Why Conversation Elevates Business
Think of the exceptional leaders that you’ve experienced in your career. Were they arrogant and overbearing? Or were they magnetic and inspiring? Did you feel heard, understood? Were they able to connect with you on a deeper level than words alone can convey? How can you develop your leadership skills through the qualities of conversation?
Conversation has long been a leadership superpower, particularly for those leaders who’ve understood it and known how to leverage it. More than command, great leaders know how to converse. They establish strong relationships with the people they lead and serve.
Consummate Leaders of Conversation
History gives us many examples of leaders known for their outstanding ability to connect, communicate and relate to others. Here are just a few:
Winston Churchill
Churchill’s larger-than-life personality, passion and ability to envision the future inspired a nation. He lifted spirits and verbally transformed Britain’s “darkest hour” into its “finest hour” as it braced for the Second World War.
Martin Luther King Jr.
During a period of Civil Unrest and Racial Segregation in the U.S., King delivered a resounding 17-minute speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that resonates with people to this day. His words, “I have a dream” and those that followed connected the hearts and minds of people despite their differences.
Colonel Harland David Sanders
The famous founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken and its “secret” 11 herbs and spices is an American icon. He is known for his tenacity and, despite a lifetime of struggle and hard luck, ultimately building a successful franchise at age 66. Sanders was outspoken in his commitment to sharing his vision. Through hard work and refusal to accept defeat, he left a legacy that has inspired entrepreneurs worldwide.
Frank Shankwitz
In 1980, then highway patrolman Shankwitz presented a dying boy with an honorary badge and uniform, thus granting his wish to be a motorcycle cop like the characters on the TV show CHiPs. From that experience, he drafted a plan for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. For years after organizing Make-A-Wish, Shankwitz served as the Foundation’s ambassador, conversing with and advising chapters and meeting with “wish kids,” whose number exceeds 500,000.
Dolly Parton
The American singer/songwriter is a country legend. Throughout her spectacular, award-winning musical career, Parton has graced the nation and world-over with stories of love, understanding, kindness, faith, and compassion. She has furthermore expressed her vision through the Dollywood Foundation, which has enabled Parton’s Imagination Library to provide children under the age of six with more than 100 million books, delivered straight to their homes.
Our Values
- We take pride in seeing our client organizations achieve their “possible” – helping them become outrageously successful and creating great places to work where people feel free to collaborate and innovate compulsively.
- We bring brilliant insight and teachings to our clients.
- We value the collective wisdom of our team of teachers, advisors and coaches, all of whom are creating great products and innovative solutions for the future.
- We relentlessly build and teach competency.
- We value compulsive integrity and rigorous character in everything we do.
- We pride ourselves on an unbridled sharing of knowledge and co-creation for a stronger business community. We mastermind on integration of human and strategic performance.
- We create fun and enjoyment in all we do.
- We have respect for our collective “Oneness” and Spirit of Success.
- We believe that everyone deserves to achieve satisfaction in their organizational role, whether as owner, leader or team member. In fact, our collective success depends on it.
- We are committed to and believe in our client organizations. We view them as living, learning entities, much like the people who work in them.