Not every leader and corporation can afford voice coaches like Adam Levin and Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams.
On the other hand, they have us – communicators and marketers and branding gurus.
We’re serious. Because guiding our executives through the process of defining words and actions of value for themselves and for the business – a/k/a the voice – is a commitment based on experience, intuition, and no small amount of tears and sweat.
It goes beyond the tried and true message platform, to the heart of what’s believed and what’s been accomplished. The voice integrates values, vision, and purpose. And the process never stops.
Where to start? With an examination of self (and of company). Begin by asking some standards:
- What gets you up in the morning?
- What do you and the business stand for?
- What motivates others to do their best – for you and for the company?
- Who are you/the company when both are at your best?
- What attitudes and beliefs move you forward … or hold you back?
- How would you define success now, and in the future?
Balance those responses and the initial voice with the leader’s style and personality, a combination of presence, attentiveness, bedside manner, decisiveness, and, oddly, the traits of humility and confidence. Most of all, the final voice must be a comfortable one, one that connects well with the leader/company.
There’s no audition. No contest. And probably no recording contract. But it’s one of the most rewarding contributions we make.
