The Leaders Fallacy May Be Howard Deans Undoing

Howard Dean's tenure as chairman of the Democratic National Committee will be fleeting unless he avoids a common leadership trap I call it, the "Leader's Fallacy".

Leaders adhere to the Leader's Fallacy when they believe their enthusiasm for a particular leadership challenge is automatically reciprocated by the people they lead.

However, in leadership, automatic reciprocity is an illusion. Just because you as a leader are motivated, doesn't mean that the people are motivated too. Howard Dean is a case in point. Uttering the "Dean Screech" during the Democratic primary, he certainly was motivated. But that display of motivation turned off a lot of people and caused his candidacy to fizzle.

The Leader's Fallacy looms large as Dean leads the DNC. Sure, he's motivated to extend the Democrats reach into the grassroots of our nation's electorate and turn red states into blue. But his motivation isn't really the issue. It's a given. After all, if he's not motivated, he shouldn't be leading the DNC.

Here's the real issue, and I wonder if Dean and his lieutenants at the DNC understand it: Can he transfer his motivation to large segments of American voters, especially turned-off Democrats and even some Republicans, so they become as motivated as he is about Democratic values?

There's a simple, powerful antidote for the Leader's Fallacy. I've been teaching it to leaders of all ranks and functions worldwide. It's the Leadership Talk. Many leaders fall into the clutches of the Leader's Fallacy when they give speeches and presentations. Speeches and presentations simply communicate information. There's another, far more effective means of leadership communication. That's the Leadership Talk. Unlike speeches and presentations, the Leadership Talk helps the leader forge deep, human, emotional connections with audiences. Establishing such connections with grassroots voters is absolutely necessary for the Democrats' success.

To give a Leadership Talk, leaders must first answer "yes" to three simple questions: "Do you know what the audience needs?" "Can you transfer your deep believe to others so they believe as strongly as you do about the challenges you face?" And, "Can you have that audience take ardent action that gets results?" If a leader says "no" to any one of those questions, he/she can't give a Leadership Talk.

If Dean and the Democrats want to reverse the Republican tide and reach voters' hearts and minds in America's heartland, they must trash their speeches and presentations and start giving Leadership Talks. They must have the Leadership Talk be a cornerstone of the DNC communication strategy. They must get thousands of Democratic cause leaders out in the hinterland constantly giving Leadership Talks. Otherwise, they'll be victims of the Leader's Fallacy -- confused about how come they personally are so pumped up, so motivated on one hand and yet are failing so miserably on the other.

2005 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com

The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. ? and for more than 20 years has been helping leaders of top companies worldwide get audacious results. Sign up for his free leadership e-zine and get a free white paper: "49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results," at http://www.actionleadership.com

---

Don?t Get Down ? Manage Up!

"Experience is not what happens to a man; it is... Read More

5 Ways of Increasing Business Profits

The economy may finally be turning around and showing signs... Read More

Your Organization Is Only as Good as Your People

Let's begin by singing the jingle from an old US... Read More

Employee Retention: Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business

The retention of highly skilled knowledge workers is one of... Read More

Business Innovation ? Organizational Culture

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

How to Coach Your Emplyees and Increase Motivation

It is easy to spot the difference between a work... Read More

Getting to Consensus

The need to get people in an organization to pull... Read More

Cheat Sheet; Understanding The MSDS and Your Obligations In The Workplace To Employees

MSDS SHEETSMSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheets. MSDS sheets... Read More

Magnificent Meetings - 5 Tips for Success

Your impact at meetings will determine in a big way... Read More

Islam in the Workplace

Suggested practice for HR personnelMuslims now form one of the... Read More

Know Your Business! - 7 Key Questions You Must Ask

You need to know all that is going on around... Read More

Introducing the 15 Frameworks of Successful Self-Employed Professionals

A framework is a way of thinking, a point-of-view, a... Read More

People - You Cant Make Them What Theyre Not

Many business people and managers are spending too much time... Read More

Successful Business Decision Making

Some people make decisions without any difficulty, while others struggle.... Read More

Are You Ready to Sell Your Business

Make Sure You Understand Your Motivation for SellingAre you thinking... Read More

Project Management - I Want It ALL

The knee-jerk response to prioritizing requirements is to mark everything... Read More

Knowing versus Doing - Execution In The Workplace

Have you ever worked with someone who always seemed to... Read More

Empowering Others - Giving Them Some Control

It's been a pretty good weekend around the place -... Read More

Communicating CEOs

I see a PR firm has done a survey on... Read More

How Can A Communications Audit Help You?

Organizations communicate in two directions: internally to staff and externally... Read More

Six Honest Business Friends - They Guide Me In All I Do

SIX "HONEST BUSINESS FRIENDS" - THEY GUIDE ME IN ALL... Read More

The New Economy

This technological revolution has organization, efficiency and productivity requirements well... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Senior Management and Directional Change

This article relates to the Senior/Top Level management of an... Read More

Protect Your Organizations Proprietary Information

The other day one of our overseas clients called in... Read More

10 Ways To Work Through A Business Slowdown

In running any kind of business, it's inevitable that sometimes... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Providing Career Opportunity

This article relates to the Career Opportunity competency, commonly evaluated... Read More

Manage Communication to Add Value

Management guru Tom Peters says white collar workers and managers... Read More

Are You At The Mercy Of Computer Geeks?

Many business owners are sabotaging their business without even realizing... Read More

Getting Information From Prospects

You're at a networking function and you've made that all-important... Read More

Building Trust in Your Business Relationships - 10 Steps

There are some simple things you can do with your... Read More

The Comfort Zone

The Comfort Zone I... Read More

How to Dodge Distribution Difficulties

It happened again. I ran into an old friend while... Read More

A Rare Leadership Skill: Dealing With People Who Want Out By Offering Crowns For Convoy

As a leader, you'll inevitably be faced with people wanting... Read More