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I'm Steve Roesler, the guy behind the blog. Let me take a moment to give you a glimpse of who I am before telling the business story. I am married to "B" and we live 20 miles from Philadelphia in a tranquil, wooded area surrounded by lakes. (We don't live in the woods because we were asked to leave the city--we just like it here). It's a welcome break from the many days of international and domestic travel that are a part of the consulting business. I incorporated the Organization Effectiveness firm Roesler Group in 1977, specializing in communication training and development with an emphasis on improving systems, relationships, and large-scale change. My deep interest in the global nature of business and business relationships led me to a 2-year assignment with Saudi Arabian Airlines. What that really entailed was spending lengths of time developing up-and-coming managers in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Upon returning to the US I developed a clientele which has included American Express, AstraZeneca, AT&T, Batelle Labs, Computer Sciences Corporation, PECO Energy, Johnson & Johnson, Minerals Technologies, Specialty Minerals Europe and Pfizer, in addition to other for-profit corporations. Relationships within many of those firms have led to other interesting engagements with non-profits as well as church denominations. Clients are located worldwide. In addition to my Roesler Group enterprise, I've worked internally as a Manager of Management Development at Pfizer and as a Regional VP of Sales for a global training company. Prior to that I served as a Drill Instructor in the Army, musician and singer (still going strong--once you start you can't stop), and have been involved in broadcasting for more than 30 years. I'm also a co-author of "The Age of Conversation". Most of my engagements turn into long-time relationships although they start as a single project. These projects have included leading executive and cultural transitions within corporations; creating/leading leadership programs for client companies; preparing managers and executives to deliver presentations; serving as mediator for conflicts between high-level executives within organizations; and creating and leading a CEO selection process for a NYSE company. Steve Roesler Learning also continues to design and conduct organizational and management development programs on-site for clients. I am a graduate of Rowan University with an M.A. in Public Relations/Communications. I've attended various institutes for the study of human behavior, none of which equals a single day's education watching people at an airport check-in line. Over the years I've served on staff at the NTL Institute for the Applied Behavioral Sciences as well as the Wharton Executive Program.

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Leadership: The Art of Being Brief

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Posted June 2, 2009 with 143 reads

Keywords: brevity, leadership, presentations

I've never heard anyone complain about a meeting or presentation that was too short, have you?

My friend, Marty, and I were just discussing a surgical procedure. He may have to have the same one that I experienced a few years ago. Marty is a very intelligent, thoughtful guy who asks the right kinds of questions. But his most animated question was: "How long does it take?!"

I laughed, given that the Doc could probably make it last for about a week and a half depending upon the anesthesiologist's mood and sense of humor.

But the real answer was '45 minutes'.

He looked relieved. And it occurred to me: I had actually asked my doctor the same question. Even though we know we'll be sound asleep we seem to have a sense of, and concern for, time.

So… have you filtered your meeting-thinking or presentation prep the same way? Could you say and accomplish more with less?

The Leader's Guide to Slide Surgery

1. Do I need so many slides? (You don't).

2. Do I need every slide in this section? (Probably not).

3. Do I need this slide? ( I don't know, but you should be sure).

4. What can I say with fewer words? (You'll feel the love).

Your group will appreciate the brevity. This reflects preparation on your part that translates into respect for them. You'll also create the kind of "meeting white space" that generates the real discussion needed to make something happen.

What will you eliminate?

Bonus Leadership Reading: Check out how you view leaders and the notion of "institutionalizing them" at Managing Leadership. Jim Stroup will give you something to ponder.