WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES OF THOSE SEEKING POWER
If you’ve ever wanted to believe a far-fetched conspiracy theory, try this one…
Politicians and their close supporters have been colluding throughout July with one over-riding purpose.
Their purpose is to make a point that everyone in the working world needs to understand.
This is that when you know you’re going to be asked tough questions in the workplace you need to plan, prepare and practice for these occasions.
To underline their point, these politicians and supporters have heroically gone out of their way to fall spectacularly into a range of traps – for the benefit of us all.
This is so those of us who are not directly involved in politics can learn from their folly, and apply the lessons to our everyday professional conversations.
For example there’s the pathetic “no cribbing” answers – involving impossible-to-believe denials – being given by the Donald Trump campaign team at the Republican Party convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
These responses break one of the golden rules about great answers which is that you should only tell exact truths.
| The unbelievable answers were the party campaign team replies to questions about that dodgy speech made by Donald Trump’s wife, Melania, which recommended her husband as president to the convention. |
It turned out that Mrs Trump’s speech was, in key parts, almost identical to the speech that First Lady Michelle Obama gave when recommending her husband as president to the Democratic Party Convention eight years ago
| If you need to be convinced about the plagiarism allegations, and how unbelievable the denials are, check out this comparison between the two speeches on CNN’s video clip by clicking on this image: |
But the pick of the horrendous July answers have come from the British political system which has been especially rich in gaffes since that surprise referendum result to leave the European Union.
THINK THROUGH THE IMPLICATIONS BEFORE OPENING MOUTH
You will note that Britain now has its second female prime minister.
You will also note that the female successor to Margaret Thatcher is not someone called Andrea Leadsom.
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Mrs Leadsom, a relatively unknown junior minister at the time when a vacancy for Prime Minister suddenly opened up, was seeking to become leader of Britain’s Conservative Party and therefore immediately become Prime Minister. |
Then she did an ill-thought-through interview with The Times newspaper.
In the interview Mrs Leadsom strongly implied that she would be a better prime minister than the woman who ultimately got the job – Theresa May – because she (Mrs Leadsom) had children and therefore “a very real stake” in the future of Britain.
Mrs May has no children.
Mrs Leadsom said it must be “really sad” not to have children.”
“I have children”, she continued, “who are going to have children who will directly be a part of what happens next.”
There may have been a way of expressing the point having children can contribute to the useful experience of a political leader. But the way Mrs Leadsom said it did not manage to achieve this.
Mrs Leadsom then compounded her initial error by attacking The Times for what she called “gutter journalism” (bad thing to do in the circumstances).
When The Times released the audio version of what Mrs Leadsom had said, which backed up their story completely, she didn’t have a leg to stand on.
| You can check out what Mrs Leadsom actually said by listening to her words here: |
Mrs Leadsom then apologised to Mrs May (good thing to do in the circumstances).
She also pulled out of the prime ministerial contest and made Theresa May’s pathway to Number Ten Downing Street all the easier.
Whether it’s a media interview or a conversation with a client or the boss, thinking things through in advance – and planning, preparing and practicing what you’re going to say in a big moment – is a really, really, really good idea!
DON’T SAY YOU WON’T TALK – THEN DO THE OPPOSITE
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Angela Eagle – who has been seeking to replace British Labour Party Leader, Jeremy Corbyn – has much to learn about dealing with questions from the media. |
Angela Eagle would then claim she had nothing or little to say. Then the media would persist with their questioning. Then she would say something. Then she would say she had nothing more to say. Then, as the media followed her down the footpath, she would say something more for them.
It didn’t look like someone in charge of herself – let alone her party or potentially her country.
Then she made things worse when she had the official media launch of her campaign.
Ms Eagle repeatedly asked for questions from the British Broadcasting Corporation, only to find that no one from this august broadcaster had any immediate questions for her.
You don’t want to stand in front of a pack of journalists and effectively ask the media to hit you or laugh at you.
| If you do, you can witness the kind of thing that will happen here in this video: |  |
WHAT THE TRUE PROFESSIONALS HAVE BEEN SAYING
At a recent book launch one of the star professional speakers at the event made a point about the surprise result of the British referendum which decided in favour of leaving the European Union.
It was this referendum result which triggered the bout of leadership contests and led to the fall from political supremacy of the now departed Prime Minister, David Cameron, and the now departed Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne.
“How different the results of the referendum might have been,” the speaker said, “if only Cameron and Osborne had a copy of this book.”
The book he was referring to is called Great Answers To Tough Questions At Work.
The speaker was the keynoter and after-dinner raconteur Graham Davies.
You can hear the thoughts of Graham Davies and other top speakers in the Great Answers To Tough Questions At Work video here:
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
ABOUT THE BOOK
If you’d like an objective view of the Great Answers To Tough Questions At Work, then there are two places to immediately go.
One is the Express newspaper, whose Happy Mondays columnist, Carole Ann Rice, says of Great Answers To Tough Questions At Work: “Every briefcase and bookshelf should have a copy.”
And if you are seeking to get your hands on a copy of Great Answers To Tough Questions At Work you will receive a discount if you use the SECRET promotional code “Dodd” to buy it online on the publisher’s website at:
If you already have a copy of the book you are encouraged by the publishers to put up a review on www.amazon.co.uk and/or www.amazon.com
AVOIDING THE A-GRADE ERRORS OF ANGELA AND ANDREA
In order to avoid making the same sort of mistakes that some of the political aspirants are making, it’s good to divide your training on giving great answers into two parts.
The first part is where you can gain a general understanding of the principles involved in great answers to help you in the long-term – which you can get in a conference keynote speech for your organisation, a smaller master class or in one-to-one sessions.
The second part is the specific guidance you may require for a specific short-term situation where you know tough questions will be coming at you – whether it be a job interview, a board meeting or a discussion with a reluctant prospect.
When you’ve gained the general understanding in the first part, then you can make progress on any particular situation in the second part so much more speedily.
The guidance you get – from conference keynotes, master classes, one-to-one sessions and by reading the book – all helps you avoid the mistakes of Andrea and Angela.
So that takes care of the “A’s”.
We’ll deal with the “B’s” in another edition on gaffes in high places.
And you’ll get to see if B stands for Boris!