Tole's Take

The Cheney-CIA waterboarding issue is starting to smell very bad

The issue over waterboarding and who knew what & when has been hashed over repeatedly.  That said, I can't recall another prominent elected official - in this case, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi - get into a public pissing match with a major bureaucracy (the CIA) and actually come out on top.

Coming on the heels of current CIA director Panetta's testimony this week that the nation's top spy agency concealed information and misled Congress repeatedly over the past 8 years, today we learn that former VP Dick Cheney gave the direct order to conceal the existence of the secret counterterrorism project from the House and Senate.

For a long time, I favored turning the page and simply moving on from the Bush administration issues.  As more facts seep out about torture as an official government policy and the extraordinary efforts to conceal it, however, it forces one to think long and hard about a full-fledged inquiry (perhaps as a South Africa-style Truth and Reconciliation Commission so we can finally move past the issue).

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Great Communicators are Great Explainers

 

If you have ever struggled to communicate your thoughts, passion or vision to others (and marveled at how easily some people like President Obama are able to do it), then this HBS article by John Baldoni will really resonate.

Communicating well is hard work.  A leader needs to ensure he or she delivers straightforward explanations to the twin questions the troops' minds: "what does it mean and why are we doing it?" 

Baldoni lays out three ways to become an effective explainer:

Define what it is. The purpose of an explanation is to describe the issue, the initiative, or the problem. For example, if you are pushing for cost reductions, explain why they are necessary and what they will entail. Put the cost reductions into the context of business operations. Be certain to explicate the benefits.

Define what it isn't. Here is where the leader moves into the "never assume mode." Be clear to define the exclusions. For example, returning to our cost reduction issue, if you are asking for reductions in costs, not people, be explicit. Otherwise employees will assume they are being axed. Leave no room for assumptions. This is not simply true for potential layoffs but for any business issue.

Define what you want people to do. This becomes an opportunity to issue the call for action. Establishing expectations is critical. Cost reductions mean employees will have to do more with less; explain what that will entail in clear and precise terms. Leaders can also use the expectations step as a challenge for people to think and do differently. Your explanation then takes on broader significance.

It's a good, concise article and a nice roadmap to use the next time you need to prepare for a key presentation or communication session.

Barcelona FC "Gladiator" video - if you ever want to inspire the troops

This is awesome.  Check out the Gladiator-inspired video that head coach Pep Guardiola put together to get his squad fired up before they took the pitch against Manchester United in this year's Champions League final.  We all know that Pep's tactic worked to perfection (Go Barca!).

Pep gives a little pep talk (all puns intended) for the first 2 min, then the video really gets going.  You can also buy a commemorative t-shirt on Objectivo.com.