I am so often confronted with straightforward, compelling logic which later leads to reflection and a subsequent, "now hold on a bit".
John Maxwell has just released a book about connecting versus communicating and my instinct was to say, "amen", as have his many loyal fans. Of course I have yet to read the book, which licences me to be objective around the idea without being critical of the content. That said, let me add that Maxwell is a sound author, worthy of all respect - so do read his book.
Starting with my blog about Hitler and Churchill and the transactions that defined their leadership, I asked the question, "Did they connect?" The truth is that neither did. Churchill was blatantly ignored by parliament and the public, until crisis made his message more compelling. No transaction was possible until the people were ready to hear. His message never changed, but the audience and the climate for listening did. Should he have changed his stance to a more popular, relevant issue? How could he, given his absolute convictions about the impending threat of Hitler.
Actually Adolf also failed to connect. He was douwnright offensive to his own in his emerging years, but once the people perceived that he might put Germany back on the map his cause gained broader support - germans were even willing to shut their eyes and minds to Nazi excesses in return for the new possibilities that Hitler evidently promised - and to the poor, struggling masses that made sense.
The prophets of old generally failed to connect and even distanced themselves from everyday society. They were pugnacious, direct, offensive and dressed badly. That never deterred them as they kept up their provocations until their prophecies came to pass or the people humbled themselves. They only connected when their message started to resonate with reality and even then many hardened their hearts, but the message had to be sounded whether they reciprocated or not because such is the nature of a prophet.
Paul was often disconnective. He happily offended the house of Diana and turned the world upside down, regardless of the risks. He did similar things elsewhere. So did Jesus. Yet, with time their message was validated and found its target, but only when individuals saw the value of the transaction - then they traded their souls for truth, a very significant transaction that often cost their lives.
Indeed God breaks all the contemporary rules of connectiveness - He never amplifies His message, but speaks through a still, small voice. He never instructs, but influences. He generally tells it how it is and we generally reel back until we come to terms with His truth. He often leads people into wild desert places to reach us, rather than popular forums or auditoria. He is generally silent, His ways are hard to find and He is shrouded in mystery. Yet countless souls have reached out hungrily for Him and followed Him to the ends of the earth, not because He is chic, popular or relevant, but because He is so compelling.
Many firms use negative advertising to get attention. They deliberately disconnect and provoke controversy then feed on all the negative publicity to gain traction with their target audiences - in doing so they apply a lesson that harks back to childhood, where strategic withdrawals and sulking are often rewarded with positive attention. Is that all healthy or good? No, yet when he offended the followers of Diana, Paul effectively fed on the resulting negative publicity, whether his strategy was deliberate or incidental.
All leaders communicate. In doing so they channel their energy towards people, the way a power station channels its power to consumers. Electricity not used is lost forever, just as a leader's words can fall on deaf ears - for until the respondent switches on and transacts no meaning will be traded. Yet even then, if they connect for the sake of amusement or interest, the connection will yield little or no change. It is only when the audience is ripe for the message that a true transaction will happen. Sadly, many charismatic leaders feel that their job is done if they are there and if they also successfully ra-ra, amplify, haul out the dancing girls and make a spectacle, yet all they achieve is bemused detachment, not sustainable action.
Can we connect and get a response? Yes, but lets get into that later.
(c) Peter Eleazar @ www.4u2live.net
No comments:
Post a Comment