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Faraz Ali - Dynamics of Leadership – News article brief # 1
Article͛s title, publication, date and author
The article was ͚To Sound Like a Leader, Think About What You Say, and How and When You
Say It͛ it was published in ͚Harvard Business Review͛ by Rebecca Shambaugh on October 31,
2017.
What was the article about?
As the name suggests ͚Think About What You Say, and How and When You Say It͛, this article
was about leaders having an executive voice which means thinking strategically and not just
speaking when they͛ve in mind. Looking at the situation, understanding the context, forming
the idea in mind, and then presenting the talk because mostly leadership is not just about how
you perform but about what is your ͚voice͛ what do you say to your team, and how to you
interact. This article also gives example that many people are not promoted in organizations
even they are high potential leaders just because they cannot think strategically. Thinking
strategically develops the skill of problem solving which is the major reason why a leader is a
leader, a leader presents some solution to never ending problem and by leading the entire
team reaches to the solution. If a leader cannot think strategically, then can never suggest or
present solution, but can only pin point problems, which is not what makes that person a
leader. So, by looking at the context, having a vision and then presenting the talk to the team
will build strategic relationships which will enhance a leader͛s effectiveness and he will take the
entire team to the point where they can solve problems.
Who was involved?
This article started with Nancy, who was supposed to present a brief in front of the executive
team on a high-stake project, she started off very well because she was very well prepared on
her content but then in between one of the co-chairs interrupted and said that sorry your
recommendations are not relevant to our business objectives we͛re covering today͛. Then
Nancy took the back foot and stopped her talk, and was just waiting for the meeting to end so
that she can leave. Here, she didn͛t think strategically before the talk, again it is not about how
much you work and perform, but more about how do you lead the group as a leader with your
executive voice. On this project, Nancy was working from last two months but could not
emerge as a leader because of her lack of strategic leadership and strategic thinking.
Why the article was an interest to you?
Personally, I consider critical thinking and communication skill as one of the major contributor
in the success or failure of a person. I think technical skills do matter but soft skills are needed
to survive in today͛s world, and if you excel in soft skills you can for sure excel in your personal
and professional life. Finding an article on thinking, and speaking connected with leadership
was a treat for me. It strengthened my idea that if you want to emerge as a leader you need to
have soft skills and using that you can truly be justified as a leader.
How does this article relate to classroom content?
While I was reading this article the discussion of ͚Assigned versus Emergent Leadership͛ came in
my mind as we were discussing different types of leaderships that there are people who are
assigned the role of leadership, they have formal authority and power while the other influence
the group and emerge as a leader. I had this question in my mind how can one influence the
group and emerge as a leader, this article answered this question of mine. I found out that to
influence a team and emerge as a leadership you need to think, speak and lead strategically
which will bring solution oriented behavior, and ultimately you will emerge as a leader. Also, in
context to our classroom discussion we discussed that there can be situations where someone
