Most people are smarter than they sound. And they are often a lot smarter than they sound when speaking on the record. That’s because interviews are less about what you know and more about how you present yourself. They reveal character.

That said, what have I learned about Mitt Romney? How, as a business leader and presidential candidate, does he presents himself? Number One: This is a guy who is use to being in charge. Even as controversy swirls around him, Romney seems unaware of the fact that he’s not the boss of the public narrative.  How strange to demand apologies and retractions. How strange nobody taught the CEO that talking big can sometimes make you look small.

When asked by National Review about the downside of releasing his pre-2010 financial records, Romney replied, “I’m simply not enthusiastic about giving them hundreds of thousands of more pages to pick through, distort and lie about.” One is “simply not enthusiastic” about raspberry preserve, or a game of doubles after lunch. At some point one may have no choice – or pay the price.

By “them” Romney clearly meant the opposition camp, but he failed in this and every interview to acknowledge the audience. What are their wants, needs and expectations of him? It’s a question that guys at the top often forget to ask themselves.

Posted by Bodine Williams, July 18, 2012

The Mitt Chronicle #1, inspired by a 1978 essay by Louis R. Pondy, “Leadership is a Language Game.”