The Voice of - Bates Communications

September 2011The Voice ofLeadershipStorytellingNot a Natural Born Skill,But Anyone Can Learn!Better ConversationsHow to Leverage Your Organization’sSecret Strategic WeaponWhy Exceptional LeadersHire CoachesWhen the Best Want to Be Even BetterDiscover YourLeadershipBRANDEmbracing Your UniqueValue as a LeaderSales Presentation SuccessSeven Strategies to Close More Dealsand Win More Business

3710121517192426293032Sales Presentation Success: Seven Strategiesto Close More Deals and Win More BusinessWhy Exceptional Leaders Hire Coaches:When the Best Want to Be Even BetterBetter Conversation: Leverage YourOrganization’s Secret Strategic WeaponStorytelling: Not A Natural Born Skill, ButAnyone Can Learn!Diagnosing Your Communications Plan:Six Steps for Understanding Why It’sGoing Wrong and How to Make it RightThe Story Behind the Numbers: How CFOsCan Communicate Their Way to the TopBook Excerpt: Discover Your CEO BrandBecoming a Top Human ResourcesProfessional: Build Credibility and Earn aSeat at the TableHow to Drive Organizational Changethrough Better CommunicationHow Women Leaders Can Build StrongerBrandsGame-Changing Communication forTechnical LeadersLeading the High Energy Culture: HowPowerful Communication Translates toBenchmark Bottom-Line ResultsI always think of LaborDay as the second “start”to the year. In many waysit’s more important thanJanuary 2nd. Don’t getme wrong; in August, Iwish summer wouldlast forever. But onceSeptember is here, Ican’t deny it… I’mexcited. Everybodyis “back.”While you may be thinking,“When am I going to have time tobreathe?” you also know, from past experience,that you’re busy because the best things inbusiness often happen in the fall. This is whenprojects gain momentum and you build towardcompletion of milestones. This is when you canbegin to see the result of this year’s sacrificesand hard work. Everyone wants a great yearend. It’s the rhythm of business life.Of course, to get it done, you have to execute. And toexecute, you have to be exceptional at communicating,motivating, and inspiring your team. And that’s whywe’ve devoted this edition of The Voice of Leadershipto helping you do that. The reason most businessplans fall short, isn’t because they are bad plans. It’sbecause the leaders haven’t communicated effectivelyto drive the result.As you look around your organization today,you may be asking, how can we be sure that weare communicating in a powerful way with ourimportant audiences, including our own teams? Asyou read this second issue of The Voice of Leadership,I hope you’ll find some answers to those questions.Bates Communications has helped thousands ofleaders drive their vision forward. Our mission is totransform leaders into powerful communicators whoget results.As business gets back into full swing, I hope you willlet us know how we can help you achieve your goals.Enjoy this second issue of The Voice of Leadership andlet us know what you think of our magazine.Cheers,Suzanne Bates, CEO

“The focus of the meeting is not the “stand and deliver” slide deck - it’s theconversation you’re having with that client, in every stage of the selling process.”Eliminating the Confusion about theSales PresentationWhen you send your salespeople outwith a slide deck, they may assumethey are supposed to “present” thismaterial. Why wouldn’t they? This iswhat you’ve given them.We have worked with thousands ofsales professionals, in world-classorganizations that have had lots oftraining and experience. But they’vetold us they’ve been given their“marching orders” to go sell the “hot”new product or service. Unfortunatelythat’s not usually why they got themeeting.To be successful in sales, your salesteam needs to think of the meeting asa dialogue. They need to have the skillto go in to a meeting and make thingshappen. This includes teaching themto have curious minds. They must beable to ask questions, be consultative,and where appropriate, weave in the“presentation” of a product, service orsolution.When we do sales training, we use aprocess of “asking great questions.”A lot of sales people believe they aregood at this until we videotape “mock”sales meetings. Even experiencedsalespeople are surprised at howquickly they stop listening and start“selling.” They are selling before theyunderstand.The whole point of any meetingwith a prospect or client is to geta conversation going, and keep itgoing until you identify somethingof value to them that is profitable toyou. Curiosity and the ability to askquestions leads to a genuine dialoguethat helps them understand how toimprove the client condition.Where to Invest in Sales TrainingMost sales organizations investin sales training. They know it isimportant. However, the pressure ison to focus only on product. With newsalespeople joining the organizationand new products to sell, the reasonfor this is obvious. But it constitutesoverinvestment in one area that islimited, in terms of generating sales andrevenue.Many sales VPs and managers “assume”their people are doing the right thingswhen they get into the room. Then, theyattend a meeting with one of their salesassociates and are disappointed. Theywonder if these skills can be learned.They can.Where to Start in Coaching Your TeamStart by sharing with your team thatyour expectation first and foremostis that they learn to get into a realconversation with a client. The dialogueshould be the center of the meeting.Their question skills should includehow to establish rapport, uncover clientneeds, explore options that work forthem, establish urgency, cement thevalue in the mind of the buyer, and thenexplore implementation and next steps.Here are seven things you cancommunicate to your sales team, toimmediately improve sales results:1. The focus of the meeting is not the“stand and deliver” slide deck - it’sthe conversation you are havingwith that client, in every stage ofthe selling process2. Ask smart questions that indicateyou’ve done your homework andyou know something about theclient situation; never ask “whatkeeps you awake at night” or otherhackneyed questions – they comeacross as lazy and disinterested3. Go into every conversation witha “curious mindset” and that willprompt you to go deeper than youthought you could; explore everystatement that is interesting orintriguing, or anything you don’tunderstand – never ever “assume”you know4. Don’t worry about “selling”anything until you understandprecisely what the client is tellingyou – those small details willenrich your conversation andyour proposal5. Use “their words, their way”when talking with a customeror prospect; make it a pointto understand their industryand company words, ways andjargon; when you understandtheir language, you control theconversation6. If you’re an extrovert, work hardto listen and ask questions – inyour enthusiasm, you may jumpin to “sell” before the client isready to buy7. If you’re going in as a team, getyour act together; get on thephone and coordinate the meetingfrom beginning to end; if it is animportant finals presentation, youmust practice together to leverageeach other’s knowledge, expertiseand experienceROI in Sales Presentation TrainingROI from sales training doesn’t comefrom doing the same thing over andover and hoping for a different result.Allocate more time and resources tosales presentation training, includingasking questions, professionalpresence, consultative dialogue, andwatch what happens. If you’ve hiredthe right team of enthusiastic gogetterswho are motivated to sell, armthem with these skills, and get out oftheir way.Suzanne Bates is CEO of BatesCommunications, a nationally-knownspeaker, and bestselling author of SpeakLike a CEO and Discover Your CEOBrand. Follow her at @CEOCoachBatesor on www.thepowerspeakerblog.comThe Voice of Leadership I 4

“Speak Like a CEO Boot Camp provided me with valuabletools and techniques that will be immediately applicableto me in my job. The program gave me some greatinsight into my communication style, and in how to moreeffectively communicate and present to key stakeholdersand decision makers. Overall, a very worthwhile two-dayinvestment that will certainly pay dividends, both nowand in the future.”- Deborah Borg, Human Capital Planning andDevelopment, Dow Chemical Co.“Whether you’re a small business entrepreneur, adepartment head, or CEO of a Fortune-500 company,Speak Like a CEO Boot Camp can vastly improve yourcommunication skills. Suzanne Bates and her talentedand insightful coaches give you personal attention,insight, and feedback in a supportive, think-tankenvironment. The boot camp was amazing and wellworth the time and money invested! I left with a renewedsense of confidence in my speaking ability.”-Tricia Silverman, RD, LDN, MBA, Registered Dietitian andProfessional Speaker, NuTricia’s Lifestyles“Speak Like a CEO Boot Camp was one of themost practical and enjoyable professionallearning experiences I’ve had. The quality ofthe facilitators, mix of learning techniques andquantity of interaction between participantsresulted in the maximum benefit for the timeinvested. You’ll walk away with improvementsin your approach and style that you can useimmediately.”- Ralph Catalano, VP of Client Development,Healthcare IT industry

