Leaders are
lionized, the world over. They are cheered for every pronouncement and praised
for every accomplishment. They are adored but also respected. They are feared
but are also seen as protectors. Just as a lion strides as the undisputed
leader of animal kingdom, leaders act as the lions that stride in corporate
kingdoms. The physical presence of leaders evokes awe and respect even as
digital technologies have vastly expanded their magical presence across borders
and time zones. Leaders have one thing in common; they constantly articulate.
They motivate, inspire and galvanize their organizations. The crowds they see
constantly imbues them with even greater power to articulate. Whether it is the
presidential primaries and election debates in the US or the great rallies of
multiple leaders in the world’s greatest democracy called India, one can see
how leaders are at their energetic best to sway the crowds.
There are times
when speeches become battle cries and when exhortations become frenzied roars.
Roar is typically defined as a deep throated cry of a wild animal. It also
refers to the racy zoom of an accelerating engine or a speeding vehicle. Roar
has connotations of raw power. Many reasons are adduced as to why leaders ‘roar’.
Firstly, they roar to unify their followers to one single mission; it could be
electing a party in a democracy or toeing a ‘party line’ in a corporate
setting. Secondly, they roar to emerge larger than life; the more they
galvanize and electrify their followings the more they become iconic (not in
all cases though!). Thirdly, leaders need to be heard in the face of occasional
descent; the power of eloquent speech overcomes the suggestions of hesitant
dissent, if any. Leadership roar becomes, over time, a theatrical accompaniment
of leadership evolution, inspirational, evangelistic, opportunistic and
narcissistic in its mix, the relative proportion varying from leader to leader.
Lore of roar
Leaders who dramatize
their speeches become sort of leadership and communications folklore. Steve
Ballmer, previous CEO of Microsoft was known for his theatrics on the stage as he
made fiery and passionate speeches. It is a different matter that a mild
mannered Satya Nadella has been able to change and make Microsoft more
relevant, compared to the Ballmer times. While not all leaders are made the
Ballmer way, many do make extensive use of body movements and raising of voice
to lend strength and sharpness to their speeches. For some leaders, dignity and
resonance of their voice comes naturally. In India, N T Rama Rao (NTR) who a
legendary actor in Telugu cinema and rode to power in just 9 months after
setting up a new political party in Andhra Pradesh was very much a lion that
roared his way with the unmatched strength of his voice, body language and
speech delivery. This is not to say that only roaring speeches make the sway.
In NTR’s case, it is his movie base, including the unmatched stature in
mythological roles, his novel poll promises aimed at the poor and indigent, and
his corruption-free image combined to usher him in. It is beyond doubt,
however, that the roar in his speeches projected effectively what all he
represented and signified.
In the physical
social world fiery, passionate and roaring speeches would continue to be the
main connector and influencer. Magic of speeches is not permanent, however.
While passionate speeches inspire the followers and sway non-followers, it is
the action on ground that develops credibility. Every speech, doubtless, is
made with a message and exhortation. More than the roar, the speech must appeal
to the inner self in terms of logic, clarity and conviction, and its long term
relevance. While in the corporate world presentations supplement or even
substitute speeches, in the political and administrative world it is the
personal, physical speechmaking that counts. The ability to speak is, therefore,
the very essence of sustainable leadership. While the written word has the
magic to move too, it is the speech that connects more intensely. The success
of Robin Sharma, founder of Titan Academy, and a globally established leadership
coach and author of creative books on leadership development, is related to his
continuous speech making which is streamed on his website, and re-streamed on
platforms like You Tube.
Passion of persuasion
Roaring
speeches are invariably passionate and make listeners also passionate. The effectiveness
with which the listeners share the passion depends on the extent to which their
minds and hearts stay connected with the speech maker. The speeches that that
Gurus make whether Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Jaggi Vasudev or Baba Ramdev do not
roar or race like a mighty waterfall but cruise like a tranquil river. Roaring speeches
tend to make people to act, whether to vote or to execute. Tranquil speeches
tend to make people think, reflect and change. Roaring speeches seek to
transform people collectively without as much of individualized thinking that
should ideally take place while tranquil speeches seek to change individual
thinking in a collective setting as it must ideally happen. Roaring speeches
impose and embed a line of thinking in the listeners with a boost of adrenalin
while tranquil speeches develop and integrate a line of thinking in them with an
interplay of persuasion and reflection.
