TED Talk in Two Minutes: Great Leaders Inspire Action
We know you love TED talks, but don’t always have the time. So you don’t miss out on the good stuff, here’s our quick fix.
How great leaders inspire action by Simon Sinek, who has written two books about what separates the best from the rest, including “Start With Why.”
What makes a great leader?
Simon wanted to know why some people and brands make history over others who may have more money and resources. What are they doing different?
Start by asking why
There are three questions organizations and their leaders need to answer:
1. What do you do?
2. How do you do it?
And (most importantly):
3. Why do you do it?
Most of us know what we do, and a lot of us also know how we do it. But, Simon found that “few people or organizations know why they do what they do.” According to Simon, all extraordinary leaders start with answering the why, and build from the inside out. As a result, the mission-statement—why they do what they do—is hard-coded into the DNA of their work.
The power of why
What difference does this actually make? The answer is… a lot. Simon says, “people don’t buy what you do—they buy why you do it.”
This is the big reason Apple is so successful – its marketing is built around why it does what it does. Apple tells its audience that “we believe in thinking differently.” It’s a message a whole generation has gotten behind. It just so happens that believing in this vision also means buying iPhones, iPads, and iMacs—because what Apple does is sell computers.
Apple’s competitors don’t seem to provide as strong a why. They focus more on what their products are like and what features they have. They also don’t receive the same adoration as Apple—even though their products are as good, and sometimes better.
The response to why
Connecting through why uses a part of the brain responsible for feelings and decision-making. It makes people feel and believe in what you do. Simon notes, “if you talk about what you believe, you will attract those who believe what you believe.” These are the people you want supporting your company from the start.
When you give people a reason for doing what you do, your vision becomes theirs too. This is how great leaders inspire others to, “be loyal and want to be a part of what they do,” according to Simon.
The takeaway
The most successful brands and leaders, regardless of their industry, communicate their message from the inside out. Why you do what you do should be the basis for any organization, movement, or idea, and the how and what will fall into place—that’s what the most extraordinary leaders do.
So, why do you do what you do? Inspire us in the comments!
Written by Martin Douglas Hendry
A brilliant pitch can bag you big business. But pitching doesn’t always come easy. So how do you prepare for a pitch? To learn the tricks of the trade, we asked Katrina Vines, a freelance marketing consultant, to tell us her secrets to pitching. Over to you Katrina!
I like pitching. I spend a big chunk of my time in advertising agencies securing new business and building client relationships. I really enjoy the buzz that comes with giving the presentation, but it wasn’t always this way. Here are my insider tips to help settle your nerves and set you up for success.
First and foremost
I’m going to assume that you have a genuine passion for your business idea, product, or service and you’re convinced that it’s the best for the job. If so – that’s half the battle won. Real belief and enthusiasm will outshine everything you say, write, and do. And that will impress your potential clients.
Similarly, you need to know what your business stands for and be able to get people excited about it—quickly. I suggest having an ‘elevator pitch’ ready. This may feel a bit robotic at first, but it does pay to write a paragraph or some bullet points on what makes you and your product or service different. What you say impacts what someone thinks of your business, so don’t waffle. Use natural, everyday language.
Prove yourself
Before you invite people to hear your pitch, make sure your credentials are in order. Write a case study at the end of every completed project, comprising what, when, where, why, and how you delivered it. Ask your satisfied clients for references too. If you’ve yet to have a paid client of your own, don’t worry – any relevant experience either under previous employers or unpaid work still counts. If you haven’t been doing this, I’d say start now. I have often struggled to pull together relevant examples of my work in a last-minute panic, and believe me, you don’t need the extra pressure when you’re facing a pitch.
Research is key
To truly differentiate yourself, you need to know what your competition is up to. Get up to speed with the trends and developments in your industry. This means being vocal and active in all the relevant channels as a matter of course. Going to events, subscribing to (and reading) industry publications, and keeping abreast of social media, to name a few.
So you’ve got your credentials sorted, you are completely clued up on the market, and can explain exactly why your business is the best at what it does. And now you’ve been asked to meet a potential client. What next? Naturally, you’ll need to do a ton of research. Mainly, you’ll need to understand what makes them tick and which of their problems you are going to help solve. How are they performing in the market? What were their biggest successes? What are their biggest challenges? What are they like as people?
The pitch itself
Always remember: the meeting is about your client and the solution you’re providing to their problem. Constantly ask yourself whether you’ve done what the brief asked for and whether you’ve provided a clear and interesting set of solutions to help your potential client. And of course, you need to set aside plenty of time to rehearse properly. That means practice in front of other people, on your own, in front of a mirror, and with a timer.
On a practical note, make sure the technical setup of the room is prepared for you, or request to get there early to set it up yourself. Make sure you’ve tested the device you’re presenting from and see if it connects with the screen in the room, and if the audio will reach everyone in the room. You don’t want to end up presenting via the medium of interpretive mime. (I have tried this and although it was fun, it didn’t work).
On another practical note, make sure you’ve got a bottle of water, gum or breath freshener, and some tissues handy in case you get dry-mouthed or runny-nosed when you’re nervous—like me.
The final touch
Without a doubt you’ll have a fresh bunch of slick Business Cards to leave with each person. Also, think about what else you’ll leave behind after your presentation, especially if you covered a lot of information. A one-page executive summary printed on your Letterhead, to accompany a bound copy of your fully annotated presentation will ensure you’re not forgotten.
We know you love TED talks, but don’t always have the time. So you don’t miss out, here’s our snackable summary. Your body language shapes who you are by Amy Cuddy.
Body language comes first
Amy is a celebrated social psychologist, Harvard professor and body language expert. She believes nonverbal communication impacts the way we see and judge each other and impacts things like who we hire or promote.
Dominance
One of the key things body language communicates is dominance. In the animal kingdom, power is conveyed through expanding, becoming bigger…think of a gorilla standing tall, beating its chest. And humans do the same thing (well, almost the same thing). Those in power tend to stand taller, their posture is straight with shoulders back. When we feel powerless we do exactly the opposite; our shoulders slump and we look towards the floor. We make ourselves smaller.
We complement each other
When interacting with another person, we naturally complement the other person’s nonverbal communication. So if the other person is being really powerful and big, you will tend to make yourself smaller. We don’t mirror them. We do the opposite of them.
The science bit
Amy’s research found that powerful people were more confident and calm in stressful situations because they had higher levels of a “dominance” hormone (testosterone) and lower levels of a “stress” hormone (cortisol) in their brains than others people. She conducted an experiment to discover whether changing body language could alter the levels of these hormones and change not just our behaviour, but the way we feel. Participants were asked to adopt high-power or low power poses for two minutes and then asked how powerful they felt and supply a saliva sample.
Pose for power (in just two minutes)
She found that adopting a power pose for two minutes altered the levels of these hormones in our brains significantly, and impacted behaviour as a result. But the question on the tip of your tongue is, can power posing work in real life? When this was tested in a stressful job interview setting, each participant who practised the high power pose were seen as successful candidates by assessors, regardless of the qualifications or experience of participants who practised a low power pose. They had more presence and confidence than the other candidates.
Two-minute tweaks = big changes
The key message from Amy Cuddy, is that tiny tweaks in body language can lead to big changes. So before you go into the next stressful situation (e.g. a pitch meeting), find a private space, take two minutes to get into a power pose for two minutes and to reconfigure your brain. You’ll get your testosterone up and get your cortisol down. Don’t leave that situation feeling like, oh, I didn’t show them who I am. Leave that situation feeling like, I really feel like I got to say who I am and show who I am.
…Go get ‘em tiger!
Summary by Martin Douglas Hendry