Game over. Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner moved swiftly to fire his front office following the final, crushing loss of the season.  He cut general manager Phil Savage loose by phone after Sunday’s defeat, and then sacked coach Romeo Crennel the next morning.  Most Joes and pros alike support Lerner’s moves because the team under-performed in humiliating fashion this season.

What caused the under-performance?  The failure can be traced to the top. Browns insiders say Phil Savage lacked more than just scoreboard numbers. They say he was woefully deficient in communication and leadership skills.

I believe communication and leadership are joined at the hip. The leader is communicator-in-chief. And I don’t mean giving speeches. The first thing any leader delivers is culture. It’s the leaders responsibility to create a winning culture. The championship mindset begins with an open, clear communication path that cascades throughout the organization. Information must flow freely in both directions, with candor and clarity. Without this, organizations unravel and under-perform.

Savage’s leadership communication style smacked of rookie. He created distractions for the players and coaching staff and drew too much attention to himself. Two examples were a public spat with tight end Kellen Winslow over releasing information about team staph infections, and a profane e-mail exchange with a fan.

The Browns organization created a new playbook in how not to communicate. Faced with a leadership communication vacuum, bad habits prevailed as people jockeyed for position, covered their butts, withheld information, took pot shots, or became long-winded. Lacking direction, everyone freestyled their communication. Clearly, the results were disastrous.

This is not to say the dreadful season was all Savage’s fault.  The NFL is famous for its revolving door and zero job security. Players are paid to hit, hit, hit.  The front office is paid to replace, replace, replace. Stress levels are through the roof as everyone in the organization faces store-window scrutiny and is all too aware of the disposable nature of their job. It’s a challenge to motivate and inspire self confidence.

Here’s where it spiraled out of control:  Savage confused leadership with power. The two couldn’t be more different. Leadership means elevating others’ performances, making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.  Power, on the other hand, means “me, first.” It’s a narcissistic, alpha-male act that leads others to under-perform.  The quest for personal power destroys trust, triggering the team to be less than the sum of its parts.

Savage’s football skills led him to the job.  His lack of leadership communication tackled him from behind.

I believe this leadership meltdown is a forehead-slapping moment of clarity. It takes more than talent to reach the top of any profession. This is Randy Lerner’s chance to smack it through the middle of the uprights in Cleveland, to attain the level of success he’s enjoyed recently with his English soccer club.

It starts with hiring a leader who will make creating a winning culture his first priority.

I feel sorry for cashiers these days.  Not just because their work flow soars during the holiday rush, but because they’re on the receiving end of non-stop rude encounters. One by one, customers are now yakking away on cell phones during check-out.

You’ve seen it happen. The person in front of you is laying her items on the counter when her cell phone rings.  She digs through her purse, answers it, gives the cashier the “wait” salute with her index finger, and then proceeds to blab away with an invisible friend about something trivial. Everyone behind her is delayed when the cashier, who has a question, can’t complete the transaction.  Or, if the cashier can finish the transaction, the cell phone blabber merely grabs the receipt and strides away. No thank you to the real, live person who just helped her. The blabber seems totally oblivious to anyone else’s feelings or needs.

This behavior is inconsiderate, disrespectful and selfish.  It treats cashiers like second class citizens, which they’re not, and forces all of us to listen to silly conversations. I’ve been polling cashiers recently to see how often this happens to them.  Sadly, they say it’s relentless.

The bottom line is that cell phone calls in public are not merely a two-person activity.  We drag others in when we blab away in grocery aisles, restaurants, airplanes, book stores and movie theaters. The boundaries of privacy have been blown as people yak away anywhere and everywhere. I think all this cell phone blabbing is bothersome and inappropriate.  How about you? What bugs you most?

There’s a simple guideline that I’ve taught my children that may apply here:  just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.  In this case, just because it rings, doesn’t mean you should answer.  (Unless it’s an emergency, of course.) If your “private” conversation will interrupt or be inconsiderate to others who are present, please resist the urge to chat away just because it’s good for you. Some restraint is in order - that’s why there’s voice mail.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, my phone is ringing.