Speak Like a CEO Boot Camp2012 CALENDARTo master the art of public speaking, learn to command a room andcommunicate like a leader, there is no more powerful experiencethan the Speak Like a CEO Boot Camp.At a certain point in your career, communication is the skill thatseparates you from other leaders. Your experience, know-how,business and technical skills are assumed. Your ability to engage,motivate and inspire an audience determines your success and yourfuture.This course builds on your prior experience and training incommunication to take it to a new level. Through expert guidance,videotaping and feedback in a supportive atmosphere, you alsodiscover how to project strong executive presence. Since greatspeaking begins with compelling content, you learn simple, easy toremember tools such as:2012 Dates- Audience Agenda System- The Quick Prep Method- The Big Idea- Storytelling for Leaders- Template for Presenting toDecision Makers- Secrets to DevelopingPowerful, Dynamic VisualsFebruary 9-10BostonWhether speaking to the board, the executive team, your own team,conferences, clients, prospects, analysts or industry experts, you willimmediately apply the skills and see the benefits of Speak Like aCEO Boot Camp. You will walk away energized, with new ideas abouthow to quickly prepare outstanding, audience-focused presentations,transforming the way you feel about yourself as a speaker and aleader.March 8-9AtlantaJune 14-15TorontoVisit http://www.bates-communications.com/boot-campsand-teleseminars/for more information on 2012 Speak Like aCEO Boot Camps.September 20-21Chicago*Register for any 2012 Boot Camp before December 31,2011 to lock in 2011 Boot Camp rates!* Call us today at800-908-8239 to learn more about Boot Camp.November 8-9Boston

Why ExceptionalLeaders Hire CoachesWhen the Best Want to Be Even BetterBy Sarah Woods, Principal and Executive CoachA month ago I sat down with the CEOof a European joint venture betweentwo industry giants. He is, by all measure,an accomplished leader who hasbuilt and sold a successful business,and is now one of the top 10 executiveson the fast track in his existingglobal company. He’s also the kind ofguy who puts you at ease immediately.He greeted me warmly, smiled andlooked me in the eye, and immediatelyasked about my morning. I had alreadycollected feedback on him from hiscompany, and it was all positive. So Iasked him why he wanted an executivecoach. “Because I want to be betterthan I am right now” was his answer.As a coach to top performers, I’vehad a rare front row seat to some ofthe most significant business challengeshappening in their companies.I have witnessed decision making atits best, learning from some amazingleaders across a range of industries.7 IThe Voice of LeadershipThese are extraordinary people whoare moving mountains, changing ourworld, impacting thousands everyday. They are captains of industry,the best and the brightest. They arewildly successful. Why in the worldwould they hire an executive coach?The reason is that they have somethingin common….they are the best,and they want to be even better.Common traits of these exceptionalleaders?• They are capable of taking a hardlook at their style, their blind spots,and the gaps in the way they lead.• They are lifelong learners. As toughas it is, they ask for candid feedback,real information, and an informedopinion about their leadership.• They know what they know, theyknow what they don’tknow, and they want toknow more.• They understandthe power of excellentcommunications.They know theycan only succeed intheir business goalsby communicatingin a powerfulway with theirimportant audiences.They believethis skill isintegral to theirability to executea strategy, to getbuy-in from stake-holders, to rallyresources for their cause, to keeptheir organizations moving in a positivedirection, and to deliver results.What I have learned by watching myclients handle these challenges is,interestingly, humility. Every day,successful people do what unsuccessfulpeople are unwilling to do,even if this means pushing beyondtheir comfort zone. Each of mycoaching clients commits to pushingthe limits at a point in their careerswhere they could just sit backand enjoy the comforts of success.The CEO of a major company in thehealth care field told me during acoaching session that he believesthat if he’s truly uncomfortable doingsomething that he knows will benefitthe company, he also knows that’swhat he needs to spend his time doing.Over the course of his long andsuccessful career, he was advancedthrough his company at a blisteringpace because of his incredible businessacumen, his deep understandingof the industry, his ability to makedifficult and wise decisions, and hisuntiring work ethic. Hard to believethis, but he’s actually an introvert.Suddenly, as he was promoted to CEOof the company, it became imperativethat he develop a high level of skill atpublic speaking, talking to the press,attending community events, hostingclients and acting as the face ofthe business. This was certainly faroutside of his comfort zone…andyet, he took it on with the same disciplineand determination that hasmade him successful in his career.He hired a coach. My client workedhard to develop a discipline around

preparing for and practicing a greatspeech. He embraced the finerpoints of talking to the media, anddeveloped great skill at making appropriatesmall talk at businessevents. His goal was never to be the“toast of the town,” but to become anexcellent communicator in the role ofCEO. And he did. Over the course of ayear, this CEO pushed himself hard toraise the bar on his communicationstyle, and it has paid off in spades.He is recognized as a strong, capable,clear-headed leader who has set acourse for success for his company.And even more impressively, he’s stillworking at it. As successful as thisexecutive is, he wants to learn more.What can we learn from these leaders?Here are some lessons I have gleanedfrom my time with each of them:1. Be a lifelong learner – Respectis gained from both what youknow as well as from acknowledgingwhat you don’t know, but are willingto learn. Regardless of your position,successful leadership is a journey, nota destination. Look for ways to learnfrom others in your organization, inyour field, in your circle of friends.2. Be open to feedback – Findtrusted advisors in your businessor industry who know you well andwill tell you the truth. There’s anancient Talmudic proverb that says“We don’t see things as THEY are; wesee things as WE are.” Ask for and beCommon Traits ofExceptional Leaders1. An openness tolifelong learning2. Being open toconstructive feedback3. Courage4. A clear plan5. Paying it forwardopen to honest feedback from others.3. Have courage – Leadershipis not for the faint of heart. WinstonChurchill said “Courage is whatit takes to stand up and speak; it isalso what it takes to sit down and listen.”When you’ve told yourself overand over that the problems are “outthere”, it’s time to turn inward, reflecton your own accountability, andmove outside of your comfort zone.4. Get a plan – You may have hada “360” done by your firm at one point,so you know how they go: a sampling ofthe folks you work with check electronicboxes anonymously to rate you in arange of “competencies”. You are thengiven a report full of graphs, scores andratings that reflect their aggregated responses.Now what? More often thannot, you’re left on your own to interpretthe meaning and impact of the scores;and to figure out what to do next. Don’tgo it alone – if you’re headed to thetop, you’ll need help. If it’s time to getout of your comfort zone, get a coach.5. Pay it forward – Offer concrete,supportive, actionable feedbackto members of your team as well asthe resources they need to coursecorrect.Set an expectation on yourteam of open and respectful exchanges,and make time to check back in tooffer guidance and ongoing support.Whether you are at the pinnacle ofyour career or on your way to thetop, remember the words of WillRogers; “Even if you’re on the righttrack, you’ll get run over if you justsit there.” If you’ve settled into yourcomfort zone, it’s time to get moving.Sarah Woods is an executive coach withBates Communications. She has an extensivelist of clients at the C-Suite level whohave transformed their careers throughcoaching, improving performance andsustaining measurable results. She is dedicatedto helping leaders achieve greatnessand she assists them in stretchingbeyond their limits with tangible results.The Voice of Leadership I 8

Intensive, advanced level trainingfor professionals who sellSales PresentationBOOT CAMPMay 10th & 11th, 2012Boston, MASales Presentation Boot Camp is for anyone who wants to master the art ofclosing a deal, develop powerful presentations that win over prospects, andincrease confidence during any high-pressure sales presentation.Developed over years of coaching top sales executives, this 2-day Boot Camp willprovide you with proven tools for:• Developing rapport with prospects• Landing more meetings• Accelerating the sales process• Winning more business• Building profitable, long-term client relationshipsSales Presentation Boot Camp isn’t Sales 101 on how to develop a stand-and-deliverslide deck, but a workshop on how to engage customers in productive conversationsthat uncover needs and result in opportunities to provide solutions.Sign up today at http://www.bates-communications.com/sales-presentation-training/

