I have done an enormous amount of business travel in my life. Which means I have spent a significant amount of time in rental cars. And I can think of one time, ONE, where I took a rental car to a car wash and cleaned it up. Why, you ask? I was in Memphis, TN, it was late spring, and that means they were measuring the pollen accumulation in inches. (Joking… sort of!) But the pollen was heavy that week, and I brought my rental car to the carwash simply so I could see out the windshield. That was the only time.
The simple fact is that we take better care of the things we own than the things we rent. When we own the car, we keep it clean, we monitor its usage, take it for checkups, etc. We care for it. When we rent the car, we use it based on our needs, and then just turn over the keys and walk away when we are done with it. Nothing more. It is someone else’s responsibility to care for the car. That’s just human nature.
So why are we talking about rental cars today? What do rental cars have to do with communication and leadership, our typical topics in this space? Because our behavior towards the things we own vs the things we rent is an essential part of human nature. And an understanding of human nature is essential to communication and leadership.
When people feel connected to something, they will care more. When they don’t, they won’t. So when we can create a sense of ownership over a topic, we are much more likely to get buy-in and support from our leaders. When we can create a sense of ownership over the company’s direction and success, we are much more likely to get great employees to commit and be part of the team.
How do we achieve this? When it comes to our communication skills, build your message around outcomes, benefits, and impacts. Don’t just make it about the “what” and the “how.” Make it about the “why.” And not just your own “why.” Make sure to add in a healthy dose of their “why” also.
When it comes to our leadership skills, give your people opportunity, autonomy, and gratitude. Allow them to shape how something gets done. Allow them to have a seat at the table for certain issues. Allow them to have a voice that gets listened to.
In other words, use your communication skills to make the compelling case why they should care and feel that sense of ownership. And use your leadership skills to create the culture where they feel like they own part of the outcome.
Otherwise, your organization or your project will be the proverbial rental car that people use for their own needs, and then just turn in the keys when they are done with you.
I have had both kinds of employees in my career. Some have acted like owners. Some have acted like renters. And perhaps the renters were going to act that way no matter what I did. But I suspect that as I have matured as a communicator and a leader, I have become more skilled at creating a culture of ownership among the people I work with.
No one washes a rental car. That reality guides my approach every day. Make sure to add it into yours as well.
Have a great week.
—
Does your team:
– Overwhelm the audience with too much detail?
– Make things too complicated?
– Fail to ask for what they want or need?
Does your organization:
– Waste time because of poor internal communication?
– Take too long to make decisions?
– Struggle to clarify and frame discussions?
Do your leaders:
– Exhibit poor executive presence?
– Lean on incomplete communication skills?
– Fail to align the organization?
We transform teams and individuals with repeatable toolsets for persuasive communication. Explore training, coaching, and consulting services from The Latimer Group.
Looking for more from The Latimer Group?
Comments