Leadership in six words

There's a literary legend that Ernest Hemingway was once challenged in a bar to write a story in only six words, a (very) brief novel that would tell a complete story.  He famously wrote – some say, on the spot –“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”   

Since then, the six word memoir has become a fun game for journalists, authors and wordsmiths everywhere, inspiring many challenges. Starting in 2006, Smith Magazine challenged readers to write their memoirs in six words and the effort is still going strong.

A few years ago leadership consultant John Baldoni wrote a post on Harvard Business Review: Sum Up Your Leadership in Six Words. In it he urged leaders to adopt the concept of the six-word memoir to distill their leadership legacy, or to use in meetings.

Writing short sentences tends to be a challenge for me. Therefore I started thinking that maybe I should challenge myself to write just six words for my blog. Well. . . not always! But maybe some times. . . like today!

Four years ago, after much thinking and many tries, this were my six words on leadership:

Leadership is an inclusive conversation’s stream.

Today I thought it was time to revisit the six words challenge. Since I have published a book on conversations and leadership, called Transformative Conversations: The heart of the leadership journey, my six words for today are a play off the title:

Conversations are the heart of leadership

Your turn to share:

What do my six words say to you? What six words would you use to describe Leadership? What six words could you use to challenge your team? I will love to see your take on this challenge.

Share your thoughts below

Receive more tips about conversations and leadership by registering for my weekly Leadership Tips for Busy Leaders HERE.