11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dynamic communication, February 17, 2003
This review is from: The Leader's Voice: How Leaders Communicate During Turbulent Times (Hardcover)
"The Leader's Voice" reveals how to change static communication and poor performance into dynamic communication for extraordinary results. A manager speaks to only ensure the job gets done. The leader's voice uses facts, emotions and symbols to motivate and create change. A leader carries out authenticity, and foresight to not only get the job done, but to also promote a willing to go the extra mile. Providing plenty of proven examples from leaders throughout history, with the ABC's of leadership, "The Leader's Voice" equips the reader with the necessary information to remove any obstacles preventing success.
Boyd and Crossland practice what they preach. Their written communication style is direct and to the point, with the determination to make a difference. Using the pictures to stir emotion, the various type fonts to personify symbols and the straight facts from the lives of other leaders immediately captured my attention. They did a fantastic job organizing the material and appealing to my creative core. I would recommend "The Leader's Voice" to anyone attempting to motivate a crowd of one to one hundred and one or more.
Now let me reflect . . .
I used to complain about my mother fixing so much tuna casserole. Her response, "There are alot of starving people in the world. You should be thankful we have food on the table." When my father knew I didn't feel as smart as my sister because of my grades, he would tell me, "You're intelligent. You just need to study a little longer." And when I cried after being hit by a car, my grandmother's words consoled me with, "If God looks over the sparrow, surely he'll take care of you." These voices addressed me with emotion. These voices encouraged me with facts. These voices motivated me with symbols. I now realize these are the voices of the leaders in my life.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Smart Way to Craft More Effective Messages, July 2, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: The Leader's Voice: How Leaders Communicate During Turbulent Times (Hardcover)
The most effective leadership messages speak to people through three channels -- factual, emotional and symbolic, according to Crossland and Clarke. Their advice to build all three channels into your communication makes great sense. The book offers lots of practical ideas and engaging examples to help you do just that. It's everything I look for in a business book -- a useful concept, hands-on ideas for implementing it, and an accessible presentation. Great info, great value.
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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Passion, Eloquence, and Conviction, September 24, 2002
This review is from: The Leader's Voice: How Leaders Communicate During Turbulent Times (Hardcover)
Clarke is CEO and Crossland is vice chair of tompeterscompany!. They have been friends as well as business associates for more than 20 years. What we have here is their attempt to share what they have learned about what Tom Peters describes (in the Foreword) as "the emotion, the passion, the care, the connection between leaders and followers," a subject Peters thinks other authors have short-changed in their discussions of leadership. I don't agree. Bennis, Kotler, O'Toole, and Maister (to name but four) have a great deal of value to say. (Has Peters read their works?) In fact, Clarke and Crossland have made a unique and substantial contribution to the study of a business subject which probably attracts more interest than does any other.
They insist (and I agree) that the ability to communicate powerfully "is the leverage leaders need and most lack." Quoting John Gardner, "Communication between leader and constituent is at the heart of of everything." Clarke and Crossland assert (again I agree) that the biggest problem with leadership communication "is the illusion that it has occurred." That is, the leader incorrectly assumes that others understand, agree with, and care about what has been communicated; worse yet, leaders then assume that others will take appropriate action. Most of the time, these are indeed false and dangerous, often destructive assumptions. To develop what the authors characterize as "the leader's voice," it is necessary to gain clarity and depth in four areas: authenticity, foresight, connection, and context. They suggest HOW. They identify and discuss "three essential channels" by which to convey important leadership messages: factual (Chapter 4), emotional (Chapter 5), and symbolic (Chapter 6). Throughout human history, the greatest religious, political, business, and military leaders have used all three. The genius of their leadership has been their ability to "speak with a voice that pushes past cynicism, doubt, and uncertainty."
For me, one of the most valuable concepts in this book is that of what the authors call "One Voice" organizations. I am reminded of one of the final scenes in the film Spartacus when the victorious Roman general and his slave master walk among the captured gladiators, determined to locate Spartacus, dead or alive. Unless he is identified, the defeated gladiators are told, all of them will be crucified. Just as their leader is about to step forward to save them, they stand up one after another and announce "I am Spartacus!" I think this is precisely what Clarke and Crossland have in mind. Everyone involved in a "OneVoice" organization identifies with its mission and its values; does everything humanly possible to achieve the organization's objectives; and, most important of all, considers herself or himself to BE that organization. The significance of that concept is illustrated every day in every contact with a customer. People do business with other people. Whenever we seek assistance from a customer service department, the person with whom we speak IS that organization. How we are treated by just one person usually determines what we think of an entire organization.
Obviously my rating of this book indicates my high regard for what Clarke and Crossland have accomplished in this book. Presumably they agree with me that "leadership" is synonymous with initiative and not limited only to those with title or status. Tichy correctly insists that the most effective organizations are those which have leadership at all levels. True, it is highly desirable for each member of an organization to have a "passionate voice" when communicating with others. It is even more important that the organization has "OneVoice." Otherwise, it has none.
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