A Players have a lot of things in common, most of all a consistent record of achieving a lot and they also have some common competencies such as incredible drive and resourcefulness. We all know these things. But articles and books that discuss how A Players communicate focus mostly on leadership communications – listening, consultative decision making, etc. This blog deals with how they communicate all day, every day. As founder and CEO of Tograding™, Inc. I’ve consulted with a lot of A Players on how they communicate and here’s what I’ve found:
A Players get to the point … and they expect everyone else to, too. They really do. When asked (or are asked) the time, they do not beat around the bush or explain how to build a watch, they say the time and then make their case. This blog did exactly that; the title states the “bottom line.”
In a zillion meetings, such as operations reviews, if a CEO asks an executive a question, and if the executive doesn’t immediately answer it, the CEO will interrupt and require an answer. So the blunt old style leader might demand, “Pat, answer the damn question,” whereas the leader strong in Emotional Intelligence might say, “Pat, excuse me for interrupting, but please tell me, did you check with the General Counsel before taking that action?”
I put friggin’ in the title not to be crude but to convey how important it is. In Topgrading ™ Interviews in which I am the main interviewer and the hiring executive is my tandem partner (the best way to avoid a mis-hire), if we have to nudge a candidate more than a couple of times to get to the point, that hiring manager rejects the candidate.
What have you experienced – do A Players both get to the point and require others to do so? If you coach people on your team do you coach them to get to the point?
If you want to learn more about hiring A Players or Topgrading in general, check out the Master Business Course at the Growth Institute.
