Forced to keep it short
How communication restraint becomes a strength
This week Ange Postecoglou led Yokohama to their first championship win in 15 years in the national competition. He has only been in the job for two years where he instilled his attacking philosophy which he deeply believes in. So much so, that he has walked away from Management jobs when asked to comprise his beliefs and values.
In an interview, he explained that a variety of nationalities are represented in the side – meaning many of the players do not speak any English. This means every time the team is together Postecoglou needs to give his instructions via four interpreters. In his own words, “I need to keep my team talks short…”
I find it interesting that he has turned a restraint into a strength. This has enforced him as the leader to be efficient with his language and forced him to think deeply about his message before speaking. Postecoglou refers to his Conviction as being critical to getting his messages across too.
What if we all needed to speak as if an interpreter had to relay our messages to our team or clients? What if we had no choice but to keep it shorter in the workplace all the time? And had to make sure our messages are constant, short, and impactful?
In an age where time is becoming ever more precious and the pace of expectation is increasing every year, there may be an opportunity in taking this line of thinking into our communication as a leader and a peer.
