratching one’s nose while speaking is an indication of
lying (think Pinocchio). He illustrated his point by showing a video of
George Bush Sr. telling his audience, “We are winning the war against
drugs,” while unconsciously rubbing his nose close to 10 times, almost
on cue! Davies is aware of how people reveal themselves in countless
non-verbal ways when we closely tune in to their message.
In his own company, Davies is able to read which employees
need “touches” or personal contact from him or Brandon Edwards,
a principal in the fi rm and the COO. Edwards states, “I don’t pick
up these cues, but John sees them or senses them, and we are able