Today is  Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich 52nd birthday. The gift to his state?  His arrest.  Wiretaps show he’s a profanely arrogant, self-absorbed man with a supreme sense of entitlement.  The U.S. Attorney’s office says he tried to sell Obama’s vacated Senate seat and demanded campaign contributions in return for state funding.

His relentless pursuit of power and financial gain are disgustingly blatant abuses of the privilege of leadership.  Clearly, he’s the sinner in this tale.

Now, let’s contrast that with the leadership saint. His name is Kent Clapp.  Many of you outside of Ohio don’t know Kent - and sadly, you’ll never get the chance.  Clapp, the CEO of Ohio’s largest insurance company,  died last week trying to keep his commitments to community and company.   After he missed his flight from the British Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico at the end of a brief, well-deserved vacation, Kent found a private pilot to fly him to Puerto Rico so he could still catch his scheduled commercial flight home to North America. Never mind that he was fearful of small, private planes. He was trying to get back to the office for a meeting with a community leader the next morning and for his company’s annual Christmas party that night.

The private plane, apparently lost in heavy fog, crashed into the side of a mountain. Kent Clapp was dead at age 62.

Why did he board the small plane if he was weary of them?  Because as a leader, Kent never let anyone down. He didn’t want to miss a meeting on his calendar. And, contrasted with the governor of Illinois, he never asked for anything in return.

Kent Clapp turned Medical Mutual around by assuming the leadership helm when the company was in turmoil ten years ago.  Prior to that, he’d patiently worked his way up through the ranks, thirty years in all.  Once he was named CEO, he guided the company’s 2,700 employees to blossom into a highly successful organization that, at the time of his death, had expanded to eight states.

Everyone in the organization loved him, from his executive team to the janitorial staff. He insisted everyone call him Kent, not Mr. Clapp.  He always had time for everyone.  He was accessible and thoughtful.  Not a hint of leadership arrogance.

Kent will be laid to rest this week. He leaves behind a legacy of unselfish leadership along with a family of six children.  A heartfelt goodbye to Kent Clapp.

As for Illinois Governor Blagojevich?  He’ll be remembered as a brazenly selfish wheeler dealer. Let’s say good riddance to the sinful man who’s now clinging to power. True leadership is not about power.  As we learned from Kent Clapp, leadership means integrity, commitment and putting others before yourself.

As I watched President-Elect Obama’s news conference announcing his national security team nominees this morning, it reminded me of why I sat on a phone book behind the anchor desk.

Let me explain why I boosted my butt on a book first, and then I’ll link it to today’s news conference and your executive presence.

In 20 years of anchoring the news, I was paired with lots of male co-anchors.  Some of these guys were a foot taller than me.  Television news sets were designed and constructed by men, with the desk height created to comfortably seat and showcase an anchorman’s long torso.  If I, at 5 feet, 5 inches, planted my tush squarely on the chair seat beside the man, I would came off looking like his little sister. My head would reach his shoulders. So I decided to even the playing field.  I boosted my butt in order to have an equal “seat at the table” in the eyes of viewers.

I didn’t let my diminutive frame diminish my executive presence.

Now let me link this to today’s news conference.  Obama spoke first, so the podium microphone was set for his height. Hillary Clinton spoke next. She had enough experience to move the double mic down a few inches so it didn’t hide her face in the press photos.  Good move, Hillary.

Then we come to Susan Rice, the United Nations ambassador nominee.  When Rice, a brilliant Rhodes Scholar, stepped to the microphone as the final nominee, she sounded smart, but looked silly.  The microphone came all the way up to her eyeballs, totally obliterating her face. Now picture the scene in your mind: it was a double microphone. Two black spheres. Each microphone hid an eyeball. As her head bobbed up and down reading her script, the hardware danced from her eyeballs to her forehead. It was almost comical, making it hard to concentrate on a word she said. If I was her coach, I would’ve advised her to adjust the microphone in order to safeguard her dignity and allow people to concentrate on her intellect and her message, not be distracted by the silly scene.

My point: people’s perception of your presence can elevate your leadership, or diminish it.  Be conscious of how your physical presence is coming across and take action, whether that means moving microphones or sitting taller. The eyes trump the ears. Help people listen to your message.

