We have all heard this saying before so it is nothing new.  What I am always surprised to notice is how easy it is for leaders to forget about it.

I remember attending a team meeting where the Manager was going through the results of the last quarter with his sales team.  They had a brilliant quarter and they had smashed their targets by almost 15%.  When the Manager talked about the latest targets he just said a good job to everyone for the effort and then moved onto the next quarter’s targets and the need for his people to go out there and “work harder.”  

I watched as his people’s body language just sank.  You could feel the energy leave the room and the motivation of the group drop to a new low.  Rather than doing something about it, the Manager just continued on talking through his meeting agenda.  When the meeting was finished his staff just walked out of the room demotivated.

He completely missed the point.  Rather than recognising his people and building this positive energy up to keep them motivated his actions took the typical approach and demotivated his people—regardless of what he said.

So how do you make sure that you don’t miss the point?  


Make sure that you select the right way to communicate and deliver your message—by what you say and what you do. Take the time to connect with people and read their energy.  Finally, make sure that what you are saying (and asking others to do) is in alignment with what you are doing and demonstrating.


A close friend of mine, Alan Parker is one of the most talented facilitators in the country.  He has organised Michael Grinder, one of the worlds leading experts on nonverbal communication and influence and is running a series of 1 day and multi-day workshops in both Sydney and Melbourne starting from next week.  

Please click here to find out more.

In closing, I am very happy to announce that my book Leadership Hacks:  Clever shortcuts to boost your impact and results will be in bookstores across Australia from 1 August.  My goal is to get it to best seller list and I need your help! To purchase a copy, please click here.