Generating buy-in: Mastering the language of leadership
Generating buy-in
by M Walton
Amacom, 2004
$37.95
According to Aristotle, it’s impossible to think without a mental picture. Thoughts, memories and dreams therefore are a series of stories with pictures, sounds, smells and feelings. It stands to reason then, that managers can most effectively communicate with their people via this most basic language form: a story.
A manager must inspire, lead, cajole, supervise, mentor and more – so many things to so many people. According to Walton, chairman of the Centre for Leadership Communication in the United States, the best way to do this is by leaders telling their own stories.
The leader’s story in this case is the corporate vision, the ‘big picture’. For a leader to succeed, they must be able to inspire and excite their teams thus ensuring their buy-in and turning the vision into a reality.
Generating buy-in: Mastering the language of leadership is very American and examples abound, ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Coca Cola. That aside, the book is very easy to read and the content is drawn from real-life situations. While little of the book relates to how HR professionals can secure specific buy-in from various stakeholders, it is useful in providing insights into the minds of leaders. All in all, quite inspirational.
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