Thoughtful leadership and marketing

Painting a vision versus a watercolor painting.

The other day we are at a client meeting and I ask, “So at this gathering (we were planning), who will be responsible for painting the vision of the project.”   And my left-brain client dutifully went over and picked up an actual watercolor 'painting' of the project and said, “It’s right here Ralph.”

Taking me to a meeting can often times be an adventure.  One of my quick-thinking partners quickly recognized a far right-brain guy was attempting to communicate with a far left-brain person and said, “What Ralph meant was, who will get up in front of the group and ‘present’ the overall vision of the project to the assembled masses of people?” 

If you’ve never studied how right-brain and left-brain thinkers communicate with each other it would be worth your while to find a seminar in your area and spend a day learning.  Understanding how people filter their thinking can go a long way toward improving communications between the two groups. 

Right-brain thinkers often 'paint' a big picture vision of a project.  Left-brain thinkers take you through a sequential review of the project.  Very thorough of them but oftentimes not as exciting because some of the less important sequential details may cause you to fall asleep or jump out of any nearby window not caring what floor you are on.  I tease left-brain thinkers.   

Most often the left-brain thinker must tell the story sequentially because that is precisely how they see it.  They are almost incapable of jumping around and hitting the high points much like the right-brain thinker doesn’t have the discipline or desire to look at it sequentially.  Right brain thinkers like to look at the high points from 30,000 feet, use phrases like "paint a vision" and aren't as concerned with each and every mundane detail. Their propensity to leave out details can drive the left brain thinkers crazy. I know this for a fact after performing much research.

Can you guess which side accountants come from?  Easy, they are the left brainers.  They are sequential, logical and numbers oriented.  How about designers and creative directors?  They are, of course, very spatial, big picture people, although I’ve worked with many “whole brain” creative types who comfortably work out of both sides of their brains. 

I confess I have made a hobby of studying the right and the left and how they communicate and it has not only helped me make a more comfortable living but it is mildly entertaining.  And still I’m surprised when I ask who is going to "paint the vision" and someone holds up an actual watercolor painting. 

The power of storytelling.

The mind is a malleable sponge that leaders can mold to greatness and marketers oftentimes abuse.  I was cycling with a friend the other day and he told me about a supplement he was taking that had completely changed his life. 

Since he started taking the special proprietary vitamin formula he claims he is performing at the highest level he has ever achieved, he hasn’t been sick a day since taking it, his asthma is cured and he feels the best he has ever felt in his life.  He is speaking to me from the heart. 

This is a typical story in the athletic world.  There is most often a successful and magical “anecdotal” success story behind the product where legions of people have had miraculous cures for whatever ails them.  While I confess he did punish me on the climb up the mountain that day it was not the vitamin.  It was his preparation and training.

Athletes will train for months on end following an incredible routine of high intensity workouts combined with just the right amount of rest.  They lift weights and eat most all the right foods.

The training is just starting to pay off and someone gives us an ordinary vitamin supplement while telling an extremely interesting and “always anecdotal” success story that claims this product is so good they didn’t have time to do a double blind scientific study to verify its incredible efficacy.  Suddenly the athlete starts performing well, as planned, but attributes all of the success to the “magic” vitamin and gives little or no credit to the intensive months of training, diet and exercise. 

It is a testament to the power of storytelling and the vulnerability of the human mind to the persuasive powers of storytelling.  It is the reason leaders succeed most often when they present new ideas with a unique story that people can identify with.    Leaders need to use powerful storytelling to do great things.  Marketers need to check their moral compass.