CEOs
Speeches from leading CEOs around the world. Financial presentations form CEOs, CFOs and Presidents. NIRI and YPO
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When I flip from infomercial to infomercial on my TV, I am struck by how each product is pitched as “the answer” to people’s question “how can I be successful/rich/happy?”
Program after program suggests that being thin is the answer to success and happiness, but Oprah Winfrey and Rosie O’Donnell appear to contradict this theory. 6-pack abs is a sub-specialty in this genre. But ask yourself, how many CEOs, political leaders, successful entrepreneurs have 6-pack abs. By my count: zero.
Perfect skin is also a growing niche among infomercial gurus. And yet From Brad Pitt to Robert Redford to Cameron Diaz, movie stars seem to do quite well even when they have more than their share of pock marks.
Ok maybe not perfect skin, but great makeup is the answer. So many infomercials promote new styles of makeup. And yet no successful men ever wear makeup (unless they are on TV). And successful women like Martha Stewart, Oprah and Rachel Ray, tend to wear whatever their makeup artist puts on them before they do a show. So how could makeup be the answer?
The TV preachers all seem to stress that a belief in God and traditional family values is the answer to success in the afterlife and here on earth, but thrice married and childless Rush Limbaugh seems to be thriving. And the atheistic Ted Turner doesn’t seem to have been penalized on his way to becoming a billionaire.
Other ministers who buy TV time advocate abstinence, shunning alcohol or at least living a life of moderation. And yet, President Ulysses Grant, Winston Churchill, and modern day mogul P. Diddy are all known for love of booze.
Other programs extol the virtues of having big muscles. And yet Woody Allen is a huge movie star while thousands of muscle men wait tables in Venice Beach.
Other infomercials advocate remedies and solutions for having a great head of hair. Whether it is wigs, major potions, or surgery, the solution to your hair problems can be solved simply by calling an 800 number. But Dr. Phil, Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Madeline Albright have all done well for themselves despite having less than ideal hairstyles. And yet I have seen homeless men living in boxes in the street who had beautiful, thick heads of hair. Cleary, hair can’t be THE answer.
Real Estate must be the answer. Real Estate infomercials are everywhere. For zero dollars down, I can buy and sell mansions and retire a billionaire in 30 days or less. The only problem is that every wildly successful person says “do what you love the most and the money will follow. If you do something just for money, you will never be hugely successful.” Let’s face it, for 99% of the world, real estate is not our #1 passion, so how can that be our ticket to success?
The motivational gurus claim that goal setting is the answer. And yet wildly successful people like Oprah herself claims she doesn’t have goals at all.
Motivational experts from another era (Ben Franklin) advocated getting up extra early in order to beat others to work. But some of the most successful leaders in the world, like Winston Churchill, were known for doing little before 10:00 in the morning.
Franklin and others have often extolled pure hard work. Yes, Bill Gates is a hard worker and has told people that he only took off 6 days from work between 1978 and 1986 (and that includes weekends and holidays). But billionaire Richard Branson seems to lead a life of perpetual holiday, whether he is ballooning around the world or living it up on his private Caribbean island.
What is the one consistent thread between all of the successful people I have mentioned? Clearly, it’s not related to any of the products they sell or the solutions they offer.
Is it simply random luck? I don’t think so.
The only thing that is remarkably consistent among the wildly successful and even the people who host infomercials is that they are all incredibly good speakers—they talk well. You might not think of Wood Allen as a silver-tongued orator, but he does talk to people and convince them to give him millions of dollars to make his movies. Then he talks to people while filming himself, knowing that his words will be seen in movie theaters and on TVs around the world. That takes incredible confidence in his abilities to speak. The fact that he stammers and seems insecure is irrelevant to the fact that he is putting his speaking abilities on view to the public for all the world to see.
Oprah is obviously a great speaker, but so are Martha Stewart and Charlie Gibson. But what about the infomercial hosts themselves? Honest and sincere people can debate whether or not Anthony Robbins personal improvement CDs create meaningful long-term change for most people. But I don’t think intelligent people can debate whether Anthony Robbins is a great speaker and a fantastic talker—he is world class.
I really have no idea if Carleton Sheets’ infomercial program on how to make money buying and selling real estate is effective. But I am absolutely certain that Sheets is an effective speaker who comes across as sincere, believable and credible.
Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Tony Blair are all considered master politicians who achieved reelection and major political victories, in part, because of their superior speaking abilities. But let’s put my theory to a test: what about George W. Bush?
President Bush is clearly not a great public speaker. But speaking is about more that just standing up and speaking in front of a large crowd. Speaking is anytime you are talking to one person or more, even if you are sitting down. While Bush is not one of my personal clients, I have been told by many people who know him that Bush is a great talker one-on-one and in small groups. His entire pre-political career consisted primarily of talking to investors and business partners and convincing them to work with him on projects. It is possible for people to be great speakers in one setting, but to do poorly in another one. President Lyndon Johnson was another president who was fantastic in small groups and one-on-one but poor in front of large groups.
There is a great irony here. The single most consistent skill among hugely successful people in life is also the least talked about skill. It is the skill or trait that people spend the least amount of time and effort on. Speaking skills receive the least investment.
People think nothing of dropping $700 on an exercise machine that will soon become a coat rack or $200 for a personal improvement CD set that they will never listen to or $500 for a juicer that will collect dust. But most people never spend on penny on improving their speaking skills, in part, because no one asks them to.
Poor speaking skills are often the purple elephant in the room that no one is willing to point out to the person speaking. It’s far easier and less personal to suggest a new haircut or a new piece of clothing. But that’s why speaking skills are so important: they are personal. People make profound judgments about you based on your speaking in ways that might not base on whether you have washboard abs. Because people are afraid to mention poor speaking skills to someone, nothing ever gets done. The speaker doesn’t improve.
Am I saying that speaking skills are all that matters? No. Is style always more important than substance? Of course not. (By the way, all good talkers and good speakers constantly improve their content and substance based on questions and feedback they received from previous conversations)
What I am saying is that a strong speaking skill is THE most consistent skill found among wildly successful people. So if you desire to be more successful, figuring out a way to improve your speaking skills dramatically is the most logical place to start.
