Carmine Gallo, wrote an interesting article in BusinessWeek titled Starbucks Secret Ingredient discussing the communication skills and passion of Starbuck’s Chairman Howard Schultz.
His powerful communication skills define a leader who knows not only what he stands for, but also the values he promotes, and who knows how to make an emotional connection with his listeners…..
There are three qualities that I think help Schultz stand out as a persuasive business communicator.
Lesson 1: Dig deep to identify what you are truly passionate about (hint: it’s not always the product itself) and convey that message to employees, customers, and colleagues. When you are passionate, you come across as excited, energetic, and enthusiastic — all of the qualities people like to see in others. And if people like you, they’re more likely to do business with you or to back your vision. While Schultz’s passion rubs off on employees, it was his enthusiasm mixed with the ability to paint a vivid picture of what he was trying to accomplish that convinced skeptical investors to back his original concept.
Lesson 2: Inspire your colleagues, investors, or employees by painting a picture of a world made better by your service, product, company, or cause.
Lesson 3: To get the most out of people, a leader has to tap into their emotions as well as their minds. People can relate to stories. They can see themselves in other people’s stories. The ability to use stories to get people to buy into one’s vision with their hearts is a powerful leadership capability.
Source: The Practice of Leadership
How passionate are we about our kingdom cause?
How well do we paint the picture of a world where Christ is King and all things set right?
How well do we tell the story?
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