It’s Thanksgiving evening.  You’re stuffed. Bloated. Lethargic. In a turkey coma.

Does this uncomfortable feeling remind you of anything?  How about the last presentation you sat through?  Or worse, the last one you delivered?

Most presentations are bloated.  They’re stuffed with waaaay too much information which causes attendees to slip into presentation-induced comas. Every fact, figure, and statistic you uncovered made its way into your  over-stuffed, text-laden slides, which left your audience feeling sluggish.

Ready to tackle presentation weight gain? Stop informing and start influencing.

Your job as a presenter is to share insights and analysis to help your audience make a decision and move forward.  Over-informing is a toxic type of miscommunication. Don’t pass on every fact and figure you uncover as you research your topic. Instead, funnel it down into what matters most.

Why is this critical? Because over-stuffing a presentation leaves your audience confused and stuffed.  And confused brains don’t take action. They shut down. Which requires even more meetings and presentations to clear up the mess and finally influence others to move forward.

So fight presentation bloat. Don’t pack on the pounds when you present. Think influence, not information. Your audience will thank you by taking quicker action.

When I picked up my 15 year old daughter from an activity this week, I saw her standing there, waiting for me, tapping away at her cell phone.  “Who were you texting?” I asked cheerfully as she slid into the car.  “No one,” she replied,  “I was just faking it.”

Are you nodding your head right now? My teenager clued me in on a growing trend: I’ll call it the chronic communi-faker. Whenever teens feel awkward in public, they whip out their phones and pretend to be engrossed in text messaging.

Now think about this.  Haven’t you pretended to make or take a cell phone call in order to avoid speaking face-to-face with someone?  Gen Y simply skips the counterfeit conversation…they let their fingers do the faking. And they don’t just communi-fake to avoid talking.  They use it as impression management.

In today’s wired world, we all want to appear actively engaged with others, even when we’re not. We want others to think we’re connected, so we don’t feel like lonely losers. Boomers instinctively pull our phones to our ears.  Younger generations tap, tap, tap.

I coached three groups of clients in presentation skills this week, so I used the opportunity to poll plenty of professionals about their experiences with communi-faking. EVERYONE, every single person, admitted to being a communi-faker.  Even CEOs.  Let’s see if you relate to the 5 most common reasons why people told me they communi-fake:

1. “To avoid talking to someone I don’t want to speak with.”
2. “So I don’t feel self-conscious about being alone.”
3. “To ditch a pushy salesman or a boring conversation.”
4. “I’m addicted to my phone - I feel naked if I’m not using it.”
5. “For protection in a parking lot.”

Using a phone as a parking lot protector seems sensible, as long as you stay aware of what’s happening around you.  But don’t the other reasons strike you as dodging or ditching face-to-face conversations, or of being insecure?

Bottom line:  communi-faking shows we have a primal need to connect with others, which I take as a positive sign.  Score one for the human race.  But face-to-face communication skills are plummeting as we avoid true engagement. Ironically, as we fake-connect, we’re disconnecting by tuning others out.

Plus, there’s always this concern with communi-faking: what if your phone rings when you’re on a faux call?

Like you, I’ve paid close attention to Barack Obama.  As a communication coach, I’ve specifically zeroed in on his ability to get his points across and move people to action.

From a communication perspective, Obama won the race because he successfully applied 3 habits. They’re simple, but profound habits:  He connected. He conveyed.  He convinced.

These habits are a playbook for business leaders around the world.  I could write a book on them.  Matter of fact, I have.  Talk Less, Say More is scheduled to be released in 2009. Let me summarize these habits quickly by highlighting just a few ways that Obama applied them successfully:

Habit #1: Connect. One of the biggest issues facing any leader today is to engage people in our distraction-driven, listening-impaired, short attention span world. Barack Obama’s campaign connected with what Americans wanted and valued most.  He stayed in our moment and tapped into our hot-button issue, the economy.  And he delivered it with what I call your PMOC: your Preferred Method of Communication.  Early on, his team went digital, using 21st century methods to a wildly successful advantage. For example, Obama’s team text-messaged better than any teenager I’ve ever seen. (And I’m raising two of the most prolific texters in America.) He also engaged us by bringing us together, habitually stressing the United States, not merely red and blue states.

