Friend Sanford wrote an insightful piece on how being a jerk just doesn’t work….even and perhaps especially if the jerk happens to be brilliant and RIGHT about saving lives. Please read his blog “Its Harder to Inspire the World if You are a Jerk” (What I write below refernces Sanfords article.)
It got me remembering times where I have heard people complaining that “No One Listens.”…and within just seconds of listening to them complain… I know exactly why no one does. They have an unpleasant tone, approach or spirit. They are toxic, they are whiners, they present themselves poorly, and often struggle to get to the point. They want to be heard, validated and even celebrated for their insight…but don’t seem to expend any effort on their presentation skills, language skills or the context that their “listeners” are listening from. They are jerks…but don’t seem to know it, or wrongly believe that they shouldn’t have to think about how they come across. In short we the idea holders are often the very biggest barriers to the solutions these ideas might provide because we haven’t yet learned how to communicate them in a way that is palatable to the world around us.
The best ideas don’t always win…. rather the ideas that win are the ones that are best communicated.
Two of my very favorite books on this subject are = Made to Stick and The Leaders Voice
When I think of how this Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis discovery could have saved so many lives if only he had not been such a jerk in how he shared his idea with others…. I am inspired to work harder on improving the way I communicate. I may not save lives…but I may save some frustration in the lives of others ….and my own.
Kirk out
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