Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google is a model business leader. He’s intelligent, innovative and performs well under pressure.
In a two-part interview with Financial Times, Schmidt was asked some sensitive questions from U.S. Managing Editor Chrystia Freeland.
Since Google is a public company, there were several topics that Schmidt wasn’t comfortable addressing. He did an amazing job of not answering those questions – and then answering those questions.
Confused?
When I coach executives, I tell them that saying “No comment,” might be the answer their attorneys want them to issue. What works better is to do exactly what Schmidt did.
State that you can’t or won’t comment on the question at hand, but add, “What I can tell you is…”
- Some of Schmidt’s answers began with:
- “I’m not going to comment …”
- “I’m not going to answer something …”
- “I’m not sure …”
- “Without commenting on the specifics …”
- “I’d rather not talk about specifics …
- “I’m not going to pass judgment …”
- “I can’t comment…”
Schmidt was calm, confident and cooperative. He got to get his message across and the reporter got her story. That’s the big difference between saying something vs. nothing – everyone wins.
The interviews contain some valuable information on the future of newspapers as well as future acquisitions. How Schmidt answers the questions is as valuable as the actual content of his answers.
These are a must see for communicators, PR professionals and C-level executives.
Posted on
Mon, May 25, 2009
by Sean Taylor Simpson
filed under