It reminds me of how when I was in school and would go for my monthly haircut at the local barber. When the barber asked me how I wanted my haircut I would say, “cut my hair, so it doesn’t look like I got it cut”. I wanted to take care of myself, but I didn’t want anyone to notice.
My clients want to be more effective in their communication, but they don't want to attract attention or questions from their peers by "looking and sounding different”.
Just like me, avoiding the question “hey, did you get a haircut?”
First, What I tell my clients is this - effective communication is a key to effective leadership. Secondly, Leadership means standing out, being the exceptional example not the norm. Lastly, Leadership is inspiring others through your actions to be leaders, not followers.
Any development process begins with growing pains. In the beginning, it hurts to be exceptional. It’s uncomfortable to be remarkable. But with time, your new, more authentic communication style becomes your new communication norm. With this comes a new sense of comfort. The result is that people who experience you will see and hear all your uniqueness and the extraordinary ideas that you as an individual and as a leader have to offer.
