Skip to main content

Diplomacy: An Essential Leadership Quality

    



    Donald Trump has struck a chord with many Americans who like his straight-talk approach to issues that matter to them.  While exciting some, he is simultaneously causing intense agony for others--especially in his own party.  As much as he's brought a freshness to dealing with topics in a direct manner--saying what some Americans have said in their homes, protest gatherings, and in town hall meetings--he has crossed lines in how he makes his comments.  Sometimes being too direct can have a counterproductive effect.  He turns some on and turns some off.  He gets cheers, and he gets jeers.  He draws some to him while alienating others.  We know this is to be expected for anyone running for political office.  A political leader simply can't satisfy all people.  He or she will always frustrate someone.  But Trump has created a dichotomy in his forward speeches by drawing high levels of adoration and mounting levels of animosity and hatred.  Here's why:
    One essential quality every great leader must possess is diplomacy.  Being direct is necessary and important in leading an organization or team.  People appreciate disposing of all the fluff and getting to the point.  But they also appreciate empathy and civility.  Comments without attacks and judgment are necessary to move negotiations forward in a productive manner.  Leaders who come across too strongly in sensitive situations are an immediate turn off, and discussions can stall.  Great leaders should be savvy enough to know when to push forward and when to pull back.  People like Trump need to be able to show that he can sit in a summit with other powerful leaders and not cause a war.  Diplomacy requires thoughtfulness and self control. There is no room for communications blunders in high stakes conversation--no room for childish name-calling, unfounded accusations, tantrums, and divisive speech.
    Here are three things a diplomatic leader does well:

  1. Remain aware of his or her surroundings so that communications and actions can be tempered to meet the situation.
  2. Recognize that timing matters in delivering news of importance, and patience is critical to making an appropriate impact.
  3. Consider tone, word choice, and body language when speaking on matters of import.
     Even if you don't lead a team, diplomacy is necessary in all communications.  Practice and master this skill for greater success in building professional networks and relationships.

   
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When Your "Jokes" Get You in Trouble

         Everybody loves a good laugh. We feel better when we hear something funny and our anxiety or pain is eased because humor has come as a balm in a tense day. Laughter is beneficial to our emotional and physical health. Well-placed humor works easily in a lot of ways when we are telling stories, but can also come at a huge cost. If we joke about a topic that is sensitive to many, and we do it in a public forum where our intent can be misconstrued by the audience, then we can create a firestorm of frustration for ourselves and them.      A recent example of a humor faux pas involves rapper T.I. and his comments regarding how he checks for his daughter's virginity.  He claimed in a podcast that when his 18-year-old daughter goes to the gynecologist, he tells the doctor to check her hymen to make sure it's still intact--an indication that she is still a virgin. Though this is not an accurate test of virginity, T.I. says...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Talk About Race: A Panel Discussion

Post a Comment
Read more

How to Stop Interruptions in Conversations

     So you're sitting in a meeting, and you begin to answer a question that has been directed toward you by your boss.  You get through about half of your response when a colleague jumps in and offers his take and essentially silences you.  There is evidence that if you are a woman, this will happen to you more often than if you are a man, and it's likely to happen to you by both genders.      Interruptions in communications like this happen all the time whether you're in a group offering your opinion or one-on-one sharing a story.  Regardless of the setting, we all find it annoying and rude.  These disruptions of dialogue hamper thought processes, contribute to misunderstandings, and devalue people's input.  So what do we do when they keep happening to us?  A few worthy suggestions can be found in Kathryn Vasel's article,  "Next time someone interrupts you in a meeting, try this" .      But what...
1 comment
Read more