Better Conversation:Leverage Your Organization’sSecret Strategic WeaponBy Elizabeth Freedman, Principal and Executive CoachThe great film and TV critic RogerEbert coined the term “idiot plot” todescribe a plot that requires everyoneto be an idiot – because if they weren’tidiots, they’d immediately resolvethe problem and the movie wouldbe over. For instance, there is “theinevitable sister,” where the heroinecatches her male suitor dancing withanother woman, makes a huge scene– and it turns out that other womanwas really just the suitor’s sister.I’m no Roger Ebert, but I thinkwe’ve all been part of one of those“idiot plots,” when we’ve had severalconversations with an employee, andnothing has changed. For instance:• I have an employee on my teamwho continues to underperform.I’ve told him this isn’t acceptable– about five times.• My top salespeople are strugglingin this economy; no matter howoften I urge them to step up theiractivities.• I have been very clear about whatour team’s milestones are on thisproject but we keep missing ourdeadlines.There’s nothing wrong with blowing acouple of hours on a dumb movie, buthaving pointless conversations insideyour organization is a waste of time,energy, and opportunity. Considerthe sheer number of conversationsyou have every day. If they were moreeffective, how much time would yousave and how much better would bethe results?At the organizational level, ifyour people aren’t having betterconversations, it’s costing yourcompany. When you provide coachingand training to help your team talkwith their people, they are better ableto drive projects forward, get moredone, and increase profitability, orinspire change. Yes, conversationscan do all that – and more – whenused strategically and leveraged atThe Voice of Leadership I 10

the leadership level. The questionis: Are you taking advantage of thisopportunity? Consider:• Conversation is whereleaders live. Busy as they are,smart leaders know investing time incommunication is essential, which iswhy serious executives prepare andpractice for speeches, presentations,and other high-stakes situations. Yet,most leaders – even at the highestlevels – don’t spend all day, everyday, delivering keynotes. Rather,they lead, persuade, and strategicallyinfluence their stakeholders throughconversation after conversation –that’s where leadership really lives,and that’s where, hour for hour, seniorexecutives spend their time.• The ‘conversation myth’interferes with effective leadership. Ifleaders can leverage conversation topowerfully impact their organizations,why don’t they invest more timehere? Part of the problem is theconversation ‘myth’ – and that’s themyth that conversation is casual,and, therefore, it that should comeeasily and naturally. The result? Wehave dozens of conversations withour stakeholders throughout the daywhere we wing it. No wonder wewind up having conversations thataren’t delivering the impact we seek- if we’re looking for better outcomes,winging it doesn’t work.• For leaders, conversationis the great multiplier. It’s easy tosee how a big speech can inspire thetroops, but we don’t always recognizethe impact of powerful, authenticconversations on our business. Whenyou implement tools and programs toempower your employees to have highimpactconversations, the big idea youshared at the conference gets an evenbigger shot in the arm. Consider howconversation spreads your idea acrossthe enterprise and beyond and askyourself, how much attention do youpay to the quality of the conversationshappening in your organization?Conversations are happening all thetime, every day, between employeesand clients, managers and teams, inthe kitchen waiting for your lunch toh e a tup in themicrowave,Facebook,beyond.onandHow can leaders betterleverage conversation? Here are a fewtips:1. The best conversations startfrom within. Start by paying moreattention to your conversations. Reallylisten and observe yourself. What doyou notice? Do you address the realissues or tiptoe around them? Are youprecise or vague in your directions?Do you avoid the topic or change thesubject? Do you tell little lies? Whatisn’t being said in your conversations?Do you interrupt, half-listen, or getimpatient? No judgment here - simplyobserve yourself and keep a journal ofwhat patterns emerge.2. Let authenticity drive theconversation. Some leaders will sharetheir frustration about how “my peopleonly tell me what I want to hear.” Ifyou want candor from your team, givethem that in return. Powerful leadersaren’t afraid to expose their ownemotions and feelings and can useconversation to do so– no matter whatthe topic: “Honestly, I was avoidingthis conversation, because I feellike a dirty old man discussing yourwardrobe choices with you.” Whenyou’re real and authentic, it’s morelikely that your people will return thefavor.3. Have a conversation beforethe conversation. Pop quiz: What’sthe difference between a conversationand a conversation that is profitable?The profitable one doesn’t take anychances, so have a conversationwith yourself to plan, rehearse, andanticipate issues before you have aconversation with the individual orgroup.Here’s the good news: Preparingto have a high-impact conversationdoesn’t require a huge amount of time.Consider how one executive madea list of ‘high-stakes’ conversationpartners – including her boss,certain clients, and so on. Beforeevery conversation with a highstakes partner, the executivecommitted to a simple concept:Practice Before Pick Up. Here’show it works: Before she picked upthe phone to make a call (or send anemail, or hold the small meeting),she would rehearse her ‘openingstatement.’ Quite literally, she wouldpractice – out loud – exactly what sheplanned to say. Because this leaderoften had to have tough calls withclients, her ability to plan first paid off– she approached her conversationswith much more focus and confidence.What would it look like if your leadershad better conversations with theirteams? If your sales team had betterconversations with clients or youremployees had better conversationswith one another? How can youleverage your own authentic,prepared, high-impact conversationsto lead that effort? Here’s what wedo know: Great conversations areanything but pointless, and they don’thappen by accident. Best of all – wecan improve them, enhance them, andtruly leverage them anytime we’reready to start. Start now.Elizabeth Freedman is an executive coachand senior communications consultant withBates Communications. Her passion is toimprove clients’ businesses by helping seniorexecutives “Have Better Conversations” withtheir teams, clients, and other stakeholders.Elizabeth is author of Work 101: Learningthe Ropes without Hanging Yourself(Bantam Dell).11 IThe Voice of Leadership

StorytellingNot a Natural Born Skill, But Anyone Can Learn!By Suzanne Bates, CEOWe all appreciate a leader who cancommand the room with a greatstory. This ability to grab the audience’sattention and make a powerfulpoint is a differentiator. Fewleaders do it well. Presentations toldin story form are the most effectiveway to share the values and principlesyou want to drive home, and ofcourse they always make a presentationcompelling and memorable.Storytelling is not a natural bornskill. A few people I knew grew upsharing stories around the dinnerpeople. Most of us have to learn how.And learning the art of storytellingis possible, whether you consideryourself an introvert or extrovert.I’ve seen the shyest speaker transformon stage by learning how totell a story, and I’ve seen outgoingleaders who previously talkedtoo long and said too much bringdiscipline and life to their presentationsby structuring their presentationscarefully around wellcraftedstories. We can all learn.If you’ve ever sat listening to a speakerwho is struggling and wondered,“Is he ever going to get to the point?”then you know how important it is todo this right. There is nothing worsethan a story that lands with a thud, meanderingwithout a point. At the sametime, using stories in your presentationsis nothing to fear. You just haveto learn the strategy and methods forfinding and developing great stories.For over a decade, we’ve been workingwith senior leaders and emergingleaders on storytelling as part of theirpresentations. We’ve seen the processwork. It is fascinating to watcha leader as he or she discovers somethingabout their leadership throughtheir own stories. We teach them howto explore the events in their lives andcareers, first gaining insight themselves,and then using the stories infront of audiences. These stories havetransformed their presentations intogenuine conversations with their audiences,taking them away from readingbullet points and allowing themto connect and command the room.Ask any leader who is a good storytellerthey’ll tell you that at one time,they were average or worse. Alongthe way, most have had an experiencethat taught them personally how valuablestorytelling is. For example, theCEO of a Fortune 100 company, an outstandingspeaker, told me that as anup-and-coming executive he was “given”a PowerPoint presentation on hiscompany’s business in Asia, to deliverat a regional conference. After reviewingthe material, he was dismayed.It missed the mark. So he made adecision that changed his career.That night he threw out the presentation,and wrote down his own storiesabout his experience in Asia and what ithad taught him. He practiced, left thatmorning, walked on stage, and deliveredit without a single note or slide. Atthe end of his talk, he received a standingovation; he had tears in his eyes.From that day on he vowed he wouldspeak authentically and connect withaudiences. He rose to become CEO.When you embrace the power of storytelling,you make the decision to connectwith your audience in an authenticway. Along the leadership journeyyou will benefit from communicationscoaching, storytelling courses, andfeedback on these presentations fromyour mentors and trusted advisors.I recommend that you set aside time towrite stories, develop the points, andthen practice in front of friendly audi-The Voice of Leadership I 12

ences. You may want to videotape andwatch your presentation so that youknow what impact your stories have.As you develop mastery, you’ll find thatstorytelling becomes part of your brand.How can you learn to be a better storyteller?In our Speak Like a CEO BootCamps which we host several times ayear, our consultants provide step-bystepinstruction in our six-part storystructure. They work with each participanton a story they can share with thegroup. They watch the stories on videoand get feedback on the structure, contentand style. If you would like to readabout the six-part story structure, oneplace to find it is in my new book, DiscoverYour CEO Brand, Secrets to Embracingand Maximizing Your UniqueValue as a Leader (McGraw Hill 2011).Today, as organizations look to theirleaders to drive change and shapethe company of tomorrow, there canbe no more potent tool in guidingyour organization than storytelling.I encourage you to embrace storiesas part of your speaking style, andtake the first step by putting a storyinto your very next presentation.Looking fora speaker?Looking for a keynote speaker or session leader foran upcoming meeting or conference? Bates executivecoaches speak to audiences in many industries aroundthe country.Programs will be tailored to your industry or organization– our speakers customize all of our signature programsbased on our work with clients in a variety of industries.Popular programs include:• Storytelling for Leaders• Discover Your CEO Brand• Speak Like a CEO• Motivate Like a CEO• Leading the High-Energy Culture• Executive PresenceSuzanne Bates is CEO of Bates Communications,a former award winning televisionjournalist, and a certified speakingprofessional (CSP). Read her weeklythoughts on leadership communicationson www.thepowerspeakerblog.com oron Twitter at @CEOCoachBatesBates coaches connect with any audience - in a conference,corporate meeting, association meeting, facilitativerole, leadership retreat, women’s forums, and othervenues.Call us today at 800-908-8239 or visithttp://www.bates-communications.com/keynote-speakers/for more information about our keynote speakers.13 IThe Voice of Leadership

Media Boot CampMedia is one of the best ways to build your reputation with customers, clients and prospects.Getting interviewed in the right newspapers, magazines and broadcast outlets will raise yourvisibility, build your brand and set you apart from competitors.If you’re speaking to the media, you have to be confident and well-prepared. In Bates MediaBoot Camp, we spend two days working interactively on:• How to prepare for interviews• Knowing what reporters want• Anticipating reporters’ questions• Projecting confidence on TV, radio,webcasts and other live appearances• How to deliver concise sound bites thatget to the heart of your message• Why you should eliminate jargon, especially with mainstream outletsApril 19th & 20thBoston, MA• Techniques like bridging and flagging for highlighting important messages and answeringoff-topic questions• Managing tough interviews and handling crises with polish and confidenceCall 800-908-8239 or visit www.bates-communications.com for more details!

