I enjoy watching the news before leaving the house. Recently
I watched a reporter tell the story of a Floridian escapee. As the escapee
swiftly moved through the streets, an officer passionately pursued in his SUV.
As the officer got right next to the fleeing escapee the officer barked out,
“Stop!” It was to no avail. The officer raised his tone and added more
emphasis, “Please, stop!” Each demand fell on seemingly deaf ears. Despite the
lights and sirens of the officer’s truck as well as the authority of the
officer, the escapee was not concerned.
As the reporter ended the news segment she chuckled the
question, “Why didn’t the officer just say woah?”
The escapee was a horse.
I love this story! It is a personification of the
communication challenges that leaders typically face. Quite often we believe
that because of our title, our age, or our gender that people should
immediately respect our commands.
When people do not swiftly respond to our authority it usually
has little to do with our title and more to do with how we communicate.
Proverbs 18:2 relates, “A fool takes no pleasure in
understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.”
There has to be a place of mutual understanding before
real progress can be made.
Fussing without figuring out how to properly
communicate is a waste of breath and time.
Paul said, “When I am with those who are weak, I share their
weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common
ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22
NLT).
This is a challenge to anyone. Have you really made
conscious effort to adequately communicate? In Steven Covey's, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he wrote that we should seek first to understand, then to be understood. Before you get annoyed, get a better
idea of all that is really going on.
Communication is crucial to achieving any goal. Take time this week to consider what you are saying, who you are saying it to, and how you are saying it. Even if your intentions are awesome how you articulate those intentions is just as important.
Learn the language of your audience and speak well!
Communication is crucial to achieving any goal. Take time this week to consider what you are saying, who you are saying it to, and how you are saying it. Even if your intentions are awesome how you articulate those intentions is just as important.
Learn the language of your audience and speak well!
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