Leadership and Communication Article

"It is never a good sign when the market drops 380 points on the day you give your first major policy address as Treasury Secretary. But that is exactly what happened to Timothy Geithner when he sketched the Obama administration's plans for revitalizing the financial services sector. Whatever the merits of the plan, Secretary Geithner did not help himself during the delivery of his speech. While earnest and focused, he did not connect with his audience. And he as soon as he finished, he left the stage without taking questions. [He did do TV interviews off stage, however.] While Geithner was criticized for lack of detail, that is beside the point. Details are not for public presentations; they are for policy papers which should be distributed immediately after the presentation. In reality, what critics are saying is that Geithner, already under a cloud for failing to pay a portion of his taxes, failed to convince them. Failure to persuade is the real issue."