Diagnosing YourCommunications Plan:Six Steps for Understanding Why It’s GoingWrong and How to Make it RightBy Margery Myers, Principal and Executive CoachWhat if the day and time of your favorite news program or TV sitcom kept changing every week? Imagine you had no way tofind out when it would be on. At first you’d probably be confused. Next, you’d be frustrated. Then, you’d be mad. Finally, you’dsimply give up and stop watching.Now, think about communication at many organizations. Can people count on being informed of news on a regular basis? Often,the answer is no.15 IThe Voice of Leadership

The Story Behind theNumbersHow CFOs Can Communicate Their Way to the TopBy Scott Weighart, Director of Learning and DevelopmentFor many years, it was enough forthe CFO to be a superior numbercruncher with a finger on the pulseof the organization’s financial health.The days of the pure number cruncherare, well, numbered.As a CFO or financial executive, youhave no doubt discovered that thedemands on you extend far beyondmanaging the finances and reportingthe numbers. While it is still the centerof your role, it’s like a standingroomonly ticket to Fenway Park: Itwill get you in the door, but it won’tposition you as a go-to strategist foryour CEO, board of directors, and colleaguesin the C-Suite. To get in thebatting order as a future CEO, youmust be able to communicate yourway to the top. And one of the keysto your success is your abilityto tell the story behind thenumbers.Trend TrioAs a CFO, you face an unprecedentedlevel of complexity in your role.We see a trio of trends dominatingthe landscape of challenges for financialleaders:• Globalization: In a worldnow revolving around a globalworkforce and a global customerbase, it’s highly likely that globalizationhas a major impact inyour role as a CFO. Issues aroundcompetition, asset management,currencies, and time zones aremore complicated than ever. Simultaneously,you’re working withbusinesses and managers whomay struggle to wrap their headsaround this complexity. Your abilityto translate the cost/benefit ofglobal initiativesand to evaluatethe globalopportunitiesgivesyou a centralrolein strategydiscussions.• IT Transformation: As technologybecomes increasingly criticalto organizations’ ability to generaterevenues and manage costs acrossall functions, your company facesmajor decisions as to where to placeits bets—or cut its losses—regardingIT, whether you are at a Fortune500 firm or a smaller organization.System integration is a major themehere, and it inevitably raises anxietyabout managing change. As the financialexecutive, you must be ableto translate and interpret the valueof these changes to the business.• Regulation and Compliance:Due to the advent of social media andthe Internet as well as the impact ofglobalization, the realm of regulationand compliance is more complicatedthan ever. The speed of change is amajor issue, too. If that’s not enough,you also have to be able to look intoyour crystal ball to identify potentialregulatory risks through the use ofpredictive modeling and scenariobasedfinancial planning. Your organizationis looking to you to communicatesolutions and help them tonavigate to the right decisions.In the face of these challenges, it’seasy to see how you can play a centralrole. It is not enough for today’sCFO to scrutinize the data and reportout. To excel in your role and stakeyour claim as a world-class CFO(who is CEO material), you need toinvest in developing the skill to ana-17 IThe Voice of Leadership

To excel in your role, you need to invest in developing the skill to analyze,translate, and communicate the numbers side of every decision, andshare big ideas that go beyond the financial stewardship of the company.lyze, translate, and communicate thenumbers side of every decision, andalso to share big ideas that go beyondthe financial stewardship of the company.The Story Behind The NumbersWhen we coach CFOs on communicationskills and strategies, oneconsistent theme is making sure thatthey understand what each audiencewants and needs to know. Whileyour colleagues in the C-Suite mayunderstand finance at a fundamentallevel, you must understand whatthey need to know, and share that.Likewise, even board members havewidely varying levels of understandingand different interests; somemay even find financial analysis confusingor mind numbing. If you taketime to write down what you anticipatewill be their questions, you willfind that during your presentation,they are more engaged. The rule is:answer the questions in the body ofthe presentation, don’t wait. Addressthe issues on their minds upfront,and you will succeed.In over a decade of working withCFOs, we’ve watched how those whoengage an audience stand out andrise to the top of their profession.This means preparing and practicinginteresting presentations that“tell the story” behind the numbers,whether you are speaking formallyor informally. This requires time– to analyze your data, think aboutthe story it is telling, and practice itso that it comes across as clear, compellingand easy to follow. Look forcompelling examples that highlightissues or analogies that make difficultto understand concepts simpleto grasp. This ensures you will engageyour stakeholders and get themfocused on the risks and opportunitiesyour organization faces.Here are three simple strategies thatwill transform your presentationsand allow you to stand out evenamong the top CFOs.• Simplify complicated issues.A hallmark of smart, successful executivesis that they can boil downthe most complex challenges. Youraudiences, from directors to analyststo colleagues, need to quickly understandand digest information. BatesCommunications developed a sixslidetemplate for presenting to decisionmakers, which boils down messageto its essential points—a simplestory of a problem or opportunityfollowed by a Big Idea about how toaddress it. Let us know if you wouldlike information about the template.• Take intoconsiderationthe challengesof allthe stakeholdersin the roomwhen offering ideas and solutions.Another hallmark of great leaders isthat they can look at a challenge fromvarious viewpoints, not just the funnelof their functions or businesses.When you prepare a presentation orweigh in on an issue, be sure that youhave considered the strategic needsof the organization as a whole.• Communicate constantly,in formal and informal settings andmake yourself a resource to all thebusinesses and functions. The businessworld is competitive, complicatedand ever-changing, and you area source of knowledge and wisdom.Rethinking Your RoleAs you consider your role as a CFO,it’s clear that you can and should beplaying a high-impact strategic role,not only to your CEO, but to the entireorganization. By communicatingin a compelling way and thinking ofyourself as a storyteller leader, youwill not only be a go-to person for theentire organization, you will be helpingthe organization move more rapidlyand effectively toward achievingthe business goals. Whether speakingwith the board, colleagues, employees,analysts, media, investorsor shareholders, telling the story isa powerful tool to building trust andbecoming highly influential.Scott Weighart is Director of Learning andDevelopment at Bates Communications,creating innovative learning tools and experiencesfor executive clients.The Voice of Leadership I 18

Book ExcerptFrom Discover Your CEO Brand by Suzanne BatesThe following is an excerpt from DiscoverYour CEO Brand, (McGrawHill, Sept. 2011), the third book byBates Communications CEO SuzanneBates. Suzanne is the author of SpeakLike a CEO and Motivate Like aCEO, also published by McGraw Hill.The core of your leadership brand iswho you are and what you stand for.You find it in your heart and your soul.The brand begins with the story of you- the experiences that defined you, thelessons you learned, and how those lessonsshaped your values and beliefs.Once you understand the essence ofyour brand, you can communicate it tothe world. This becomes a powerfulforce, creating positive results. You canleverage that brand of yours to drivetremendous value into your company.A brand is an intangible asset. However,the impact is very real. Smart, successfulleaders put their brands to work andinfuse them into the fabric of their organizations.Your brand is a valuable assetyou can leverage to create real results.The essence of your brand, your character,is already well formed. The questionis, how well do you understandit, and how well is it communicated toothers? What kind of impact could youhave on your company and industry, ifyou truly harnessed the power of yourbrand? In this book excerpt we’ll lookat why your brand is important. Youwill see how other leaders have employedthe power of their brands to createvalue, and how you can do that too.The interesting feature of a leader’sbrand is that while it stands alone, itis also part of something larger. Asthe CEO or leader, you have your ownseparate brand, which is comingledwith the organization’s reputation. Soit stands to reason that you need tounderstand your own brand, and ap-19 IThe Voice of Leadership

