The Truth About Being a Leader...and Nothing But the Truth

Truth 13Sound Bites Need to Sizzle

Memorable sound bites can galvanize organizations, even countries. John F. Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" reflected and inspired a generation, as did Thomas Paine's warning 185 years earlier that "These are the times that try men's souls," and his admonition not to be a "summer soldier" or a "sunshine patriot." These words and ideas mattered. Their brevity made them memorable. Short and simple sentences or even single words can move masses in organizations, like Jack Welch's "boundarylessness," which reduced turf wars and the hoarding of talent in General Electric. Sound bites are just that: they're not a full meal of ideas, but tasty tidbits that ...