It's About You, Not Just The Details, That Produces Decisions

We often find ourselves in situations that necessitate an ability to excellently explain one's positions and reasoning, in order to get others to buy into our vision and resultant course of action. As in sales, great leaders must entice listeners to listen more carefully, care more, and become motivated sufficiently to cause a positive and meaningful reaction. Most listeners become easily distracted and stop paying attention when someone simply describes features and advantages, because they really want to know how these purported features impact them in a positive and meaningful manner.
Unless the advantages are presented in a relevant manner that ties together the features offered and how they will improve someone's life or situation, they become relevantly irrelevant. One can never truly lead when others consider his words to be irrelevant. True relevance comes as a result of two main factors: 1) Whether people are made to care about what something does for them, and why that is important; and 2) Whether others believe in the messenger, and feel he empathizes and cares about them, and will actually perform as he promises.

1. For example, many real estate professionals offer features rather than actions and relevance, as the reason to do business with them. This is also true for many in leadership, who almost appear emotionally detached (even when they might care deeply) because they speak in impersonal generalities. Realtors who focus on features such as their website, corporate structure, volume, name recognition, etc. often are overlooked for consideration, because many homeowners would prefer to business with someone who carefully explains what each of these features will offer them, and how it might expedite the homeowner achieving his goal. For example, when the focus is on goals, such as selling one's home at the highest possible price (in the existing market conditions), in the shortest period of time, with the least degree of hassle, often are far more motivating than the agent that goes into detail about features. Leaders that focus on specifics and their meaning, rather than on generalities and rhetoric, face a far easier road in terms of motivating others to buy into their approach and vision.

2. In nearly situation and walk of life, people prefer doing business with, and even listening to, those that they feel are being the most sincere, being the most effective listeners, and maintaining absolute integrity. This may be lumped into the category of whether or not someone believes and trusts another, and unless there is some sort of personal connect (instead of disconnect).

Great leadership, which means striving for the most optimal and successful results, requires an understanding that the most essential component of any message is the efficacy of the messenger! Do others truly believe in you?