Chad Silverstein explains illustrators: the small gestures and expressions that leak what people really feel. Leaders should watch for them (lost eye contact, wincing, feet toward the door), ask people to repeat what they heard, and respond with empathy instead of shutting them down.
Chapters
So I call illustrators micro messages.
People give them off all day long, and all you have to do is pay attention to them and just watch. I used to do this during interviews.
I would sit back and I would.
Watch an individual squirm in their seat.
I'd watch people, you know, lose eye.
Contact and look away when they were asked tough questions. And there is something very powerful about a leader who can pick up on those little nuances. And when they're communicating with their team, watch the micro messages that your team is sending. And one of the most powerful ones is that when you're speaking to your team and you see people's eyes wince and they, like, you know, you could tell they were bothered by what you said to be able to follow up. And one of the best tools that you can do is ask people to play back what they heard so that.
You can close any gaps for anything.
That was maybe misunderstood. There's nothing worse than saying something and having intention for everybody to hear one thing, and half the room here is.
One thing, and half the room here is another. And then you walk away and you didn't clear it up. And then you got got people, you.
Know, going crazy and they're talking about.
It, and meanwhile, it's just because they.
Didn'T hear you the way you intended. And it's a fact. Leaders are misunderstood. You're not going to get everyone to.
Be able to hear exactly what you want. And this is why we say you.
Got to repeat yourself over and over.
And over and make sure you have.
People play back what they heard so.
That you can close the gap and, you know, clear up any miscommunication and.
Not let people walk away assuming something that's not true. And leaders have a very, very difficult challenge and being able to constantly tune in to all these illustrators that people are putting off. You know, I think there is something about having a social awkwardness that people who are not aware of it don't pick up on. You know, when you see people standing in your desk and their feet are pointing towards the door, it's a sign.
They don't want to be talking to you. They might. They may not even know they're doing it.
But these are.
These are ways that you could pick up on those nuances. Now, the ones that are more obvious.
You have no excuse. People wear their heart on their sleeve when they're upset.
And you can tell when someone completely changes, when people turn red, when they blotch up. This is a time to slow down, not pour the fire hose on somebody.
When you see them reacting and illustrating a tough emotion that they're going through.
And you can't have the curse of.
Knowledge to act as if it's not a big deal. Whatever someone's going through to them, that's a big deal. And again, this is a different level.
Of emotional intelligence and empathy to be able to pick up on the way other people are feeling and tap into that. And so, you know, you have to not only recognize this in yourself, but you got to recognize it with the.
