In this episode, Sam Shriver, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at The Center for Leadership Studies, talks with George Morrow about the importance of communication in leadership.
Episode Transcript
Introduction
Welcome to The Center for Leadership Studies podcast, an exploration of contemporary leadership issues with experts from a variety of fields and leadership backgrounds. In this episode, Sam Shriver, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at The Center for Leadership Studies, talks with George Morrow about the importance of communication in leadership.
Sam Shriver
How about commenting on the importance of communication in leadership?
George Morrow
So what makes a really good communicator as a leader? This may surprise you, but I think it’s their behavior first and foremost. I think if a leader is a great role model, in other words, they basically live by the values they espouse. That, to me, speaks volumes about that person. People observe what you do as a leader, and if what you do really models the leadership behaviors and the values that you want as a firm, then that person is way down the street in terms of becoming a really good leader. Now, they do obviously have to communicate verbally and in written form. And I think the biggest thing to remember there is it’s all about them.
So the leader that gets up and uses the I word, I want this, I want that, I used to do this, that becomes all about the leader. Their fundamental motivation is promoting themselves, trying to make themselves look good, or their ego basically is driving them to tell the world they’re the smartest person in the room. I think a good leader will speak to the interests of the people in the room and find a way of connecting with them, fins a way of letting the people know that, hey, I’m there to help you be as successful as you possibly can. Some of the questions that I ask may feel a little uncomfortable to you, but my motivation is in your and my and the company’s best interest. That’s why I’m doing it. I’m not doing it because I’m on a power trip.
I’m not doing it to embarrass anybody. I’m doing it to make sure that we get to the bottom of this. We get the work done to the best of our ability, which is, again, what the purpose of being a leader is.
Conclusion
As an Executive Vice President at Amgem, the world’s largest independent biotech company, George Morrow led global commercial operations, the division responsible for the commercial activities of approximately 3800 staff in over 50 countries. He also oversaw global government affairs, which manages Amgen’s policy and strategies with various government agencies. Before joining Amgen, George had 20 years of commercial pharmaceutical experience, with 10 years at Merck and 10 at Glaxo.
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