In How to Win Friends and Influence People Dale Carnegie discusses the principle of Giving Others a Fine Reputation to Live Up To when giving negative feedback or initiating a difficult discussion. Meaning, leading into the conversation with something the other person generally does well to convey that the topic of negativity appears completely out of character for them. This helps to soften the blow, and hopefully make them a little more welcoming or accepting negative news.
In negotiations, you’re supposed to find a topic of common ground, to level the emotional playing field, so that everyone starts from a neutral place, hopefully leading to calmer and cooler heads prevailing.
If you’ve ever been in a crowd of people when a chant arose, whether it’s singing along at a music concert, cheering on a sports team, political rally, you understand the emotional impact of a rallying cry. It gets everyone excited, elated. And it’s not just those in the crowd. Athletes and rock stars agree that there’s something magical about a crowd chanting.
What if you could harness that magic?
Many companies try to create phrases, mantras, purpose and mission statements that explain their what and why, and I’m with Guy Kawasaki in that they’re often less than inspiring.
What if you could create a phrase that initiated a hearty shout from everyone on your team, just like at a sporting event? Something that makes emotions, energy, comradery all increase at the mere hint of it.
That’s what I want you to create. Forget the corporate purpose or mission statements that blathers on about being a leader focused on integrity and ingenuity for your chosen industry. Create a rallying cry! A phrase that rallies your troops, team, fans and gives them that emotional lift to help them overcome obstacles, to celebrate, and remind them of their fine reputation and why they do what they do.
Nobody wants to shout “Our People Are Our Greatest Asset!”. Or “Honesty, Trustworthiness, and Integrity is at the Heart of Every Thing We Do!”.
Most mission statements are written to sound good. They want to convey a set list of perceived expected corporate traits. Which oftentimes end up describing expectations, not benefits. The difficulty is just that. They’re contrived. Not an honest statement as to why you’re out to solve the problem your company solves.
Rallying cries are akin to battle cries. One is to rally your own troops, and the other is to instill fear in the enemy. If you’re having trouble creating your rallying cry, try a battle cry first. What would you yell at the problem your company solves?
The thing about a great rallying cry is that you can then use it to draw a variety of others to your cause. Customers want you to solve their need, too. Employees who actually have a vested interest in what you do will be dedicated to helping. And, it’ll help you attract and bond with strategic partners who share your beliefs.