You’ve already read about Piñera the Responsible and Piñera the Optimist. Now let’s discuss Piñera the Communicator.
We’ve seen the importance of communication in organization after organization. In fact, if we were to administer an employee attitude survey in your organization today I can already tell you the #1 employee concern: communications.
Many leaders hear that message – but they don’t understand what they need to do differently.  Piñera’ provided us with a communications primer that leaders from all walks of life can easily duplicate. Â
HAVE A PLAN
Pi̱era had a plan. In fact Рhe had a master plan with a couple of back-up plans. And from the very beginning the Chilean government shared those plans Рin a clear and methodical way. Those plans made Pi̱era look competent and in control Рwhich gave everyone a measure of confidence.
So if you want people to have confidence in your leadership:Â Â Â Â
 • Know what you are going to do
 • Know why you are going to do it
 • Share your plans and your reasoning’s
 • Provide timely and frequent updates as things progress and/or change
STAY AHEAD OF THE MESSAGE
If you want to inspire trust and competence – stay ahead of the message. Be proactive and anticipate the next question, the next hurdle. Piñera didn’t WAIT for things to happen – he shared what was GOING to HAPPEN NEXT. And then he kept his word and did it.
UNDER-PROMISE AND OVER-DELIVER
In the very beginning Piñera shared that it would take 4 months to rescue the miners. 69 days later all 33 men were safely on the surface. Do I have to say more?
BE SOCIAL
It’s a new world and there are new communication methods that can be very effective. Check out how Piñera used:
Flickr
Twitter
Facebook
BE HUMAN
Yes. Plans, systems and operational excellence are important…but in the end it’s about people. If you watched Piñera as each miner was brought to the surface you could see that he was overcome with joy. His hugs were not symbolic they were genuine. And his emotions mirrored the feelings of the rest of the world.
In the past few weeks Sebastian Piñera has displayed some powerful leadership traits including: Â
- Taking Responsibility
- Expressing Optimism
- Effectively Communicating Â
What leadership lessons did you learn from Sebastian Piñera throughout the Chile Mine Rescue?