“Who you are, what your values are, what you stand for...they are your anchor, your north star. You won’tfind them in a book. You’ll find them in your soul.” - Anne Mulcahy, former chairman and CEO, Xeroxpreciate the interplay between your brand and your company’sbrand, so you can harness the two to work in concert.As you’ll see in the following examples, a clearly definedleader brand can be a driving factor in a company’s success.You are an essential part of the overall corporate brandequation, helping shape the DNA of the company, and ultimatelydriving performance. The first step to discoveringyour brand is to embrace the idea that you have a brand, thatit has power, and that you can harness it to do great things.Throughout history there are many examples of CEOswho built powerful brands that added real, tangible valueto their companies. In the inset box, you’ll see short examplesof well-known leaders whose individual brandsdefined corporate brands. Their beliefs and valuesshaped the vision, future and legacy of the enterprises.Let’s examine two other examples: Jack Welch, who led GeneralElectric to become one of the largest most influentialcompanies at the end of the last century, and Mark Zuckerberg,the founder of Facebook, a company that is alteringthe way we communicate in the new millennium. Thinkof them like Classic Coke and Vanilla Coke, two strong leaderbrands that defined the very DNA of their organizations.Jack Welch, GEThe storied career of the man who would become the bestknownCEO in America, Fortune’s “Manager of the Century,” iswell documented. The son of a railroad engineer, he was bornand raised in Salem, Massachusetts, went to UMass Amherst,and became a chemical engineer. He joined GE in 1960 at a salaryof $10,500 a year. Relatively early in his career, he contemplatedleaving GE, but a manager persuaded him to stay. Welch haddefinite ideas about the kind of company he wanted to be partof. In vintage style, he told his then-boss, “Well, you are on trial.”Welch became GE’s youngest CEO and Chairman in 1981,and by then his well-formed character became a force of nature.He streamlined the company, demanded efficiency, productivityand quality control through Six Sigma. He insistedthat GE should be #1 or #2 in every industry, or leave it.One of Jack Welch’s most “celebrated” management techniqueswas to fire the bottom 10% of his managers every year, andreward the top 20% with bonuses and stock options. He wascandid, fearless, and never wavered from his principles. Whilethis management style was controversial (he was knownas “Neutron Jack”), it was a huge value driver. When Welchbecame CEO, revenues were about $27 billion. When he leftHere are a few examples of famous “brandname” leaders whose reputations and brandprinciples drove value into their companies.• Walt Disney’s optimism and creativity werethe driving force behind his Hollywood successin animated feature films. His love of nature,family and community inspired the Disney Worldamusement parks that became the cornerstoneand symbol of the company’s success.• Charles Merrill, from humble beginnings, cofoundedMerrill Lynch with a goal of helping theaverage investor navigate the markets. His beliefin creating value for investors and in the ideathat everyone should know how to invest, madeMerrill Lynch the largest brokerage in America.• Mary Kay Ash launched her cosmetic companyafter she was passed over for promotion,even though she was the highest seller. Hersuccess came from giving great sales incentivesto consultants who earned them by being topsellers. She lived by the Golden Rule - treat othersas you want to be treated.The Voice of Leadership I 20

they were nearly $130 billion. Uponcommon goal.”brand went platinum. Everyone wantedto learn from the man who madeGE the largest company in the world.Some of the defining aspects of theWelch brand are focus on winning,ruthless decisiveness and brazencandor. People admire these qualities.They want to understand them.They want to emulate him. They appreciatehow important his characterwas in driving GE’s success.Mark Zuckerberg, FacebookFast forward to the present. Mark Zuckerberg,founder and CEO of Facebook,has exploded onto the scene. He’s thenew kid on the brand block. By the timehe reached his mid-twenties, Zuckerbergwas leading a blockbuster company.Facebook’s technology platform,driven by an underlying philosophywe’ll discuss in a moment, was havinga profound influence on our culture.What is the Zuckerberg brand, andhow did it shape Facebook? Similar toJack Welch, Zuckerberg has a philosophy,shaped by experiences and valuesformed at a young age. As a Harvardstudent, with the help of a few friends,Zuckerberg launched a technologyplatform where students could sharepersonal information with each other.The underpinning of it all was a gamechangingnotion – the rejection of themodern notion of privacy. He didn’tembrace privacy the way past generationsfrom Baby Boomers back did. He“To retirement, motivate his brand kept like growing a CEO be-is to in strength connect and people influence. with purpose He became anda celebrity author and speaker, commandingfees toward for his appearances in sharlievedpassion aas large as a former President of theUnited States. His already formidableing personalinformationdigitally. This wasin sync with the philosophyof his generation,to open up and share.Transparency was his brand.It became the brand of Facebook.The brand is real. Zuckerberg actuallylives a transparent life. In 2010,his Facebook friends still had accessto his e-mail and his cell phone. Theycould check out his personal photosfrom backyard parties, even thoughhe was a celebrity. His company wasvalued in the billions, and yet he stillposted his whereabouts through Facebook’sfeature “Places.” An article inNew Yorker Magazine in September2010, documented that at 2:45 A.M.,E.S.T., on August 29th, he was at theAce Hotel, in New York’s garment district.He was back at Facebook’s headquarters,in Palo Alto, by 7:08 P.M. OnAugust 31st at 10:38 P.M., he and hisgirlfriend were eating dinner at TaqueriaLa Bamba, in Mountain View.In his Facebook bio Zuckerberg explains,“I’m trying to make the world amore open place.” This personal philosophy,or belief system, is the underlyingbrand and driver that catapultedFacebook from a dorm room start-upto the biggest social network in theworld. His brand and his companybrand are one. And it is worth billions.Ironically, Zuckerberg seems uncomfortablein the limelight of traditionalmedia. The opposite of a Jack Welch, whoembraced his celebrity, Zuckerberg ap-proach-e stelevisionappearancesand even print interviewsawkwardly.This may be because he isfar younger than Jack Welchwhen Welch was lionized. It isinteresting that even though transparencyis his brand, it doesn’t translateto being outgoing. He seems to want toretreat behind a veil of an electronicpersona. And, that’s utterly consistentwith the Facebook brand and the usersit attracts. It is all about digital intimacy.So What Do These Two BrandsHave to Do With YOUR Brand?These are just two examples of leaderswhose brands have created value in theircompanies. Like them, you have a brand.Your brand is different from all otherbrands. You bring something unique,exciting and powerful to the enterpriseyou lead. This is true whether you arethe founder or the leader entrusted withthe organization today. This is why it isso important to truly understand andembrace your brand. Your reputationbecomes the fulcrum for creating value.Whether you are the CEO, or the leaderof a team, a division, a committee, or anon-profit organization, the same principleis at work. There is a power and dynamicto your brand. And if you want tobe a leader someday, now is the time tostart thinking about this. As you go forwardin your career, you’ll become mindfulof the events that shape you and thelessons that define you. You’ll have clarityabout who you are as a leader. And21IThe Voice of Leadership

