We all want presentations that are compelling – especially when discussing the need to make changes to a potentially hostile or resistance audience. Data-driven presentations facilitate the process – assuming you don’t overload the audience with too much information. Remember, sheer quantity with details to support the issues can overwhelm an audience.
A solution is to seek the “leverage point”: one particular change you’re planning on making symbolizes all the material you want to present and offers the audience an ability to follow progress. One example of a smart way of doing so is what Paul O’Neill did when he became CEO of Alcoa in 1987.
At that time, Alcoa was hemorrhaging with declining revenue and profit-margin misses. As every new leader knows, the first actions are extremely important, as everyone assesses several characteristics of the leader, especially trust. Mr. O’Neill knew that his first address to shareholders would have to instill confidence that a turnaround was even possible.
His legendary speech caught investors by surprise: he focused on “worker safety”. Why? “If you want to understand how Alcoa is doing, you need to look at our workplace safety figures. If we bring our injury rates down, it won’t be because of cheerleading or the nonsense you sometimes hear from other CEOs. It is because the individuals at this company have agreed to become part of something important: they devoted themselves to creating a habit of excellence.”
The unconventional approach led some investors to sell their shares immediately. The rest were rewarded for correctly placing their trust: When the CEO retired after 13 years, company net income increased 500 percent!
As you review the steps you need to make in your company to turn it around or launch a new product/service, can you find that one symbolic step which is a leverage point? If so, your efforts may also be richly rewarded.’’