“If you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it well enough.”

— Albert Einstein

Most leaders know the power of an elevator pitch — that concise, compelling speech you’d give the CEO if you found yourself sharing an elevator. But what about when the tables turn? What if it’s your job, as a leader, to share your vision with your team?

Enter the reverse elevator speech — the 30-to-60-second message every leader needs to master.

The reverse elevator speech is particularly relevant for interim professionals as it enables rapid alignment and impactful engagement. Interims can swiftly grasp an organization’s core challenges and, by articulating the company’s problem and their proposed solution concisely, immediately gain executive buy-in and establish their value. This approach cuts through complexity, fosters quick consensus for change initiatives, and frames the interim’s role as a direct solution provider from day one.

What Is a Reverse Elevator Speech?

Core values are the fundamental beliefs, principles, and ethical standards that guide a person’s actions and decisions. They define what is important and provide a sense of purpose and direction. Understanding our own core values and how they impact our decisions and how we interact with others is critically important to understanding how we approach our daily lives and why we make the choices we make.

In the workplace, that means understanding how we react to others, how we manage employees, and why workers who feel the organization’s policies and expectations run counter to their core values suffer “moral injury.”

InterimExecs CEO Robert Jordan invited his business coach, Brett Morris, to sit down for a chat to learn what a core value is, why they are non-negotiable, why our core values are unique to us, what happens when our core beliefs are in conflict with those of other people, and what happens when we believe someone has violated our core values.