you’ll be able to communicate yourbrand in ways that make a difference.Brand AlignmentAs you might imagine, it doesn’t work ifyour brand values are in direct conflictwith the company’s core brand. Therehas to be alignment. Every leader mustassess the connection between his orher brand and the company brand.When your brand and the companybrand are out of sync, you may not feelthat you are in a role that suits you.All you have to do is read the WallStreet Journal on any given day to findexamples of leaders and companieswhose brands are out of sync. If aleader’s brand becomes tarnished, ortoxic, it hurts the company, and the twoalmost always part ways. Conversely,when a company’s brand is toxic, or outof alignment, the CEO or leader faces astruggle to bring it back. If he or shehas a strong enough brand and is influentialenough, their brand can reviveand replenish the company brand.When there is alignment – whenthe leader’s brand and the companybrand are in sync, there is tremendousharmony in the organization.This harmony drives real, tangiblevalue. It isn’t an exaggeration to saythat your brand attracts people toyou. It generates amazing energy. Ifpeople resonate with your brand, theywant to be around you, work withyou, and do business with you. Theywant to be a part of what you’re doing.They are excited by your ideas.The value of your own brandIt’s only logical that your brand canadd value, in real dollars, and so manyother measures of success. GE wouldhave been a successful company underany leader, but it was wildly successfulunder Jack Welch. The intrinsicvalue of the Jack Welch brand addedmore value. Who he was and whathe stood for began to live in the companyand that drove additional value.When marketing experts talk aboutbrand equity, or value, they often arereferring to a set of attributes of thatbrand, which include brand awareness,perceived quality, brand loyalty,and other associations with thebrand, such as people who endorseit. These attributes all create value.Brand attributes can accrue to a companyor product, but brand value canalso reside in a leader who commandsa high level of respect and influence inhis or her company or industry. Whenpeople know you, believe you representcertain qualities, and resonatewith those qualities or attributes, thevalue of your brand is high. You attractgreat employees, new clients,opportunities, business partnerships,referral relationships, endorsements,testimonials, and networks ofleaders; all of which you will be able totrace to revenue and profitability. Thebetter people know and respect yourbrand, the more they understand it andalign with it, the faster these relationshipsand opportunities come along,and the more your brand value grows....your brand attracts peopleto you. It generates amazingenergy. If people resonatewith your brand, they wantto be around you, work withyou, and do business with you.So the present value of your brand is whatit is; the future value is what you will makeit. In Discover Your CEO Brand, we’ll guideyou through a process of discovery, to findthe “gold” that is your brand, learn howto communicate that effectively to raiseyour brand profile and leverage its value.It stands to reason that having a brandisn’t enough; raising your profile is what isnecessary to make your brand more powerful.High brand awareness ultimatelybuilds brand equity. The more you knowyour brand, live it, share it, and widenyour circle of influence, the greater assetyour brand becomes to your organization.The way to build a great leader brand isto understand the values and principlesthat shaped you and made you who youare as a leader, then to communicatethis to a wider and wider group of importantaudiences. Your current brandvalue will grow as you understand it,and learn to communicate it effectively.Excerpt from Discover Your CEO Brand: Secretsto Embracing and Maximizing YourUnique Value as a Leader, by SuzanneBates (McGraw Hill 2011). Buy your copy ofthe book today at amazon.com or bn.comThe Voice of Leadership I 22

“SUZANNE BATES MAKES ACONVINCING CASEFOR THE POWER OFLEADERSHIP BRAND-BUILDING. TO HARNESS THE'STORY OF YOUR LEADERSHIP,' ASSHE STATES, THIS BOOK IS A GREATPLACE TO START.”- ANDREW LIVERIS, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, THEDOW CHEMICAL COMPANYDeveloping a brand-name reputation in your company and industry is a necessary,powerful asset. Reputation and influence help you drive tangible value into yourbusiness. In Discover Your CEO Brand, Suzanne Bates helps you embrace the ideathat you, too, can have your own personal brand, and gives you the tools you needto develop it and communicate it to the world. In stores September 22nd. Pick upyour copy today at amazon.com, bn.com, orhttp://www.bates-communications.com/discover-your-ceo-brand/“A combination of inspiration and utility, Bates delivers on both counts. A must-read forleaders, entrepreneurs or anyone who wants toharness the power of their own personal brand.”- Donny Deutsch, Television Host and Chairman, Deutsch Inc.

Becoming a Top HumanResources Professional:Build Credibility and Earn a Seat at the Tableby David Casullo, President,Bates Communications“The discipline I believe so strongly in is HR, and it’s the lastdiscipline that gets funded. Marketing, manufacturing – allthese things are important. But more often than not, thehead of HR does not have a seat at the table. Big Mistake!”- Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks (New York Times, 2011)How does Human Resources earn a place in the hearts ofCEOs? Starbucks is an interesting example. Under theleadership of Howard Schultz, the brand has grown to17,000 stores worldwide. People don’t just admire thecoffee; the company has a reputation as an employer.This culture was no mistake; Schultz focuses on his employees,which is why he believes in Human Resources.He walks the floors of the roasting plants and praisesemployees, committed to building a culture “forthe people,” which by the way, has driven profitability.Yet as many senior HR leaders know, not every CEOshares the sentiment of Howard Schultz. HR doesn’t alwayshave a seat at the table. As an HR professionalyou may feel you have a backseat role compared to finance,marketing, engineering, or other functions.The reality is in most companies, senior HR leaders, as “keepersof the people,” need to build greater credibility for themselvesand earn that seat. They need to do it for themselvesand for the employees they represent. How can you createthis kind of opportunity, where your CEO relies on you tomaximize the company’s return on its investment in people?In our years of working with HR leaders, and as an SVP of HumanResources for ten years, I’ve learned the secret is to becomeas savvy about the business as you are about the people.Business savvy and the ability to contribute your pointof view will give you a more powerful presence at the C-level. It will also build your credibility with the rest ofthe leadership team. Communication skills are at thecore of each of these essential leadership strategies.“Business savvy and the ability to contribute your point of view willgive you a more powerful presence at the C-level.”The Voice of Leadership I 24

Trusted Advisor to the CEOAs individuals known for exercisingdiscretion, Chief Human ResourcesOfficers or SVPs of HR advise the CEOon the most sensitive subjects. Youhave access to valuable insights thatother executives simply do not. Yourrole is to advise and inform the CEOon information that he/she must haveto make sound strategic decisions.The smartest CEOs surround themselveswith people they trust andknow will give it to them straight. CEOswant leaders who are credible - meaningthey are honest, forward looking,skilled and inspiring. As a trusted advisor,your job is to engage and help energizethe leader of your organization;to broaden your CEOs perspective andhelp him/her with insights that arecritical to understand and consider.As a trusted advisor you must be ableto communicate important insights effectively.CEOs hear about problems allday long and they sit in meetings wherethey view presentations both formaland informal. They have a strategicfocus and very limited time, so theyare constantly prioritizing input andactions to determine where to focusand how to invest valuable resources.Presence at the C LevelLike their C-level peers, CHROs mustdemonstrate their expertise in theirfunctional area, but that does not alwaystranslate into leadership and executivepresence. Presence goes muchfurther than technical expertise andbusiness acumen. Presence involves acombination of factors such as professionalimage, cachet and your ability tothink strategically and build influence.Like respect, presence is earned. Leaderswho have presence become peerleaders at the C level. They are authentic,consistent, reliable and engaging.They balance their significant powerwith a genuine concern for others.These are all traits that are internal tothe leader. Unless you start by clarifyingyour values, you cannot communicatewith authenticity. There are equallyimportant traits for executive presencethat are external – when these skills aremastered they complete your ability tocommunicate powerfully, with purposeand passion. Executive presence is theability to ask great questions, the communicationskills necessary to relateto all styles of decision makers and aleadership brand that gains their trust.David Casullo is President ofBates Communications. Hisfirst book, Leading the High-Energy Culture, (McGrawHill) is due out in Spring2012. Prior to joining Bates,David was the Vice Presidentof Human Resourcesfor the national retailerRaymour and Flanigan.Bates Special ReportsComprehensive white papers on leadership communicationsfor executives:• Leading in the Age of Change: Three Critical Stagesin Communicating Organizational Change• Today’s CFO: Communicating Powerfully to Influence,Motivate, and Inspire Others• Becoming a Top CHRO: 7 Imperatives and 1 Differentiator• Four Differentiators for Technology Leaders:Earning a Seat at the Table as a Strategic BusinessPartnerDownload today at www.bates-communications.com/special-reports25 IThe Voice of Leadership

How to Drive OrganizationalChange through BetterCommunicationContributed by Craig BentleyA friend of mine tells a great story about a company he workedat where the main conference room was called “Yellow.” It hadgray and glass walls, a run-of-the-mill conference table, blackrolling chairs, and a large white board. There was nothingat all yellow about it. He quipped, “Are the other conferencerooms named Dijon, stone-ground and spicy-brown?” He inquiredabout it one day - and he was told they call it the Yellowconference room because it was originally painted yellow and,even after several color makeovers across the years, and well,“that’s how it’s always been…”While there is probably a fun handbook that can be written onhow people name conference rooms, the point of the story isthis: People are slow to change. And in an organizational setting,they’re extremely slow to change.So in today’s dynamic economy and marketplace, whenchange really is the only constant, how do organizations navigatewhat can be a process fraught with resistance, irrationality,fear, uncertainty and doubt? While John Kotter’s LeadingChange, is getting a bit long in the tooth (it was published in1996), it’s still relevant. McKinsey has updated and amendedit in recent years, identifying the psychological barriers tochange while noting that the failure rate for change programsis still 66% - only slightly lower than Kotter estimated backin 1996.Many books on organizational change have added to ourknowledge, including Spencer Johnson’s Who Moved MyCheese, Michael Fullan’s The Six Secrets of Change and Chipand Dan Heath’s Switch: How to Change Things when Change isHard. A common theme is there is a rational and an irrationalside to change. The Heaths liken it to a rider and an elephant– the rider is our rational side; the elephant is our irrationalside. To them, the three things you need to do to bring aboutchange are: Direct the rider (speak in rational terms about thebenefits); Motivate the elephant (make a compelling, emotionalcase for change); and Shape the path by tweaking theThe Voice of LeadershipI 26

