Speak last, get more.
Leadership and marketing expert Simon Sinek has many ideas on how we should deal with one another as we pursue our individual goals, one of which is “leaders speak last.” It sounds counterintuitive. We think, a leader should be able to lead a discussion, meeting, or project, why then does he or she get to speak his mind only at the end?
In his podcast with Tony Robbins, he explains how he came to this conclusion by using Nelson Mandela as the example. Mandela’s father was the chief of their tribe. In many of their meetings, Mandela would be present as a kid to see his father lead with his own eyes. One of his first encounters with leadership. So when he was asked about how he learned to be great leader, he simply recalled these meetings with his father. He says, he remembers two things: they always sat in a circle, and his father was always the last to speak.
For Sinek, this was simply a better way of framing the idea of being a better listener.
And today, I found out that this doesn’t work only in meetings and discussions. It works when meeting new people. It works in sales calls. It works when selling an idea, product, or service. It works when we’re interacting with another person for whatever reason. The idea is to listen first. Ask the right questions, be patient, and actually listen to the answers. By doing this, we deepen any conversation, produce more effective pitches, and speak directly to our customer’s needs.
Speak last, it works.