Executive Coaching Expertise- Dr. Karen Otazo

Dr. Karen Otazo
Global Leadership Network

Optimizing Executive Talent

Character
People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously.
This is how character is built

- Eleanor Roosevelt

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10/30/2008

Leadership Realities

The Untold Truth That Leaders And People In Power Need To Know.

In This Issue:
In this election season we are struck by many issues and revelations. The following blogs are about the “how” rather than just the “what”. They address some interesting gambits for the discerning executive.

►	Why Some Speakers and their Ideas are Riveting
►	Everybody Lies – Especially in an Election Year
►	Reading Resources

Why Some Speakers and their Ideas are Riveting

Organizations that I personally support

"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth."
— Pres. Kennedy, May 25, 1961

President Kennedy communicated an exciting idea to “put a man on the moon in the decade”. In their book 2007 Made to Stick, Chip Heath and Dan Heath dissected the structure of communication behind a famous speech. This is what they found.

1. Simple - A single, clear mission.
2. Unexpected - A man on the moon? It seemed like science fiction at the time.
3. Concrete - Success was defined so clearly—no one could quibble about man, moon, or decade.
4. Credible - This was the President of the U.S. talking.
5. Emotional - It appealed to the aspirations and pioneering instincts of an entire nation.
6. Story - An astronaut overcomes great obstacles to achieve an amazing goal.
It may not be possible to do all of these every time you communicate. What do great communicators do that help them along this path?
How can each of us use these components? Let’s take a look.

My husband, John Hofmeister, Founder and Chief Executive of Citizens for Affordable Energy, communicates in much the same way. His speech on Energy Security in 2007 was the speech of the month in Vital Speeches. Here is what it has.
Have a look at the speech to see how he did it.

1. Simple - The good news and bad news about available energy in the US
2. Unexpected - It was a story about energy abundance around us.
3. Concrete - Described energy in real-life terms like pulverized coal turned into a talcum     powder consistency for clean coal.
4. Credible - This was the President of Shell Oil talking.
5. Emotional -The speech referred to the devastating hurricanes Katrina and Rita and     how they had strained our nation’s energy supply.
6. Story -An oil company executive asked for help after the hurricanes cut off supply of    gas from the Gulf of Mexico; divine intervention made it work at the last minute.

Vital Voices Global Partnership believes in the transformative value of women's participation in society. We invest in emerging women leaders - pioneers of economic development, political participation, and human rights in their countries - and we help them build the capabilities, connections, and credibility they need to unlock their potential as catalysts of global progress.

To fulfill our mission, we build leadership capacity, facilitate strategic partnerships, recognize women leading change and enhance their credibility, and foster global connections among women.

Our Global Leadership Network of women has become the vital voices of our time.

TAHIRIH WINS 2007 WASHINGTON POST AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN
NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

The mission of the Tahirih Justice Center is to enable women and girls who face gender based violence to access justice. The Center engages in direct litigation, public policy advocacy, and education and outreach to ensure systematic change that protects women and girls from violence

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Everybody Lies – Especially in an Election Year

Okay, “everybody lies” is a strong statement. Maybe they don’t lie, they massage the facts or they exaggerate or leave out relevant information. What we do know is that politicians do all of this to get elected no matter what. They can argue that they have to do this or no one will pay attention to them. Diverse voters want information and ideas that are new, exciting and unexpected. That’s when they pay attention.

With impartial research, we know for sure that eyewitnesses lie even in controlled situations. When there is no payoff for lying. Police lie, lawyers lie and even victims lie. Parents know that kids, especially teenagers, lie. They forget to tell their folks about that time they drank although underage. They put miles on the family car and don’t mention them. They represent the school dance as a calm and controlled event even though they have no idea of how it will work out.

So what’s happening when “everybody lies”? Are they just trying to look good, to win or to convince others? Maybe. And maybe they see situations totally differently from others. We each see the world through our cultural lenses influenced by our family and religious beliefs as well as our experiences. This is our “weltanschauung,” our world view, which makes it impossible to see or hear things that don’t fit.

There’s a story about a tribe in South America that thought the conquistadores were gods sent from heaven because they couldn’t “see” their ships arriving from across the sea because they didn’t have any ships. There are many variations on these true stories. It’s true that you will see it when you believe it.

If you can’t see or hear something then you put your own spin on it the way kids often do when they hear thunder or see lightning. You unconsciously make up a story about what’s happening to make sense of “reality.”

Have you ever noticed that your boss “lies” by exaggerating small faults in your performance or leaving out the good things you do? A boss has an ideal model in his or her brain about what you oughta be able to do. How do you make sure that the “truth” you believe? Put it in writing when something goes well. Most everyone remembers what’s in writing but forgets events and what they hear. Just be careful that what you put in writing can stand the publicity test. Is this something that you want anyone to read? Written material has a life of its own. You never know where it will wind up.

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Click on cover for further information on this book

	•	For Customized Executive Assessments, email Dr.Otazo for more information
	•	Have a leadership question? Ask Dr. Karen here.
	•	Read Original Leadership Development articles by Dr. Karen Otazo
	•	Read articles in Spanish

Your feedback is welcome; email me at karen@otazo.com

To Your Knowing the Truth -

Dr. Karen Otazo

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Executive coaching and mentoring resources for today's leader from
Global Leadership Expert Dr. Karen Otazo:Optimizing Executive Talent
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