Seven Tribal Laws for Building TrustThrough CEO and Executive

Messages SevenTribalLawsforBuilding

TrustThroughCEOand

ExecutiveMessages

Seven Tribal Laws for Building TrustThrough CEO and Executive

Messages

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MMore than ever, business leaders mustconnect honestly with their tribes to energize, persuade, inspire, teach, provoke,stimulate, motivate and mobilize. Theyneed to not only lead their companies,their departments or their teams on apath to renewed integrity, but they alsohave to forge honest, emotional linkswith employees, investors, partners, customers and the media. The reason is simple: In today’s environment, theyneed to work harder than ever to keepour trust or perhaps even regain it.

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introduction

But how do you win over a jaded publicthat regards the business communitywith suspicion? How do you instill confidence in shareholders and potentialinvestors, or inspire your staffers to givetheir best? One way is for leaders to tell them the truth, sharing their storieswith warmth and honesty, and treatingtheir audiences with respect. Our message is simple; top executives

must channel theirauthentic and emotional self on camera to buildthat connection.

This emphasis on authenticity is partly a reaction to political and economic turbulence. The public has become

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In today’s environment,they need to work harderthan ever to regain andkeep our trust.

disenchanted with business people andpoliticians that are seen as phony or insincere. They don’t want slick leadersanymore; rather, they demand sincerity,honesty and integrity.

Video is one of the most effective waysto project these qualities across a largeorganization. It demands that leadersunderstand the power of the movingimage to convey key emotional triggersand cues that will help them build trust.And the more authentic you come acrosson screen, the more you’ll be able totransform your audience into believersand followers. Many corporate leaders,such as Lee Iacocca, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, have transcended their companies to become role models

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for integrity, candor and truthfulness,which are the building blocks of trust.

But getting to this point is a complicatedprocess, which is why we’ve published

this book. Often,building authenticityrequires letting ourguard down a little toreveal some vulnera-bility, and that takescourage. Many people

feel vulnerable in front of a camera.We’ve seen this behavior up close, and it can make or break your ability to connect in meaningful ways with youraudience.

That’s why, after years of working withthe world’s largest companies and their

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CEOs need to guidetheir corporations aswell as their respectiveindustries on a path torenewed integrity.

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executive leaders, we’ve synthesizedthese “Seven Tribal Laws for BuildingTrust” to help you tell your story withthe sincerity and passion it takes to establish trust. We know these laws will help you build the foundation of a successful, candid and effective executive communications program.

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People do business with people. This is as true today as in the days oflocal merchants. While technologyand social media have increased ourphysical separation, the connectionswe make with one another are stillvery personal. Let your personal stories strike emotional chordswithin your audience. One of therichest men in the world is IKEA

Be Personal and Inspire

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founder Ingvar Kamprad. His personal struggles with dyslexia inspired him to create IKEA’s famously simple, graphics-drivenbrand and grow an internationalbusiness that thrives on customersatisfaction. He continues to inspire his employees andentrepreneurs by his choice to livefrugally, drive an old Volvo and shoplocally.

Let your personal storiesstrike emotional chordswithin your audience.

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There’s an old saying: “When in doubt,tell the truth.” Authenticity comesfrom the combination of truth andaccomplishments, so use facts, avoidhyperbole and be original. And watchout for hollow platitudes or corporatejargon. Not only do they obscuremeaning, they also can be interpretedas having something to hide. We believe one part of being an authenticleader comes from letting our guard

Tell the Truth

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down to revealvulnerability.This often takesa measure of courage, especially infront of a camera. Admitting we’renot perfect underscores our valuesand draws our audience closer. Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz says,“When a leader shows vulnerabilityand sensibility and brings people together, the team wins.”

Admitting we’re not perfectunderscores our values anddraws our audience closer.

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There’s no substitute for hard workand preparation before you appearon camera to speak about importanttopics or issues. Be sure to referencewhat’s happening now; being topicaland acknowledging current trends,headlines, controversies and debates will help make your messageresonate. At the same time, it’s

Do Your Homework

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helpful to couch this message interms of shared experiences. Find thehuman insight, show your empathyand connect with what’s happeningin the world nowto your companyor institution.

Find the human insight,show your empathy and connect with what’s happening in the world

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What’s interesting to you is not necessarily interesting to others.Highlight the elements of your message that matter to your audienceand be as specific as possible. Focuson how you want people to think orfeel rather than just what you want to say. It sounds simple, but it’s surprising how often people forgetthis. Don’t just rattle off facts and

Know Thy Audience

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figures, or show graphs and charts;tell a story that provides meaningand context for your audience, andmake sure it’s tailored to the specificgroups you’re addressing. Take thetime to recount actual scenarios inwhich what youhave to say willhave impact andmeaning in theirlives.

Focus on how you wantpeople to think or feel,rather than just what youwant to say.

