Good and proper verbal communication is an absolute requirement among people when it comes to the subject of real and lasting leadership. Far too many times when people are working together, one or two of the people involved usually winds up doing most all of the talking, directing, or giving of orders to the others.
It is common knowledge that the human brain is not capable of doing two different things or activities simultaneously. A person simply cannot talk and listen at the same time. True leaders full well know this truth of life. Consequently, it is always much wiser for a wanna-be leader to obediently follow the commands of the Lord God whenever he or she is performing in a leadership role with other people. The Book of Proverbs gives us many truths about the use of our own brains, lips, tongues, and speech. However, specific guidance is given to us in the Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 5, verses 1–3, NKJV:
(1) “Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw
near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for
they do not know that they do evil.
(2) Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter
anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you
on earth; therefore LET YOUR WORDS BE FEW.
(3) For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice
is known by his many words.”
Isn’t it wonderful that our Lord is always so very specific and succinct whenever He gives us personal instructions?
Let’s face it. Most wanna-be-leaders do far too much talking. This statement would apply equally as well to fully established leaders. They dominate most conversations by doing the talking, never allowing another participant in the conversation a chance to say much of anything. And then, worse, whenever someone else finally begins to speak their opinions, the “wanna-be-leader” or the one who “thinks-he-already-is-a-leader” is always interrupting the new participant before hearing them out.
Anyone who desires or actually thinks they are a leader of other people would do well for themselves to reread that last paragraph, and heed it’s advice!
As a general “rule of thumb” here is a good guideline to know is always in place: The overly talkative, always dominant,…type of leader seldom remains the recognized real leader of the group by everyone in the organization except himself.
People like to talk. They desire to have their voices heard and respected whether they are agreed with or not. Every participant of any group or organization is important and they deserve to be heard. That cannot happen if the dominant type leader is always running his or her mouth. God gave most all of us a pair of ears to be used, but only one mouth. Could there be a hidden lesson there regarding the use of your input and output capabilities?
Knowing how to listen and then actually listening to others almost always puts you in an advantageous position when dealing with other people. If you truly do want to become a better leader than you presently are, consider making some adjustments in your listening and talking habits so as to conform yourself to this sound personal advice:
Talk low, talk slow, and don’t say too much.
Allow me to share a quick story with you that will help make my points a little clearer.
There once was a young, highly motivated, and extremely aggressive computer salesman named Jack. He was always anxious to perform well for his employer which would, of course, only happen by him making some rather sizable sales to the firm’s many clients. Jack was delighted when one of his clients expressed to him a great interest in buying a used computer system—one that Jack had personally installed only two years ago, but had been recently replaced with an upgraded model. After prolonged and careful calculation and consultation with his home office, Jack fixed a price of $800,000 for the used system and documented all of his reasons for requesting that sizable amount.
As Jack sat down to negotiate, he heard in his mind an “inner voice” say, “Wait! Let them do the initial talking.”
The buyers quickly filled the silence with a long rundown of their own research about this particular computer system’s strengths and weaknesses, the age of the equipment, and the need for new upgraded software. “Can you throw new upgraded software into the deal?” one of the buyers boldly asked. “Sure” Jack offered. The buyers then said,
“We will give you $950,000 for the system, but not a penny more.”
Less than an hour later, the paperwork was signed and Jack walked away with a much better deal than he had imagined, having said little more than, “Thank you.”
Sometimes the best thing to say is,…nothing!
God certainly had it right in His original design of man: two ears, two eyes, two nostrils, two hands,…but only one mouth fully controlled by one brain!
Leaders Gotta Lead…………