Several years ago, I had the luxury of being coached by Val Wright, author of three award-winning books for leaders. One of her development exercises was to have me articulate my unique value, distinct traits, proudest achievements, and finally, ten leadership soundbites.
I was doing great until the soundbites. I had no pithy phrases. I just said whatever I said in the moment. At the time, I had no idea why soundbites were important to Val. Now I do.
In your work, there are certain truths that you hold as non-negotiable. They are central to the way you work and what you focus on. You might recognize these:
- Measure twice, cut once.
- What gets measured, gets done.
- Inspect what you expect.
- Chance favors the prepared mind.
- Culture eats strategy for breakfast.
Simple, common phrases that capture truth are helpful as keystones to remind ourselves about what we need to do or how we need to do it. Over the years, I’ve developed my own:
- The easiest thing to do during change is nothing.
- Cascading communications are a game of broken telephone.
- We are inherently good at navigating change.
- A detour is never the end of the road.
- Managing change is managing stress.
- Today’s innovation is tomorrow’s expectation.
- Resistance is a continuum.
These phrases have emerged from my work as I took time to reflect on my patterns of guidance for clients. Once the words emerged, I recognized that they had power when repeated. That’s why soundbites are essential. Short, unique phrases that exemplify a truism are memorable and serve as useful guides in our fast-moving world.
Are there soundbites you are known for? Not sure? Ask your team, “What phrases do you commonly hear from me?” If they are drawing a blank, consider an important belief that those you work with need to understand and consider moving it front and center with a short quote. Make yourself memorable.
