The Wizard of Oz Brings EQ Communication Home

I grew up enjoying the tale of Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion as they journeyed the yellow brick road in living technicolor.  From cyclone to Oz to home, I had no clue that this movie would inspire me to create the process of how to drive people and plans to success with EQ communication.

All those parental warnings that TV would rot my brain didn’t seem to apply to Oz.  What emerged from those repeated viewings was the 5 Cs Of COMMUNICATION.  What I fashioned is a remarkable emotional intelligence driver that empowers a teamed pursuit of goals.  Thank you Kansas and Munchkin land.

Being able to orchestrate communication that builds teamwork and rallies efforts to complete targeted goals is something every leader seeks.  Imagine linking progress to plans with a simple formula of words, attitude and action.

The 5 Cs Of COMMUNICATION begins with the first “C” – CONNECT.  When Dorothy told good witch Glenda and the Munchkins that she wanted to go home, she was connecting.  So did the Scarecrow when he revealed that he wanted a brain.  And when Dorothy met Tin Man and the Lion, they too shared what they wanted. They all joined together as a team when they chose to CONNECT.

Whenever we enter a typical business meeting we hear about priorities, things to do and delegated responsibilities.  What would better help the organization and the mission, is to pass around the microphone so everyone can share what they want.  From CEO to shift supervisor, giving every person a voice is to CONNECT.  Establishing common ground creates a focus of purpose and energies that ignite every meeting with a collaboration of direction. This is the beginning of teamwork and EQ communication.

The next step in the 5 Cs is CHALLENGE.  Voice those obstacles!  Identify all the roadblocks that must be dealt with if we want to achieve goals, destinations or desires.  Putting all these cards on the table allows a big picture perspective. This reveals a sequence to tasks and subsequent rewards that can be realized.  When the Munchkins sang out “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead,” the relief of one problem created opportunities for everyone.

The third step in the 5 Cs Of COMMUNICATION is CO-CREATE.  All too often the leader voices their answers, solutions or at least their suggestions first.  OOPS!  The idea here is to “CO”-CREATE.  Give your team members the opportunity to share their ideas, answers and solutions.  This empowers their ownership, pride and resolve.

If the leader speaks their answers first, this can flip the mute switch which silences valuable contributions.  Giving the microphone to team members is a productive asset.  The rewards are teamwork and success.  After all, where would Dorothy be without the good witch suggesting the Wizard of Oz or the Munchkins pointing to the yellow brick road?  In CO-CREATE, everyone contributes.

CELEBRATE is the most questioned of the 5 Cs.  Most would argue that celebrate is what you do following a success, not before.  Well, that may well be the traditional sequence, but when you want to rally energies to push through to completion, CELEBRATE rules!  Remember how the Lion sang about how much better life would be if he only had courage?  What about the Scarecrow’s song about what he would do with a brain?  Tin Man singing about the rewards of having a heart?  This fueled their drive and resilience.  Emotional intelligence in action!

CONNECT first sets the stage for emotional intelligence and CELEBRATE allows people to reflect on the rewards of success.  Emotional intelligence is the driver we want on our side so efforts will be energized to pursue goals.  CELEBRATE begins by asking your team members what it would mean to them to achieve their mission.  Next, keep your ears open and collect those kodaks because the more clearly they see their success, the more dedicated they are to overcome setbacks and stay the course.

Finally, the last step of the 5Cs is COMMIT.  Starting EQ communication with CONNECT allows everyone to bond on the same page.  CHALLENGE gets them to identify the difficulties and raise the bar.  CO-CREATE invites team cooperation and CELEBRATE mobilizes the perseverance needed to ensure success.  Finally, COMMIT gives everyone the opportunity to visibly pledge their attitude and actions as they follow their yellow brick road to succeed.

The 5 Cs Of COMMUNICATION can be used today to rally people to a teamed pursuit of goals.  Make your MOVVE!™ with EQ Communication.  After all, as Dorothy would say, “We are not in Kansas anymore.”

Here is my contact info:

James Cox M.Ed., (509) 947-1694  James@the-empowerment-group.com

Tags: awareness, communication, determination, different perspective, dorothy, dream, emotional intelligence, emotionality, feelings, goal setting, happy endings, Imagination, Intelligence, knowledge, lion, listening, motivate, motivation, MOVVE, Movver, perceptions, perspective, scarecrow, talking, target, team building, tin man, toto, witch. albert einstein, wizard of oz, yellow brick road

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