Communicating Change: The Audience Agenda SystemNext time you have to communicate a change,do this quick Audience Agenda exercise:1) Divide a sheet of paper or white board in two2) On the left, write the key points you want tomake3) When you’re finished, clear your mind4) On the right side, write down the key pointsyour audience wants you to hit5) Compare the two sides and note the differencesenvironment and building new habits that support the change.As communications consultants, when we are helping our clientsdrive change, we typically see three closely related processes.Good leaders orchestrate these over time, typicallywith the support of experts, coaches and consultants.• Leadership Communication. To motivate the elephant youhave to make a compelling case. Great leaders connect peoplewith their passion and purpose. This is vital in times of organizationalchange. Effective storytelling will connect peopleemotionally as well as rationally.• Communication Strategy. The plan to drive change has to beaccompanied by a plan to communicate that change. What isyour plan to roll it out, and maintain the momentum? Whatcommunication tools can you use to amplify your message?Who are the key audiences and how do you reach them? Whatmessages will resonate with them?6) Put a big X over your agenda7) Work off of the right side (the audience’sagenda) as the outline for your communicationWe have used this Audience Agenda to helpthousands of leaders in our boot camps, workshopsand coaching programs quickly analyzehow to reach their audiences. This not onlyhelps you engage in the 180 thinking that isso vital to influencing others, it also saves youenormous amounts of time, as you develop amessage that really connects with your audience’smotivation.have a plan to communicate every initiative. Lacking a communicationplan, you will find the little things taking up all yourtime, a real productivity killer.Once you’ve asked yourself and determined how many “Yellow”conference rooms you have – the number of outdatedhabits and processes that need to be addressed – the next stepis to come up with your plan to drive change, and communicatethat change. The reason many change management plans failis they lack a communication plan to support them.A communications plan will give you the confidence to set bigtargets, meet your deadlines, and move mountains. When youand your team are on the same page about how you will driveorganizational change, you can be certain you’ll soon see herdsof elephants walking together, in the same direction.• Team Development. How do the leaders assemble and directthose responsible for communicating the change? How doyou help them become inspiring leaders who champion andlead high-performing teams? Eighty percent of a leader’s timeshould be spent communicating. What are the crucial communicationskills your team needs, to be successful in their rolesas change agents?The funny thing about organizational change is that what canseem the most daunting challenges often turn out to be theones that are easiest to manage. This is because they are sobig and attract so much attention, effort and resources. Meanwhile,there are many smaller but important projects andchanges we need to drive every day. That’s why it is vital to27 IThe Voice of LeadershipCraig Bentley is an executive coach and senior communicationsconsultant with Bates Communications. Craig hasspent over 30 years in leadership coaching, consulting,domestic and international financial markets, banking,business development, and strategic planning.

Bring your team together. Build valuable skills.Create a Culture of High Performance.Bates Workshops in Communication Skills and Leadership are customized to meetthe needs of any size group, level of participants, or specific business need.- Speak Like a CEO- Storytelling for Leaders- Leading Great Meetings- Media Training for Leaders- Executive Presence- Sales Presentation Skills- Strategic Leadership- Discover Your Leadership BrandVisit http://www.bates-communications.com/workshops-and-training-programs for a fulllist of our signature workshops.

How Women Leaders CanBuild Stronger BrandsBy Suzanne Bates, CEO, Bates Communications and Author, Discover Your CEO BrandWe all know the value of a brand to a great company. Abrand is an idea connected to a feeling that lives in the mindof another person. Whether you are picking up a latte atStarbucks or purchasing an iPad, you have a thought and afeeling about what it will provide you.However, few people understand the power of developingtheir own personal brands to drive career success. Thisis especially true of women. On their way to the top,they often forget that hard work and experience won’t beenough. They need to vault themselves into the spotlightin order to accelerate their careers.When you think about well-known women CEOs andentrepreneurs: Tory Burch, Diane von Furstenberg, OprahWinfrey and Anne Mulcahy - they all have at least one thingin common - they’ve communicated who they are in a sucha powerful way that it attracts people, and opportunity.Their brands are unique and well understood. This opensthe doors to opportunity. And for anyone who runs a teamor organization, a well-articulated brand can influence thevery DNA of organizations you lead.As a woman CEO myself,I know the powerof building yourown brandwithin yourcompanybrand. As acoach to leaders inworld-classcompanies,male andfemale,I have apassion forhelping bothsucceed. YetI must admit,over the years Ihave concludedthat far fewerwomen doenough to makethemselvesknown.To rise to the top of your company and industry, you need tomake a name for yourself, People need to know who you areand what you stand for. If you’ve been in business a whileyou have probably realized that hard work and loyalty alonewon’t get you to the top. Many of us are juggling multiplepriorities - but that can’t be an excuse for failing to buildyour brand.Discovering Who You AreThe first step to discovering your brand is to embrace theidea that you have a brand, that it has power and that you canharness it to accelerate your career. Then, you can share thesevalues and lessons to stand out as a leader, attract people toyou, win trust, influence decisions, align your team and driveyour vision forward.The core of your brand is your character: the values thatdefine the authentic you. How you communicate those valuesbecomes your reputation.Telling Your StoryThink back on the experiences that have shaped who you are– the great and the not so great. Each of those events, positiveor negative, represents character-building moments thattaught you important lessons. This is your personal treasurechest of experiences from which to draw upon.Identify a story from your life or career that was pivotal. Talkit through with a friend or coach. What happened and whatdid you learn about yourself? Don’t make yourself the “hero”but rather, look for the lesson that might be relevant to others.People need to know who you are and what you stand for.Embracing and communicating your stories will help youdevelop a more powerful and memorable brand.Suzanne Bates is CEO of Bates Communications and bestsellingauthor of Speak Like a CEO and Discover Your CEO Brand.Read her tips on leadership communications on www.thepowerspeakerblog.comor on Twitter at @CEOCoachBates29 IThe Voice of Leadership

Game-Changing Communicationfor Technical LeadersBy Scott Weighart, Director of Learning and Development“Once you’ve got a CEO who really gets it and gives you a seat at the table and reallycontinues to present IT as a strategic and sustainable competitive advantage—not justan order-taking function or a line item in the budget—that’s the game change rightthere. When you’re getting to work with the CFO or the head of marketing or salesand the heads of the operating units at your company, that really makes a differenceto the messaging you can get in front of them on a regular basis.”- Rob Carter, FedEx CIORecently I was told about the plightof a CIO at a software company. He’sa brilliant guy, a truly innovativethinker who has helped to transformhis company. From cloud computingto analytics, he has the ability toadd great value. Technology is hispassion, but he sometimes finds thathe’s circumvented within his own organization.He doesn’t get invited tomarketing strategy meetings, for example,even though technology is pivotalto any organization’s sales efforts.“How can I help?” he says when heapproaches functional leaders inhis company. They have no idea.They’re confused. “What wouldyou do?” they ask, when he broachesthat idea. “What value do youbring?” is the underlying question.Why can’t they see that it mightbe incredibly valuable to have theCIO of a software company at thetable when devising the marketingstrategy? Why don’t they seethe CIO as a resource, even in helpingthem to turn marketing materialsinto meaningful information,relevant to the client situation?A Theory of EvolutionIt has always been challenging fortechnology leaders to understand whythe world doesn’t beat a path to theirdoor. If you have built the technologicalequivalent of a better mousetrap,why wouldn’t people want you in theroom? As any experienced CIO knows,you can be an expert at IT solutionsbut you can’t assume that people willget it. You have to communicate it ina powerful way. The value you canprovide to your organization and toits customersis notself-evident.The role oftechnologyleaders hasevolved dramaticallyover thelast 15 or20 years—more thanany other leadership position. Asnoted in the March 2011 issue of theHarvard Business Review, a company’sIT Director once merely neededto understand the technology. Overtime, executives who also understoodbusiness strategy became increasinglyinvaluable. We’ve now reacheda point where a CIO or CTO needs tobe a savvy business strategist firstand a technology expert second.Good News/Bad NewsFor technology leaders, the goodnews about this evolutionary developmentis that the window of opportunityis wider than ever when itcomes to earning a seat at the tablewith the leadership team. As companieslook to maximize revenuesand minimize costs—whether it’sautomating processes, combingover social media data for marketingpurposes, or implementing anERP system to integrate informationacross the organization—majordecisions need to be made thatinevitably involve technology, andyou are in a great position to stepThe Voice of Leadership I 30

