A Picture Speaks ... But It Never Tells You the Whole Story

Those who are trained communicators can see through carefully constructed images and concepts of abundance, success or happiness. We are like hounds, picking on the scent of fishiness from quite a long way away.

It's like trying to draft a lofty speech for someone whose natural speaking style is curt and abrupt. It doesn't work, and it won't work no matter how many times we spend with that person; a speech and an image, for either of them to stick, they need to "feel" natural.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already becoming much better than many of us are - for instance, I asked Microsoft's AI image generator to create the image accompanying this article by giving it just several words. It took "it" less than 10 seconds to present me with at least 20+ suitable options. No human designer can do that - it's impossible.

What AI and edited images can never ever do is tell us the whole story ... to tell a story, and to make it resonate with those we tell that story to, we need to know, understand and exploit (yes, let's tell it like it is) their emotional triggers, be they good or bad.

And this is where the CHOICE becomes fundamental or, better said, the INTENT does: do you do the right thing for the wrong reasons, or do you do the wrong thing for the right reasons?

Always, always, look for the "why" in everything that you are being shown or told ... do not take anything at face value because nothing is as simple as it seems, certainly not in the corporate or geopolitical world many of us operate in.

Listen, if you can, to the silence. Silence speaks volumes and, as I often say, pay attention to those who are very silent around the table: they are either the most knowledgeable ones in the room and are there to observe or, at the opposite end, they are in the wrong room as they have no clue about what's being discussed or they don't have the capacity to contribute to the discussion.

The reasons behind why something is being said or being done are much, much more important than the results we see; look for the root cause. And don't be afraid to dream big, and aim high. Mediocrity and not rocking the boat can only take you so far - you cannot change the world this way.

Do not step on anyone on your way up because, when it's your time to fall down, you'll meet them again - and this time round, you won't be in a position of power... and don't let yourself be tempted by your perceived power, job title or nameplate on your office door: practice servant leadership because, even if you fall, there will always be someone there to catch you.

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Written by a human - me.