A new excellent guest on the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Lecture Series - Guy Kawasaki - I recommend viewing the video or, at least, listening to the podcast. The following paragraphs are a personal summary of the ideas presented by Mr Kawasaki. My proposal will be to have the IT security world in mind when reading this text and think how much (or less) of all this we already do (or can do)?
He presented some recommendations on how to be enchanting. He used the 10 point format so that the audience know when the presentation ends. He mentioned that normally CxOs go long and they are boring when they present. Sometimes, in security conferences, I wish the presenter could be both specific and entertaining.
Tips for the art of enchantment
First, you need to be likeable. For this, improve your smile, using the muscles that surround your eyes, and certainly the jaw muscles, dress for a tie with your audience i.e. follow their same level of elegance and have a great handshake because first impressions are important.
Second, after likeability, the next step is trustworthiness. For that, I highlight these points:
- If you can't do something, find someone who could do it for you better.
- Don't ask someone something you would not do yourself.
- Empower people to do tasks.
- Don't micromanage.
- Provide people with a high purpose.
How to enchant as a leader
Provide your people with a MAP:
- Mastery: The possibility to learn and excel on the things they do.
- Autonomy: The chance to perform tasks themselves.
- A higher purpose.
- Any company needs first to trust their people (employees, customers) and then they will trust the company.
- There are 2 kinds of people, eaters and bakers, the first ones see situations as zero sum games, the bakers see ways to get bigger and more pies for everyone.
- If you would like to enchant, then default to yes, think how you can help that person.
How to enchant with your products
Your products need to be DICEE:
- deep
- intelligent
- complete
- elegant
- empowering
- Your message need to be short sweet and "swallowable".
- Important point, present in many thought leaders today, tell a story, why did you start your company, your plan, your adventure?
- Before failing, consider you have failed and conduct a pre-mortem analysis, that way everyone around a product can speak freely and with less emotional load.
- Plant many seeds to obtain your critical mass.
- Use simple and understandable features, salient points, to sell your product.
- Discover who are the influencers? Most of the times, the influencers are not the executives. Executives are very high in the ladder. The air is thinner high in the ladder. Thin air is not good for intelligence.
- Forget the use of money with your customers, it brings complexity and lack of veracity.
- Sharing and glory, people don't do it for money
Invoke reciprocation
More than answering a "thank you" with a "you are welcome", tell them "I know you would do the same thing for me". This way, you tell them that you have class and ...that they owe you.
Enchanting up
Do what managers tell you to do, create a quick prototype, take little time to come back to show them if you are on the right track and, show them problems early, and preferably, propose a way forward.
Final thoughts
- in every presentation, customise the intro with local photos, sell your dream when you speak, use 10 slides for 20 minutes and 30 points font.
- Eliminate complexity.
- Answer within 24 hours.
- Use social networking, don't leave it only for when you have spare time.
Do you enchant while doing your job in IT security?
Happy enchantment!