up and add value to the organization.That said, the bad news may be that thebar is now higher than ever for technologyleaders. Being the subject matterexpert on technology is insufficient. Ifyou can’t connect with the leadershipteam, you’re in more danger than everof being marginalized—and not justinternally. One of our clients is a marketingprofessional with another technologycompany. In theory, he reallyshould be targeting CIOs in his marketingefforts. Instead, he often circumventsthem. Why? Some of these CIOsapparently lack the ability to “connectthe dots” and pull the relevant data outof analytics to make a business decision.So he has to find someone elseat those companies—perhaps a COOor CFO—who has a better sense of thecompany’s mission and how technologyrelates directly to the bottom line.Game-Changing CommunicationAs a technology leader, how can youavoid the fate of being marginalized?When we coach CIOs and CTOs whoface today’s mix of challenge and opportunity,our focus first is on buildingawareness of how to develop gamechangingcommunication. This startswith helping them understand thatthey may be perceived as operatingin a silo that is fundamentally disconnectedfrom the business. They needto see themselves in an integratedstrategy role as opposed to simplybeing a smart subject matter expert.That begins by developing a deeperunderstanding of what is crucial tothe success of the different functionsas well as the business as a whole. Itcontinues with the acceptance of thefact that a technology leader needsto step up and promote his or herorganization across the company.The next step is adaptation. It’s notenough to see the need for change;leaders need to be the change. Workingclosely with our clients withone-on-one meetings, we help themdevelop the messaging and communicationstrategy around whattheir organizations can and will doto drive the business strategy forward.This starts by developingclarity on several vital questions:• What business problem is the organizationas a whole trying to solve?• What specific challenges does eachfunctional area face in terms of generatingrevenues or cutting costs?• Based on the answers to those questions,what should the technologystrategy be?• How would this strategy addbottom-line value?• How do we turn the strategy into aplan?• Who needs to hear the plan?• How will we get buy-in?The objective is to help you defineyour value and explain the solutions tothe leadership team and the organizationat large. We use proventools to help you developpowerful presentationsthat will resonatewith what theiraudienceswant and need to hear, and wewill mentor you as you implementyour communication strategywithin and beyond the IT function.The Pot of GoldIn a videotaped interview with MikeCooke of Booz & Company, FedEx CIORob Carter captured the essence ofwhat all technology leaders shouldbe striving to achieve in this pivotalage of technology. “Once you’ve gota CEO who really gets it and givesyou a seat at the table and really continuesto present IT as a strategicand sustainable competitive advantage—notjust an order-taking functionor a line item in the budget—that’s the game change right there.”If you can develop a communicationplan that is aligned with the company’sstrategy, you can alter howyou are perceived by the leadershipteam. If you are now viewed as a technologyguru who merely developscool but inessential technology solutions,you have every opportunity tobe seen as a business strategist whois keenly attuned to the bottom line.In terms of value, that’s the differencebetween asking someone to admirea rainbow versus directing them tothe pot of gold at the end of it.Scott Weighart is Director ofLearning and Developmentat Bates Communications,creating innovativelearning tools and experiencesfor executive clients.31 I The Voice of Leadership

Leading the High Energy CultureHow Powerful Communication Translates toBenchmark Bottom-Line ResultsBy David Casullo, President, Bates Communicationsand Author, Leading the High-Energy Culture (McGraw Hill 2012)Communication is the great unaddressed issue in most organizations today. As a leadership competency, communicationis more powerful than all other competencies combined. I say this with great conviction and confidence. Arecent study on ROI supported the importance of communication. The study found that “Companies (with leaders)that are highly effective communicators had 47 percent higher total returns to shareholders over the last five yearscompared to firms that are the least effective communicators,” (2010 Watson Wyatt Worldwide, ROI Study Report:Capitalizing on Effective Communication).In my book, Leading the High Energy Culture, What the Best CEOs Do to Create an Atmosphere Where EmployeesFlourish (McGraw Hill, Spring 2012), the reader is taken through a series of exercises that help clarifythe source of the powerful energy that is inside you and transfer it through the atmosphere of your organizationto create an energized culture. Think of Apple, as an example. Along the way, it is critical to stay laser focused onthe question, “So what?” because business leaders, like you, don’t have time to waste. You want to know what thetangible economic value of any concept is to you and your business.The Voice of Leadership I32

Powerful leadership communicationskills take the “So whats?” ofthe gestalt exercise and give it real,tangible economic value. For thesteps involved in creating a highenergy culture the “So whats” include:• So what if you have anatmosphere that allows for thetransfer of powerful energy?• So what if you are a leaderwho is clear on your personaltruths and you courageously committo acting consistent with them?• So what if you are clearnow on your organization’s truths?• So what if they align withyour own?All of the great ideas inside you,all of the valuable experience, andeven the Mensa level intellect youmay possess is for naught if you, asa leader, cannot communicate effectively.One important way effective leadershipcommunication drives economicvalue is through “employeeengagement.” A September 2010Gallup study on employee engagementrevealed that “engaged”organizations have 3.9 times theearnings per share growth rate ascompared to organizations withlower engagement in their sameindustry. World-class organizationshave a roughly 10 to 1 ratioof engaged to disengaged employees,while average organizationshave a ratio of about 2 to 1. Disengagedemployees cost US companiesroughly $800 billion in productivityannually (2010 GallupConsulting, white paper: EmployeeEngagement: What’s Your EngagementRatio?).mean, quite literally, the bottomline—it’s your ability to communicatethat has the greatest impacton engagement.Think of your communication asthough you were Martin LutherKing, Jr. speaking into a microphoneon the steps of the LincolnMemorial, sending out a messagethat resonated with a nation.When you have mastered the artof communication, and you speakpassionately and authentically itis powerful, it spawns a cascadingeffect. You get employees buzzingabout why “it’s good” for thempersonally. By reaching them atthe level of their own personaltruths, you stimulate their energyand gain their commitment. Byreaching their hearts, you flip theswitch of their self-motivation andfocus their minds on the actionsthat are important to driving value.You get them working together inthe spirit of shared purpose andcamaraderie. You reduce the fearand negative assumptions thatcome from lack of clarity. Nothingderails morale and diminishes energylike distrust. When your communicationis consistent and clear,you create trust and employee engagement.At Bates Communications, we defineleadership communicationas the effective use of the collectivemeans a leader has availableto connect with another humanbeing or group of human beingsto promote understanding and tomarshal action.It’s important to also emphasizethat leadership communication,as we define it, is both visual andnon-visual. This means that effectivecommunication is as much afunction of what your audience observes(visual) as what they hearand feel (non-visual). Ultimately,you want to marshal the action ofyour audience with your commu-Employee engagement is moreimportant than ever, particularlywith all the fear-producing globaleconomic news that bombards usevery day. Bottom line—and I do33 I The Voice of Leadership

nication so the organization moves in its intended strategic direction. It’s not just nice to do. Theseactions drive performance, move your business forward and create tangible economic value.A Marriage of Art and ScienceThe best business leaders know the art and the science of effective communication. Alan Mulally, CEOof Ford, is a great example. He is one of the hottest CEOs on the planet. He turned around the flounderingFord Motor Company and led the Big Three automaker out of the recession faster, better, andmore successfully than either GM or Chrysler. Under his leadership, Ford was able to avoid governmentbailout capital, trim its portfolio of brands to refocus on the core Ford brands, and re-tool andre-engineer production to manufacture its eco-boost high-performance engines.Mulally is a skillful communicator. He marshaled the actions of his employees with his open communicationstyle. In just five years, Ford turned from near insolvency to a profit of $6.6 billion in 2010.Mulally gets the power of communication and uses his competence as a powerful communicator todrive business results.To connect what is inside us to what is inside others we are limited to one means– the art of communication.Craig Bentley, one of our premiere executive coaches, would ask, “How do you, as a leader,hard-wire your communication skills to enhance your bottom-line results?” This is your goal. AtBates Communications, we answer the critical question “How does communication create economicvalue?” this way: By marshaling the action of anyone and everyone within the atmosphere toward anend state that you envision. It is the collective action of everyone you influence that determines theresults you drive as a leader.The sole measure of your effectiveness as a communicator in business is how well your message,your timing of delivery, your style of delivery, and your behaviors marshal action thatdrive tangible business results.This is true for you, Steve Jobs, Alan Mulally, Suzanne Bates, and me. It’s true for any leaderover the history of time. And it’s true for any leader going forward who wants to tap thepower of the energy inside them and “charge up” their culture for enormous success.David Casullo is President of Bates Communications. His first book, Leading the High-Energy Culture, (McGraw Hill) is due out in Spring 2012. Prior to joining Bates, David wasthe Vice President of Human Resources for the national retailer Raymour and Flanigan.The Voice of Leadership 34I

Transforming Leaders into Powerful Communicators Who Get ResultsBates Communications, Inc. 800-908-8239www.bates-communications.comwww.thepowerspeakerblog.com