A friend recently sent me a great article from Google’s SVP of Product Strategy, Jonathan Rosenberg. He breaks down his 42 Rules to Lead By. Don’t worry, I’m not listing all 42 this morning, but they are so great, that I am dedicating today, and the next 5 Monday Mornings to share with you.
Mr. Rosenberg breaks them down into Communication, Culture, Team Building, Decision Making, Innovation, and Humility, and they are worth the read.
Communication
- Be a broken record. When you think you’ve communicated something too much, you’re probably just beginning to get through,” says Rosenberg, stressing the importance of all-hands meetings, regular emails, office hours and team off-sites. Even if you’re truly surrounded by the smartest people you’ve ever met, assume all of them are busy with a hundred other things on their minds. “There is no such thing as too much communication.”
- Share everything. Hide nothing. “At Google, our default mode was to share all information,” he says. We strived to empower everyone equally from an information standpoint. In the internet age, power comes from sharing information not hoarding it.” Employees like being trusted and hate being surprised. A policy of complete transparency feeds these needs. “Back up your position with data. You don’t win arguments by saying, “I think.” You win by saying, “Let me show you.”
- Every word matters. A leader’s words should always be thoughtful and precise – everything you say will be interpreted. “Be crisp and direct and choose each word wisely,” Rosenberg advises. “Communication isn’t rambling on in long-winded emails or spewing out every thought that comes to your head.” He quotes author Elmore Leonard. When asked what has made him so successful as a writer, Leonard famously said, “I leave out the parts that people skip.”
- Tell Stories. Great leaders are great teachers. And great teachers are great storytellers. “Narrative is how we learn. If you want to be a leader, you will teach and tell stories. The two are inseparable.”
- Stop talking, already. You’ll never learn anything if you’re too busy talking. “Listening makes you more humble, more intuitive and smarter,” Rosenberg says. “Talking does none of these things. It just enamors you with your own eloquence. Too many people spend their time talking about how they think something works, when they could just listen to someone who knows. “But if you must talk, ask questions. People learn more from your questions than from your answers. It makes them think and explore the choices with you.”
- But, if you know the answer. There’s a time for listening and there’s a time for straight talk. If you do know an answer beyond a shadow of a doubt, say something! Anything else wastes everyone’s time. “State the answer and don’t ask more questions,” Rosenberg says.
Next week we will learn about Jonathan Rosenberg’s leadership advice on Culture. Until then, be the great leader you are and communicate so people will stop to listen and repeat to others what you say.
Make it a great day!