"The ‘Leader's Fallacy' May Prove Howard Dean's Undoing," Leadership Authority Says
Howard Dean's tenure as chairman of the Democratic National Committee will be fleeting unless he avoids a common leadership trap.
(PRWEB) February 17, 2005 -- Howard Dean's tenure as chairman of the
Democratic National Committee will be fleeting unless he avoids a common
leadership trap, asserts Brent Filson, founder and president of The Filson
Leadership Group, Inc.
Filson who has worked with more than
two thousand leaders worldwide during the past 21 years calls the trap the
"Leader's Fallacy".
Filson says that leaders adhere to the Leader's
Fallacy when they believe their enthusiasm for a particular leadership challenge
is automatically reciprocated by the people they lead.
"In leadership,
automatic reciprocity is an illusion," says Filson. "Howard Dean is a case in
point. He certainly was motivated when he uttered the ‘Dean Screech' after his
defeat in last year's Iowa Caucuses. But that display of motivation turned off a
lot of people and caused his candidacy to fizzle."
Filson says the
Leader's Fallacy looms large as Dean leads the DNC. "Sure, he's motivated to
extend the Democrats reach into the grassroots of our nation's electorate and
turn red states into blue. But his motivation isn't really the issue. It's a
given. After all, if he's not motivated, he shouldn't be leading the DNC. Here's
the real issue, and I wonder if Dean and his lieutenants at the DNC get it: ‘Can
he transfer his motivation to large segments of American voters, especially
turned-off Democrats and even some Republicans, so they become as motivated as
he is about Democratic values?'"
Filson asserts there is a simple,
powerful antidote for the Leader's Fallacy. He's been teaching it to leaders of
all ranks and functions worldwide. It's the Leadership Talk.
"Many
leaders fall into the clutches of the Leader's Fallacy when they give speeches
and presentations. Speeches and presentations simply communicate information.
There's another, far more effective means of leadership communication. That's
the Leadership Talk. Unlike speeches and presentations, the Leadership Talk
helps the leader forge deep, human, emotional connections with audiences.
Establishing such connections with grassroots voters is absolutely necessary for
Democrats' success.
(Read Brent's article analyzing the communication
skills of the Democratic candidates in last year's primaries.
http://www.actionleadership.com/media_room/pdf/democratic_candidates.pdf)
"To
give a Leadership Talk, a leader must first answer "yes" to three simple
questions: "Do you know what the audience needs? Can you transfer your deep
belief to others so they believe as strongly as you do about the challenges you
face? And can you have that audience take ardent action that gets results?" If a
leader says "no" to any one of those questions, he/she can't give a Leadership
Talk.
(Read Brent's 1900 word article on The Leadership Talk:
http://www.actionleadership.com/articles/0018.html)
"If
Dean and the Democrats want to reverse the Republican tide and reach voters'
hearts and minds in America's heartland, they must trash their speeches and
presentations and start giving Leadership Talks. They must have the Leadership
Talk be a cornerstone of the DNC communications strategies. They must get
thousands of Democratic cause leaders out in the hinterland constantly giving
Leadership Talks. Otherwise, they'll be victims of the Leader's Fallacy --
confused about how come they personally are so pumped up, so motivated on one
hand, and yet are failing so miserably on the other."
23 books, Brent
Filson's latest books are THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and
101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS.
To obtain downloadable review
copies of Brent Filson's latest books, click on these links and enter the code
394064.
The Leadership Talk (http://www.theleadershiptalk.com/downloads/LeadershipTalk.pdf)
101
Ways To Give Great Leadership Talks (http://www.theleadershiptalk.com/downloads/101Ways.pdf)
Order
hard cover review copies from Brent Filson.
Filson first learned about
leadership as a Marine Corps rifle platoon commander. For the past 20 years, as
a civilian, he has helped thousands of leaders in major companies worldwide
achieve sizable and continual increases in results. He has published many books
and hundreds of articles on leadership, developed motivational leadership
strategies and created and instituted leadership educational and training
programs. He has lectured at Columbia University, M.I.T., Wake Forest, Villanova
and many other universities. Recently, he has conducted more than 125 radio
interviews dealing with the Leadership Talk.
"Brent Filson is one of the
most talented communicators in the world. If you want to learn to motivate two,
two hundred, or two thousand people, his lectures and seminars are a must!"-
Joseph Mancuso, CEO, Center for Entrepreneurial Management.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb209527.htm