by Don Gomez
Have you ever found yourself in a meeting or gathering expecting to hear one thing from a senior leader but instead hearing something completely different? Something seemingly unrelated to what you thought was important?
“What the hell was that about?” someone might ask as the gathering breaks up.
Or have you ever received an email from senior leader echelons above you addressing a topic with care and candor in an unexpected way?
Was there an odd way that the email was structured? Was the font a different color? Were there variations on bold, italics, or underlined words?
Did it just seem…different? Maybe overtly deliberate?
Over the past few years, I’ve found myself paying closer attention to the behavior, speech, and messaging of senior leaders. I’m not talking about the senior leaders we all see on television or social media – the “echelons above reality” senior leaders. Rather, I’m referencing the senior leaders in our actual organizations. The ones that are closer to us, but who we might not interact with every day.