John H. Johnson's School of Success
 Lesson #5: Communicate Success

“My management style is based on the art of communication,” said Johnson. “For communication is an art, not a science. It is an emotion, not a statistic.”

Johnson had a natural ability for the art of communication. He understood how to relate to people and how to connect with them in a way that would facilitate the best possible work experience for both. “I'm a hands-on, hands-in, hands-wrapped-around manager, and I believe it's impossible to separate good management from good communication. For the best manager is the best communicator.”

Johnson believed that if he couldn’t communicate effectively with his staff, it didn’t matter how good his product was, his company was not going to prosper. Developing this talent was something that Johnson took great pride in and he ensured his senior staff was equally trained in the art. “The best communicators know instinctively that to communicate effectively you must bypass intellectual centers and tap into the deepest fears, hopes and emotions of your audience,” said Johnson. This was a skill that Johnson worked hard to cultivate and develop over the years, and one that he soon mastered.

“I was born in poverty and spent two years on the welfare rolls, and I learned early that I had to communicate or die,” said Johnson. “And so I talked my way out of poverty – I communicated my way to the top.” In order to improve his communication skills, Johnson began practicing conversations in front of a mirror in his room as a young boy. He also started reading books on self-improvement and communication. Now, Johnson estimates that he spends between 60-70% of his time communicating internally with his managers and staff, and the rest of the time doing the same thing with corporate leaders on the Fortune 500 boards. But, no matter whom he was speaking with, the importance of doing it effectively remained the same.

Part of being able to communicate successfully also lies in the ability to envision success within one’s own mind. This was a message that Johnson knew all too well. “The word I wanted to hear, then and now, was success,” Johnson said. “The energy I sought, then and now, was the energy that comes from focusing all your powers, like a beam, on a single point.”

Johnson knew he could achieve success because he visualized it in his head. He didn’t accept failure and instead focused all his willpower on realizing his dreams. “I used to lock myself up in my office and say the word success out loud, over and over, like a Buddhist monk chanting his mantra,” Johnson said. “'John Johnson you can make it, John Johnson, you can make it, John Johnson, you can make it, John Johnson you can make it, John Johnson, you can and must make it.”

He learned the art of successful communication and envisioned where he wanted to take his career. By successfully communicating, Johnson was able to communicate success and achieve his dreams.

Copyright © 2002-2006 by John H. Johnson Publishing. All rights reserved.

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