The Point: In the May 2015 Harvard Business Review (HBR), Silicon Valley’s “Entrepreneur Expert” Guy Kawasaki wrote an article on Evangelism, and the power that leaders have in proclaiming “good” news about their organization. So we asked ourselves… “What if the concept of “evangelism” isn’t in your DNA? What then?” So in this post, we’ll take a look at three (3) key acts Kawasaki points towards to accelerate your evangelism efforts… Enjoy!
Evangelist: To Be OR Not To Be?
So there you are… The leader of an organization (be it a startup, or an existing organization where you act as “intrapreneurial” leader). If you can’t evangelize about your organization, who will? But what will you evangelize about? And who will you evangelize to/with?
In the May 2015 HBR article by Guy Kawasaki titled “Managing Yourself: The Art of Evangelism” he takes a look at how you can “proclaim good news” about your organization (The literal translation of evangelism). In other words, how will you share with the world how your organization’s product/service makes the world a better place, and without it there would surely be a void. He points to three (3) specific areas that you, in an effort to overcome the leadership challenge, can put to work on the road to evangelism (and global domination!)
Evangelism Act #1: Public Speaking
Once upon a time, I sat on a Board of Directors for a non-profit that had as its main marketing arsenal public speaking. The organization found that it was a great way to share results from research conducted, and if audience participants liked what they heard there was always the potential for turning prospects into clients.
Here are eight (8) leadership development tips for success when speaking in public:
- Deliver Quality Content
- Omit Sales Pitches
- Customize for Audience
- Entertainment Focus
- Storytelling
- Meet Audience Before
- ID Controllable
- Practice, Practice, Practice…
Evangelism Act #2: Social Media
The opportunity is adrift at sea it would appear when organizations attempt to coral social media. While ROI can be very difficult to ascertain from such efforts, there might be a short cut you can employ with a consistent evangelistic message.
Here are nine (9) leadership development tips for success when leveraging the power of social media:
- Offer Value
- Make it Interesting
- Take a Chance
- Be Brief
- Be a Connector
- Go for Drama
- Grab Attention
- Hashtag it Up
- Stay Engaged
Evangelism Act #3: Network
If you’re only as good as the books you read and the company you keep, you’d better look to continue to expand both of these numbers as you move forward. Shoot to read no less than a book (yes, one – 1 – book per week!) and add no less than 10 members to your LinkedIn Network weekly. To play off Keith Ferrazzi (Ferrazzi Greenight), the leader in the “networking” space who wrote the book on the topic, build your network before you need it (akin to the dig your well before your thirsty advice).
Here are seven (7) leadership development tips for success when networking:
- Network – Just Do It!
- Questions are King
- Don’t Be a Dolt
- Follow Up/Follow Through
- Leverage Email (and the Phone)
- Make Yourself Easy to Connect With
- Help Others (They Will Help You!)
SUMMARY
So should you use the power of evangelism to further propel your organization, your product/service, yourself? The answer is a one that should leave you perhaps scratching your head as to why you’re not (But then again, it may be a time management issue, right?)
Sam Palazzolo