Habit #2: Convey. It’s a real challenge to cut through today’s information overload. Getting your point across requires clarity in order to prevent confusion.  Obama learned to make his points with vivid clarity, avoiding ambiguity. Maybe you don’t agree with his viewpoints, but he conveys them transparently, without gumming them up. Storytelling is a key, and Obama’s story was one of humble origins. His campaign was full of stirring videos and his infomercial, watched by more than 32 million people last week, weaved a “my story is your story” narrative to convey that he understands your economic fears and other concerns like health care.

Habit #3: Convince. People are pulled in so many directions today, both in the office and in the voting booth, that it’s a challenge to sway them. As a leader, it’s critical to move people to commit to action.  Decisiveness is one of the keys.  And Obama is a master decision maker.  He allows others to speak their minds, and then he makes the decision.  No second-guessing.  No waffling.  He sticks with his decisions, which sways others to join him.  I believe the debates put Obama over the top by demonstrating his decisiveness and calm demeanor.  He also capitalized on what I call “peer power.” He gained clout by bringing well-connected people like Oprah Winfrey, Ted Kennedy, Warren Buffett, and Colin Powell into his corner and allowing them to transfer their clout to him.

John McCain used these 3 habits in his concession speech last night, as well. Didn’t you think it was one of the most touching, unifying speeches in political history?

Can you use these habits in the business world?  Yes, you can.  You can Connect-Convey-Convince® your way to success.

Would Your Peers Vote For Your Leadership?

You thought this day would never come, but it’s finally here.  Election day. You’ve chosen the leader who makes the most sense to you.  But now, let’s focus on your leadership. Are you the chosen one among your peers?  If there were a vote today on what you have to offer, would others willingly cast their ballots and commit to you? In other words, does your leadership inspire or repel?

The first step to gain commitment is to connect with your target audience. To engage them. We, collectively as Americans, got engaged when Wall Street collapsed and our personal financial security was at risk. So I ask you this:  how good are you at engaging the people whom you lead or wish to lead?

Need a tip on how to connect better?  Here’s one: pay attention to what they pay attention to. People are engaged by what they want and value.  They pay close attention to those things and act upon them.

In order to strengthen your leadership ask yourself this:  do you tap into people’s specific needs and values? In my executive coaching practice, I’ve seen many leaders delude themselves into thinking they know what people want.  They assume they know.  Unfortunately, they’re often wrong. The solution is simple but profound:  Listen and watch carefully for what your target audience wants and values.  The answers are hidden in plain sight.

If you pay attention to what they pay attention to, you’ll get a clear picture of how to engage people. And engagement is the first step to earn a positive response, in the voting booth and in your workplace.

Joe the Plumber

I can read your mind. Not another story about Joe the Plumber, you’re thinking.  Good news.  This isn’t about Joe, the nation’s newest household name invoked again and again during the final presidential debate. It’s about you and your ability to make a point that people actually remember, repeat and respond to.

Let’s start with this premise: you’re boring people with mind-numbingly dull factoids. Oh, you don’t mean to. But your messages are often mundane, so you’re being tuned out. Ignored. Overlooked.

What’s the antidote? A well-placed story, like the plumber parable. That’s why both candidates latched on to Joe, even though he later sprung a few leaks. Suddenly, complex, hard-to-comprehend issues like tax plans and health care options were vivid. Big, bald Joe had a repeatable narrative - for each party. Here are a few tips to help you tap into your inner storyteller to communicate your business goals and plans:

1.  Make it about them, not you. Help your audience envision themselves in the story. Tell it from the perspective of someone who’s similar to them, like Joe, not from your own viewpoint. That will trigger listeners to do two highly desirable things: to understand and care.

2.  Have a clear purpose that’s simple and spry. What is the specific idea that you’re trying to help people grasp? How will it change their lives? Keep the story’s essence in mind and resist the urge to incorporate too many lessons into one story. The story should be simple and spry to support your point, not become the point.

