DISCUSSION 7: Communication

(Referencing ORGL-504, ORGL-506, and COML-512)

​

For our seventh discussion, I decided to touch on the idea of communication and the importance of communication in our leadership. We looked at the ideas of communicating, and prior to this discussion I had asked the athletes to bring one quote from one of their favorite leaders, as some "words of wisdom" that keeps them motivated and inspired. Before talking about the significance of the quotes, we talked about the ideas of how best to communicate to others and how this works. At first when we started discussing communication tactics, it was solely centered around the idea of getting the desired message across through the proper channel to reach the intended audience. After discussing what this meant to each of them, we looked at the other perspective and took a different approach and further looked at the importance of listening and what this could do for each of us as leaders to better understand those that we lead. This helped the athletes better understand the importance of paying close attention to those expressing an opinion, but it also helps a leader understand the needs of followers and how best to relate. This helped us better talk about the ideas of relationships of all kinds - personal and professional. We discussed how communication can play an integral part in how relationships are built, maintained, and/or broken.

 

We then talked about the ideas of how we can communicate the same message in different ways, and how this might help people perceive the same message from a different perspective. I tried to speak on the idea of perspective and how that made a difference in communication and tied it back to two different quotes, both of which highly related to ideas on resiliency (also important in leadership). Both quotes are outlined below:

 

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

​- Mike Tyson

 

"You'll get mixed up, of course, 
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left."

- Dr. Seuss

 

These quotes were used because they convey a similar message in a very different way. Both talk about the ideas of resiliency and how things might not always go as planned, with implications that it is important to respond greater when something doesn't go as planned. This was exemplified to the group through not only the words spoken, as one is a tough-talking former heavy weight champion boxer while the other is a whimsical children's book author. This helped people realize that the means of communication, the words spoken, and they context that a message is given certainly makes a difference in their leadership and communication tactics.

 

Lastly, we touched on the ideas of our own favorite quotes, and how a simply communicated phrase, idea, philosophy, etc. can provide a motivational form of leadership via inspirational words. The top three quotes that were chosen by the group are outlined below:

 

"If what you did yesterday still seems big, you haven't done anything today."

- ​Lou Holtz

 

"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."

- Muhammad Ali

 

"Play the game for more than you can afford to lose... only then will you learn the game."

- Winston Churchill