Thursday, July 31, 2014

Leaders with a Different Opinion

This week has been extremely busy and I'm sure airlines are happy to have me as a customer. I've been in London, Madrid, Paris and Milan. Spoken with lots of people, ranging from CEOs to SVPs to CTOs of medium sized as well as Fortune 500 companies. I've learned and got inspired in each and every meeting, but there's one that I found particularly interesting.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffsmallwood/
I've met a brilliant leader, working for an extremely large and fast growing organization (yes, that possible) who started his pitch telling me why they are different. That's an effective way of grabbing the attention and being remembered.
We're surrounded by noise and need some tips to understand what are the things that matter most. Additionally, the conversation wasn't one way, but instead a lively exchange of opinions on why our companies can make even a greater difference together.

Sometimes leaders have a vision and are very enthusiastic of what they do. So much so that they take for granted that people understand and share that vision. Taking the time to explain why something is different makes a big difference (pun intended).