3.  Trim the fat. Don’t get bogged down in excess details. Your story is a means to the end, not the end itself. Share enough specifics to ignite imaginations, but not so many that your listeners get lost in irrelevant details.

4.  Discover the leaks yourself. Shortly after the candidates made Joe a household name, reporters and bloggers discovered a few problems with his Everyman story. His name wasn’t exactly Joe, he wasn’t a licensed plumber and he was delinquent on his taxes. Oops. Say it ain’t so, Joe! The moral of this story: thoroughly research your story’s star so inquiring minds don’t get distracted by side issues and discount you as a result. Today’s audiences can Google topics as you speak and some of them love to challenge you.

5.  Relive it as you tell it. When delivering your story, use what I call “planned spontaneity.” Make it real and unrehearsed-sounding so the audience can relate. If you’re presenting to a group, step out from behind the podium and speak conversationally.

I hear you talking back to your computer screen. “But Connie, I’m a bad storyteller,” the voice in your head is saying. You’re not. You just need to approach it from a business viewpoint. So go ahead - tell a story. You’ll help people absorb, retain and repeat your words to reach your business goals.

That’s better than being flushed away, isn’t it?

How do you undercut your message without opening your mouth? Leadership means managing your energy level as well as your words in order to influence peoples’ decisions, behaviors and actions. Want to trigger a positive response? Radiate positive energy when your mouth is shut. Want a negative reaction? You’ll soon learn how to spread bad vibes.

Let’s review how this worked in recent high profile cases. Were you influenced by watching the candidates’ personal warmth in round one of the presidential debates? Sure you were. Same with the economic turmoil. You’ve either been inspired or turned off by leaders’ energy levels and body language.

Just for fun, let’s go negative for a moment, shall we? Here are 5 surefire ways to trigger a negative response without opening your mouth:

1. Ignore others in the room.  Go ahead - ice others in an effort to diminish them.  Granted, sometimes it’s inadvertent.  You may just be nervous, so you fail to acknowledge others.  But sometimes, the deep freeze is purposeful.  You may avoid eye contact in an effort to dismiss people you feel superior to. Whatever the intent, icing people backfires.  You’re the one who takes the hit, because you unwittingly come across as condescending or angry.  Best to respectfully acknowledge and address the people with whom you disagree.
2. Look like you don’t care.  People form opinions about you with a quick glance at your face.  They eyeball your mug, interpret its meaning and respond accordingly.  You may be sending the wrong signal with a dour-looking expression, one that looks like you smelled something bad.  Some of the world’s most successful leaders share warm facial expressions.  They appear open and agreeable and benefit from it.
3. Slap on a one-size-fits-all intensity level.  Sometimes you need to tone it down and not come on too strong - especially when you’re conveying bad or unwelcome news.  At other times, you need more intensity, such as in a presentation when you’re trying to inspire.  Match your intensity to the specific situation.
4. Bounce your lower body habitually.  This is where many people need to tone it down.  Pacing back and forth or bouncing your legs or feet are very distracting and make it difficult for others to focus on your words.  Keep the lower body quiet in order to give power to your presence.
5. Plaster on a smile.  You’ve heard many times that you should smile.  But the truth is, it has to be a genuine smile, or it can backfire on you.  Plastered-on smiles don’t cut it; neither do contempt smiles.  They’re toxic.  Genuine smiles have a powerful effect because they increase your likability.  People will cut you some slack if your emotions appear to be heartfelt.

The question is, how does your energy level com across to others?  Do others define you as energetic? Stiff Engaging? Disinterested? Angry? Icy? As you know, when you communicate with someone, it’s not just the words you choose that send a message.  People monitor the non-verbal signals you send.  Your intensity, facial expressions, eye contact and body language all send signals that influence others’ decisions and actions.

The vibes you send are crucial for this reason: reciprocity. People give back to you what you give to them. Energy feeds on itself. Energized people create energy and engagement in others. If you look and sound engaged and self-assured, people will respond more positively to you. If you look off-putting, you’ll induce bad vibes and negative responses.