Delivering a
roaring speech or a tranquil speech is not one of a dynamic choice for a leader;
it tends to be the very native or intrinsic characteristic of a leader. Whichever
is the characteristic, leaders would do well to remember that persuasion needs
to be at the core of the change or reinforcement, as the case may be. Leaders
must not only be excited to make passionate speeches but be committed to be
persuasive with their followers. When leaders are collectively present on a dais
or in a forum, only those who can be passionate must be passionate and those
who are tranquil or sedentary should keep to their style. Competitive speech-making
by a collective group of leaders is a disaster in communications. On the other
hand, sticking to their core characteristics and competencies by individual leaders
in their respective speech-making provides greater collective impact. It is not
about lionizing or prioritizing the leader; it is more about reflecting
genuineness as a team.
Silent wisdom
With efflux of
time, there must come an inflexion point when a lion can no longer roar. In today’s
materialistic world, a silent lion is seen as a spent force. Given that the
roar signals its own internal pride, inability to roar makes aged lions
recluse. The case of roaring leaders is no different. When energy and strength
desert, the hitherto dominatingly articulate leader becomes vulnerable, and
eventually recluse, by his or her intent or others’. This is not a personal
loss to the leader but a greater loss to the organizations and societies. One
would, for example, wish stalwarts like Atalji continued to energize the
political arena and Ratan Tata would be as articulate as ever in the corporate
arena. Ideally, even when lions become silent their wisdom can, and must, speak
for the larger good.
Forceful speakers
would never have to regret that the ‘force’ would ever desert them so long as
they build wisdom through the years. Force gets expressed through minor interactions,
written communications, and even through silent presence. Indian mythology is
replete with examples of wise sages who conveyed more through silent ‘dhyana’
(akin to meditation) than through vocal sermons. Those speakers who have spent
their lifetime in delivering valuable content as opposed to mere speeches would
automatically become the dhyana gurus whose wisdom speaks for itself despite
their silence. Some of the greatest epics and songs of Indian culture have been
conveyed through word of mouth propagation by the disciples who were moved by
the content. In contemporary society as well, meaningful content would speak
for itself, even long after the roaring voices fall silent.
When silence speaks
Effective
speeches, in the final analysis, are not made of either roaring ferocity or
energetic passion. Aggression and energy certainly carry the day for the
speaker, and may even secure the desired outcomes from the teams but cannot
leave lasting legacies without thematic content. It is not for no reason that
the nuggets of wisdom in the speeches of Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi,
Jawaharlal Nehru, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King and John F Kennedy have
been preserved in, and for, the posterity. Voices of great leaders may have
gone silent but their words have not. Such is the eternal power of content that
has messages that last across generations. Nations, societies and organizations
are moved less by mountains of words but are inspired more by succinct messages
of lasting value. Nations, societies and organizations are also moved less by a
leader who sounds and acts lofty and inimitable but are inspired more by one
who feels like one of them.
The essence of
a good speech lies in it being purposive, purposeful, creative, meaningful,
logical, authentic, relevant, and, most importantly, executable. The role of
the leader who develops and delivers the speech does not end with meeting the
immediate objectives but begins with leaving lasting impressions. While energy,
enthusiasm and passion make for a lively speech, it is important that the
central message itself springs to life to the audience. It is not so much about
how the speech has been delivered but what has been delivered as the central
theme that impacts the listeners’ lives. This objective is best accomplished
when the speech exemplifies genuine ownership of the problems as well as
solutions and displays as much concern for changing the fortunes of the
organisation as to improving the lives of the listeners. Wisdom dos not emerge
magically when the roar fades; it gets accumulated and compounded over the
years, and decades, to speak for itself when time comes!
Posted by Dr CB
Rao on April 14, 2016
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