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A CEOs Message16 |

As Mark Twain once said, “Climb outon a limb; that’s where the best fruitis.” Engaging your audience meansnot playing it safe, and that takes ameasure of courage. What you don’twant to do is bore your audience. Itshows a lack of respect for their timeand attention. In this era of instantfeedback, all they’ll remember aboutyou is how you put them to sleep. Inhis TED Talk, “The Clues to a Great

Do Not Bore

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Story,” Andrew Stanton, the writerand director of “Finding Nemo,” “Toy Story” and “WALL-E,” remindsus that all good stories need to build,from first sentence to last, to a singlegoal. He discusses how audiencesneed to be vestedin a story, firstand foremost, bycaring about thecharacters. Keep this in mind: Building a story that invites empathyis key to sustaining interest

Building stories that invite empathy is key to sustaining interest.

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Leaders are able to recognize talentand surround themselves with thosethey trust to help lead their organiza-tions forward. As Richard Bransonputs it, “What is the point of hiringtalented team members if you don’tgive them the freedom to make themost of the chance you have giventhem? All good leaders listen to theirpeople and empower them to go

Don’t Operatein a Vacuum

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away and turn any innovative ideasthey have into a reality.” Make sureyou engage with others in your organi-zation. Empower them to bring theirbest thinking to the challenge. Thenutilize an integrated approach tosharing yourmessage.Whether it's a robust mix of advertis-ing and PR, or a combination of salescalls, webinars and road shows, you’llbenefit greatly from tapping a smartdistribution strategy designed to deliveryour content to the right audiences.

Engage with others in your organization. Empower them to bring their best thinking tothe challenge.

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We live in a media-savvy world,where there are no secrets abouthow movies and TV shows are made.Audiences expect, if not demand, acertain level of sophistication andpolish to the content they see onscreen. That’s why it’s important topay attention to the delivery and

Trust the Prosto Make YouLook Good

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packaging of your video content.Good content creators adhere to generally accepted guidelines. Tapping into innovative digital audio and video recording techniques can help makemessages morepersonal, moreaccessible andmore immediate.That’s why it’ssmart to work with a team of professionals that are experiencedwith putting leaders on camera.

Innovative techniquescan help make messagesmore personal, more accessible and more immediate.

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conclusion

AArthur Page, the former VP of PublicRelations for the old American Telephone& Telegraph Company, who was considered the dean of corporate communications, established a list ofconcepts he called “The Page Principles.”Created years ago, they revolve aroundissues of honesty, integrity, candor andconscience. These still ring true today.One is particularly relevant to building

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trust through a CEO’s message: “Realizea company’s true character is expressedby its people.” That’s doubly true whenthe person who’s expressing it is thecompany’s leader.

Marketplace turbulence tinged with uncertainty will always be a factor inbusiness. This is anopportunity for newleaders to lead, forcompanies to take alarger role in shaping the dialogue about

Realize a company’s true character is expressed by its people.

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key issues, and create new and strongerrelationships with investors, partners,employees and customers.

The best companies will do so in the new currency of commerce, which is

authenticity. The author and consultantWarren Bennis, whohelped shape the field

of modern leadership studies, writes,“The process of becoming a leader issimilar, if not identical, to becoming afully integrated human being.” As our

Authenticity is the new currency

of commerce

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about tribe pictures“Seven Tribal Laws” reveal, this quest for authenticity, honesty, integrity andrelevance is the foundation of buildingtrust through a leader’s message.

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about tribe pictures

TTribe Pictures is an award-winning film and video production companywith offices in New York and NewJersey. Founded by Vern Oakley, with a mission: to leverage the power of film to help leaders and institutions expresstheir humanity and successfully connectto the people who matter, making themfeel, give, act, change and… mobilize.

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At Tribe, we seek to reveal and expressthe humanity that connects leaders andinstitutions with those they seek to serve(their tribes).

In our current era of alienation and disconnection, Tribe’s human story-telling is a necessary and powerful tool for leaders and institutions.

Each of our films captures and expressesthe ‘soul’ of a person, a place or an idea.The authentic humanity of these storiescreates deep and meaningful connections

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with its audience. Honestly and, in theend, successfully.

Led by Vern’s creative direction, Tribe’s work has been recognized with over 500 inyernational awards, including scores of best in shows fromTelly Awards, Aurora Awards, CASEAwards, Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, the US International Film & Video Festival, and CINE.

Our clients include American Express,BASF, BD, Colgate-Palmolive, Coty,

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Hamilton College, Hess, Kenyon College, KPMG, Montefiore MedicalCenter, Pfizer, Princeton University,Stanley Black & Decker, SwarthmoreCollege, and others.

Copyright © 2016 Tribe Pictures. All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or information storage and retrieval systems without the prior written permission of Tribe Pictures, except where permitted by law.

Published by Tribe PicturesCover + book design F + P Graphic Design

Printed by minibuk.com

Humanizeyour leaders,

company and brand.

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Seven Tribal Laws for Building Trust Through CEO and Executive M

essages

Founder and Creative Director of Tribe Pictures, an award-winning film and video production company, discusses the requirements for a successful and candid CEO-led communications program.

Vern Oakley

tribepictures.com

Do you need to mobilize your tribe?

Make a connection with our tribe.

tribepictures.com

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