Customer Reviews

Micromessaging: Why Great Leadership is Beyond Words

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I bought this book to help me understand business or the way people interact in a business setting. As a middle manager of a small business that is now part of a big business (aka recently acquired), I have been struggling with change in management, management style and culture. What this book is helping me understand is the messages that come from people in authority and how it impacts the rank and file; and likewise how my own emotions, thoughts and feelings impact the people who report too me.

While I have not yet finished the book, it does have me hooked and thirsting for more. As a technologist it also helps bridge the communication gap between technology and business. Being exposed to this subject matter has already opened my eyes to the fact that management and leadership are two very seperate skills. I now understand the power of effective leadership and has given me new thought in developing my career.

Micromessages are those subtle - and sometimes not-so-subtle - nonverbal messages that people send through body language, tone of voice and the way they inflect words. Micromessages signal at an immediate gut level how people feel about each other. You can use nice words when speaking to other people, but if at the same time you inadvertently send out negative micromessages, those nonverbal signals will have a more enduring impact than anything you say. Managers, supervisors and other leaders should become avid students of their own facial expressions, styles of personal engagement, body language and other nonverbal communicative attributes. Then they should try to send positive micromessages, not harmful ones that breed resentment and undermine performance. This book is easy to read and understand, but we believe that it delivers an important lesson: Micromessages matter, so mind your unspoken communications. Those small signals have a large reverberation.

I've been reading at the rate of about a book a week for the past two years, and this was probably the WORST book I have read over that time period.

I believed the "reviews" here on Amazon and I now wonder if they are all shill reviews from friends of the author and people he paid to write positive reviews.

This book was a short, quick read, and a waste of my time. Repeatedly, throughout the book, the author tells you that what this "micromessaging" is, is something that is hard to describe exactly what it is, something that is beyond words and hard to quantify. He attempts to illustrate his "new concept" by giving you examples. The examples he gives consist of common sense manners and courtesy towards others. I was appalled that he had the balls to take this, try to brand it and sell it to me.

He gave examples such as a manager introduces one employee to someone enthusiastically and introduces another employee in a matter of fact way. The author says that the employee who was introduced in a matter of fact way may feel slighted, minimalized, or offended. Apparently, the manager used different "micro messaging" with regards to each employee, and the solution to this is to be fair. Then the author goes on again to say that you can't really say what "micro messaging" is. Then he goes on to talk about how he teaches this to his kids. This is basically the entire book.

Worst book ever. I was deceived by the reviews here on Amazon. Would not recommend to ANYONE.

This book is something that everyone should read. It puts a name and a description on something everyone has felt at some point in their lives. It also gives concrete techniques and tools to assist the reader in managing the ways they communicate and send messages. I am very glad to have read this book and hope everyone else does as well. It is a great resource for the corporate world, the classroom, and your personal life. Micro messages are a critical component and understanding the ways you send these messages and controlling them will benefit you professionally and personally!

Have you ever been frustrated at a failure when you were sure you would succeed?

You had the best arguments, the best presentation, you had all the answers and all the right numbers, but you still couldn't get what you wanted. No matter how hard and how well you try, people don't seem to go along with you. If this sounds familiar, then Micromessaging is the book for you.

Author Stephen Young outlines how simple facial expressions can have a major impact on how people react to you. Many of the non-verbal messages signal to people whether they should listen to you, and we often give off negative messages. Young's clear style makes it easy to follow his recommendations on how to give off positive messages in order to become a successful leader. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to improve their leadership skills.

OK, honestly maybe I should write a review for the book because I've yet to read it. However, I have had the pleasure to attend Stephen's lecture. While all this information does seem to be common knowledge, what Stephen helps you do is actually recognize the specifics.

It is also not a concept that should be held strictly to leadership, the things you can learn about micromessaging transcends through every culture and relationship.

Who among us hasn't been in a workplace or other environment where it seemed like people were playing favorites? How was it conveyed that some people were "more equal" than others?

Stephen Young does a great job of pointing out the many ways that "micromessages" are sent - the head nodding, the way people are introduced, the "great idea" vs looking at one's watch. Most importantly, Young provides a language and framework for noticing and talking about these behaviors so that they can be confronted and dealt with.

As Young points out, this doesn't mean that we need to pretend, be nice, or treat all people as though they were brilliant. It is about greater transparency and directness, so that the messages are less covert and more helpful.

I recommend this Micromessaging to leaders and future leaders as a way to audit and, most likely, fine-tune our communication styles.

A more detailed look at the consequences of the way many managers and leaders deal with performance issues can be found in Set-up-to-fail Syndrome: Overcoming the Undertow of Expectations. Although not limited to micromessaging, Manzoni and Barsoux include some fascinating research on the ways opinions are created and communicated and the ways these opinions and behaviors can either turn into self-fulfilling prophecies or have paradoxical effects (the "problem" employee becomes even more problematic). Micromessaging and The Set Up to Fail Syndrome complement each other nicely and should lead to improved communication, leadership, and performance within your organization (and perhaps even at home).

Great book. Common sense put into action!! I read it aloud to my wife while driving on vacation. She loved it also.