Have you ever wondered if writing and speaking are important to your leadership?? It was imperative for Sir Winston Churchill’s leadership.
I recently made a trip to New York partly to visit The Morgan, an exceptional Manhattan museum built around the private library and study of the great American financier J.P Morgan.
I had heard about an exhibit presented there showcasing Sir Winston Churchill?s literary prowess which distinctly marked his leadership. What I saw there left me moved, motivated, and deeply inspired.
As I entered the exhibit room, I had chills as I was greeted by the actual Nobel Prize for literature that Churchill received in 1953, a most evident mark of how talented he was as a writer.
Among many other artifacts, I read handwritten letters and typed speeches with his personal annotations written during different periods of his life as a leader.
As the Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II, Churchill?s written and spoken words inspired a nation and galvanized the world to repel the throngs of evil to preserve freedom and liberty. ?President John F. Kennedy said about Mr. Churchill?s oral and written linguistic abilities a few words that vividly describe its impact. He said, ?He mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.?
So my challenge to you today is this: ??As a leader, do your written and spoken words rouse people into battle???Or are they flat, weak and feeble? Do you stammer, hesitate and have no words when powerful communication is needed??
Here are 4 reasons why we should work to be effective in this area as leaders:
1.???? Words reflect the great hope, faith, and resolve of a leader.
If you have no hope, faith or resolve, then words will mean nothing. ?If you do have them, they need to be captured and transmitted clearly, succinctly and powerfully.
2.???? Words clarify the vision and simplify the strategy.
How many teams do you know that cannot articulate the vision of their organization? ?How many do not know their strategy and how they fit in it? Many?. Let?s not be one of them.
?3.???? Words uplift the tired and the defeated and summon them to action and victory.
No, I am not talking about empty words. ?I am talking about words that reach to the innermost truths of why we should withstand and weather the storm and refuse to give up on our dream!
?4.???? Words correct and bring healing.
The correct words that is.? Solomon said, ?Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.? ?As a leader, do your words bring correction and healing, or conflict and hurt?
So, let us resolve today to become leaders with effective words! ?Words that powerfully reveal our passion for the people we are leading and the mission we are pursuing.
Go forth with purpose!
Your friend,
Question: How?are written and spoken words important in your leadership?
