Auf den Punkt kommen Archive - Page 2 of 12

Choosing “no”

A “no” to excessive jargon is an embrace of clear, straightforward language that every listener, regardless of their background, can understand.

A “no” to redundant meetings is a commitment to purposeful collaboration.

A “no” to information overload is a commitment to prioritize, ensuring clarity over clutter.

A “no” to lengthy emails signals respect for the recipient’s time and attention.

A “no” to generic statements is a push for specificity, ensuring that feedback, directions, and insights are meaningful and actionable.

A “no” to speaking without listening underlines that everyone’s on the team for a reason.

A “no” to speaking for the sake of speaking ensures that when words are spoken, they carry weight and relevance.

“No” is a choice.

In the vast sea of words and information, sometimes what you choose not to say or include makes what you do communicate all the more powerful. As leaders, embracing these principles can elevate our communication, making every interaction more meaningful and impactful.

Keep lighting the path!

The double-edged “yes”

Hidden within every “yes”, there’s an implicit “no”.

Steve Jobs famously said that he was as proud of the things he hasn’t done as he is about those he did do. For him, saying “no” to many ideas meant that he had more time to focus on the things that deeply mattered to him and that he really did say “yes” to.

It’s an insight we tend to forget. Saying “yes” to one thing means saying “no” to all the things you could be doing instead of the thing you said “yes” to.

Saying “yes” often feels like the most harmonious response. Whether it’s agreeing to a colleague’s project proposal, accepting a social invitation, or undertaking a new responsibility, a “yes” can carry a world of positivity and opportunity.

But every choice has an opportunity cost. Each time we say “yes” to one endeavor, we are (consciously or unconsciously) saying “no” to another. Agreeing to work late on a project means declining the family dinner. Accepting an invitation for dinner with Tom means we can’t go out with Tim. These implicit “nos” often go unrecognized, but they have a profound impact on our time, priorities, and overall well-being.

Every “yes” is not just an acceptance, but also a decline of alternative possibilities. But is that what you really want?

Getting awareness of this duality allows us to be more deliberate in our choices and ensure that when we do say “yes”, it’s to the things that align most closely with our values and objectives.

Embracing “no” is not about becoming negative or closed-off. Rather, it’s about recognizing the interconnected nature of our decisions and the implicit trade-offs within them. It’s about making the unconscious conscious and empowering ourselves to choose with greater clarity.

How do you choose?

Slow down

Usually, the first idea is not the most creative. Or the funniest. It’s not the most sophisticated. Or the clearest.

That’s why I designed the 5 day “Crack the clarity code” journey to move you beyond the first idea.

The course helps you find the right words and communicate your ideas with irresistible clarity. But it doesn’t happen quickly, sorry. In fact, during the course, I deliberately slow you down to give you time to think each step of the journey through and look at it from different angles. That’s where the good ideas live.

If you’d watch the videos back to back, it would take you less than 40 minutes. But I won’t let you. Because the magic is in doing the work. And in taking the time to think things through before you move on to the next step.

The reward for slowing down is this: Once it’s there, clarity is the ultimate accelerator. Without clarity, speeding up will only lead you to move faster into the wrong direction. But with clarity … well, you get the idea.

“Crack the Clarity Code” is currently on sale for $29. Are you ready to slow down?

Is this idea crazy?

Recently, Jonathan Stark ran a great exercise to rethink how to start your talk:

… imagine that you simply walk on, write a single word on the board, and then just stand there until people either start asking questions or leave.

One word. To create the tension that opens up a discussion.

Not a word to summarize your talk.
A word to light a path into your talk.

What would be yours?

PS: Hit reply to let me know. If I get more than 30 responses, I’ll share mine.

Simplicity

Contrary to popular belief simplicity is not the opposite of complexity but the prerequisite.

It’s through simplicity that we open our audience’s minds for the complexity underneath.

It’s through simplicity that we make sense of the underlying complexity.

Simplicity is the interface that helps us access complexity. And it’s your job to craft that interface for your audience.

Subtract and amplify

When a story doesn’t work, the default approach is to add more information. Explain it in greater detail. Come up with more reasons for why the approach you’re promoting is so obviously the right thing to do.

While lack of information was actually never the problem.

Quite the opposite: Your audience felt already overwhelmed or confused (and maybe both). It already was too much information so that they couldn’t figure out what’s the point, really.

Instead of adding to the confusion, great communicators ask: What’s the essence of the story? And how can I amplify that?

Subtracting the non-essential and amplifying the essential is how leaders light the path.

Are you willing to compromise?

A word of caution: You’re never going to find focus if you’re not willing to compromise.

Focusing means making decisions and dismissing many paths in order to get farther on the one path.

Leaders who master focus understand that by sticking to their focus they won’t always make the perfect decision. Instead they bet on things to be better overall and in the long run.

By not having to make this decision at each single crossing they can confidently walk their path, knowing that they’ll miss out on some beautiful landscapes but being certain that they’ll be rewarded with a breathtaking view that not many have enjoyed before.

10 thoughts on focus

The best communicators find the courage to cut to the core, separate the signal from the noise and direct everyone’s energy on what matters most.

Where others are overwhelmed with choice, leaders who master focus point us in the right direction. Where others are torn between alternatives, they make us see how to make that choice.

I’ve written down 10 thoughts on what they do differently and I’ve assembled a free workbook to help you apply these thoughts to your own communication.

Check it out at https://michaelgerharz.com/focus.

PS: If you find it useful, please share it with a friend!

Valuing my time

In a fast paced world like ours, attention is among the most precious resources of any audience.

Which makes the ability to find the words that glue your audience to your lips (or their screen) invaluable when you’re a content creator.

And yet, as a content consumer there’s one thing I value even more: Getting to the point.

I appreciate a good story and I admire your skills in creating tension with your story. But I don’t appreciate you wasting my time with tension that leads nowhere, tension that’s just there to keep me hooked … and hooked … and hooked … and … you get the idea.

The creators I keep coming back to are the ones who value my time. They grab my attention and get me in quick. But they let me get out just as quick – at the earliest possible time, not the latest.

They give me the context I need. They give me the info I want. And then they trust me with the decision to come back tomorrow for what else they have to say.

Which I will. (Unlike with time wasters.)

Super focused communication

“So, what was the talk about?”
The best communicators don’t leave this to chance. They carefully focus their story to deliver a lasting impact.

The default mode to communication is very different. It goes something like this: I’m just going to tell you everything and you’re going to be convinced. But we all know how that usually turns out.

Let’s change this. I’m hosting a live event on April, 25th to help you become a super-focused communicator. Based on my work with leaders across the globe, you’ll learn how to:
💪 find the courage to truly cut to the core,
💡 separate the signal from the noise and
🙌 direct everyone’s energy on what matters most, no matter how complex the task at hand is.

Where others are overwhelmed with choice, leaders who master focus point us in the right direction. Where others are torn between alternatives, they make us see how to make that choice.

Remember: If you don’t decide on what matters most, your audience is going to decide for you. And you might not like their choice. It’s always better to find that courage yourself.

Join me on April, 25th … it’s free: https://michaelgerharz.com/live.

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