Lights, Camera, Action!

By all accounts, it’s been another eventful year given politics and entertainment world news. What is most fascinating to me is observing what leadership development and communication skills emerged from those handling the unexpected.

No, I’m not going to talk about political leaders or leading entertainers. It’s just been interesting listening to news reports where some were cool as cucumbers and others made statements with emotion written all over their faces. Some avoided the paparazzi altogether.

For example, look at nationally-recognized athletes or the nation’s governors. But, let’s face it: 2009 was an eventful year for leading figures. Let’s see…there was Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, golfer Tiger Woods, tennis superstar Serena Williams at the U.S. Open, Captain Sullenberger (aka Sully) and the Hudson River miracle crash, an arresting officer and noted scholar Henry Louis Gates, a South Carolina senator’s public outburst, singers Chris Brown and Rihanna, television show host David Letterman, and many more.

In light of just a few noteworthy events, I think it is worth noting how these leading figures handled the center stage. Here are some questions I’ve asked myself that you might ponder as well:

1. What message was conveyed by unspoken language (i.e., no public statement, stone-faced reaction, etc.)?
2. What was the body language and posture?
3. What was the tone of the word usage?
4. How were the words and inflection used?
5. How did these leaders express remorse or enthusiasm?
6. How was disagreement stated respectfully?
7. How was concern expressed?
8. How was any formal or written statement received by the public?
9. Was any response from this leading figure a knee-jerk reaction rather than proactive stance?

At the end of the day, we are not here to judge others. However, these significant 2009 experiences in the public eye provide us all with an opportunity to learn better communication skills. We can also develop ourselves as leaders should we ever find ourselves in the center stage. So, how about if we take notes now rather than becoming tomorrow’s news story?