Back to the Basics: What Teaching Reminded Me

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that my two career aspirations – starting my own company and adjunct teaching – would come to fruition in the same year. 

The challenges of launching a company coupled with creating course material for a weekly 3-hr graduate Business Communication class at times felt…to put it lightly…overwhelming. 

Yet, as I simultaneously cultivated strong client partnerships and dug deeper into my course material, I realized that the relationship between starting my own business and teaching graduate business students was far more complementary than I ever could have imagined. Sure, they were complementary in that both push the bounds of what you think you are capable of achieving; both require perseverance, enthusiasm, long hours and overcoming a level of self-doubt. 

But more so than that, they were complementary because the work naturally fed off one another. I had found the sweet spot in my Venn diagram. Not only did I bring a real-world, practical application-lens to the marketing and communication principles I was teaching, but I also recognized the power in practicing what I was preaching. 

While seemingly basic, and likely innate or taken for granted by those of us who have been at this for a while, I found that revisiting simple communication principles that I was teaching my students in turn made me a more effective communicator – at work, at school and at home. So, I’m sharing some of those foundational principles here, bringing us back to the simple, but often transformative, basics.

The Power of 3s

As humans, we are accustomed to things coming in 3s. Think about it…there are 3 primary colors; 3 means of persuasion (trust, feel, think); 3 medal categories in the Olympics (gold, silver, bronze). And guess what, there’s a reason. 

As Simon Lancaster, one of the world’s top speechwriters points out, “Our minds and ears have been trained by everything from speeches (Abraham Lincoln’s “government of the people, for the people, by the people”); slogans (reduce, reuse, recycle); and book titles (Eat, Pray, Love) to recognize the power of 3s. Put your argument in 3s and it makes it sound more compelling, more convincing and more credible.”

In hindsight, I realize I’ve leveraged this principle without even fully comprehending its power – developing 3 phases of a plan, outlining 3 key strengths, or articulating 3 brand values. Powerful stories, even, harness the power of 3s with a distinct beginning, middle and end, and that’s no coincidence. Now I more consciously employ this universal truth to inspire, persuade and breakthrough. 

Be a Good Listener.

When you think of traits of successful leaders, what comes to mind? We often think of someone who’s innovative, charismatic, smart or visionary, but what about someone who’s a good listener?

If you know me, you know I like to talk. And I get particularly excited about ideas – building on them, shaping them and pressure-testing them. So excited, in fact, that sometimes I inadvertently interrupt my colleagues or unconsciously stop listening because I don’t want to forget the “great” insight or build that I have on the conversation. Digging into our class session on listening, I recognized an opportunity to right-size my conversational competence, focusing more on listening and less on talking. 

As it turns out, “the most successful CEOs, board chairs, military generals, university presidents – that handful of enormously talented high achievers who run large and complex organizations – without exception are far more interested in listening to what others have to say than they are in talking.” (O’Rourke) 

How does the trait of listening define great leaders? 

Most of us listen with the intent to reply, not the intent to understand. Leaders, however, seek to understand. When they do talk, they ask questions. They recognize that the short-term goal of listening is to make sense of what someone is saying, but that the long-term goal of listening is to build relationships, as this is where the greatest benefit lies. This is the goal that motivates people to work harder for them and lays a foundation of genuine trust and respect. Great leaders don’t underestimate the value of good listening.

The Increasing Importance of the “How” over the “What”

Working at large corporations, I was always acutely aware that HR was plotting all leaders on a 3x3 scale with “How” anchoring one axis and “What” the other. This is how performance was measured and leadership potential assessed.

The “How” referred to how you got your work done. Could you impact and convince others in a positive way inspiring them around your ideas, recommendations or proposals? Did people enjoy working with you or did they dread sending you an email or picking up the phone to chat? The “What” referred to what you actually accomplished. Did you achieve your goals for the year? Did you grow the brand? Did you hit your numbers?

What I noticed over time was the increasing importance of How you achieved your goals superseding What you achieved. If you didn’t achieve your goals but you galvanized your team, peers or agencies, you were a “Potential Gem.” If you achieved your goals but did so in a way that was off-putting, abrasive or authoritarian, you were simply “Performing.” 

So, what’s the takeaway? High performance alone is no longer enough. It’s never enough. And that’s a good thing. Good leaders have mastered both the “How” and the “What” taking the time to listen, motivate and build meaningful relationships at all levels. At Story + Strategy we call it the “no asshole rule”  surrounding ourselves with people and clients that reflect our values for both high achievement and high integrity.