A Leadership Secret

Written by Ryan Walter

eaders like you, often deliver public and private messages to large groups (this is what I do for a living.) There is a key structural concept or understanding to master as you leaders look to cement your message into the Minds and Hearts of your people, customers and clients.

Here is the secret; Logic creates THINKING... but Emotion creates ACTION.

These two outcomes (Thinking and Action) need to be understood and proactively shaped when connecting with stakeholders. Many coaches and leaders in my NHL past were good at loading what they communicated with facts, figures, statistics and information but were light on generating the team`s emotional feelings that helped people receive this information. Other leaders in my past focused on the "Raw, Raw" (trying to force feelings) and were often light on the important logical content that teams need to win.

Balancing the Logic/Emotion connection is the key to delivering a message that sticks in both the Mind and Heart of your audience. As you may have noticed in my e-newsletter format (and during every session that I deliver for Corporations around the World) I believe that the best way to create the emotional side atmosphere is through metaphors or stories.

People like stories. To highlight this concept, feel how the following metaphor (story) sets your personal atmosphere to receive the principle, the message, the content.

"At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: "When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?" The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe, that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped, comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child." Then he told the following story:
Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they`ll let me play?"

Shay`s father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. Shay`s father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and a few boys nodded approval, why not? So he took matters into his own hands and said, "We`re losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we`ll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning." Shay struggled over to the team`s bench put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father`s joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay`s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay`s team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat.

Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible `cause Shay didn`t even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay`s life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay" Shay reached third base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their feet were screaming, "Shay, run home!" Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team. That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world." Shay didn`t make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his Father so happy."

Now what if I would have given you the information that "humans should look out for each other and find ways to help others be a hero." You would say to me "OK Ryan, we have heard that before"... and perhaps like most delivered advice in life, it would sit un-used.

But after this story hits our very heartstrings we are ready to be reminded of these core ideas again. With this understanding it is important to connect the metaphor with the desired principle. The key principle connected to this story is that life is not only about becoming a hero, but also focusing our lives on helping others, helping teammates become heroes.

Leave your people with a story that illustrates or illuminates your most important message. Connecting these two; Instructing peoples` mind with logic and inspiring their heart emotionally can be a determining factor for what differentiates leaders in the market-place and accelerates your leadership INFLUENCE.
Years after your presentation people may not remember the impressive logic or statistics that you left them... but they will remember your stories.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "One of the illusions of life is that the present hour is not the critical, decisive hour. Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year." Friends, Leaders, promise yourself that you will take action today.