The voice of American poet Carl Sandburg still rings in our ears. How he spoke for the people. With intelligent simplicity. Often raw.

Chicago he acknowledged as wicked and crooked. And yet:

Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.

Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the little soft cities

In this and his many writings about his city, Sandburg successfully extracted both flaws and proud pulse, and expressed each with potent honesty. He invited his audience to make their own choices, based on what they found indelible about the place.

By identifying their own relatable truth.

And he spoke for all ages. He once shared with children one young poet's reasoning for keeping her poem intentionally short:

"... she meant she left something in the air

for the reader of the poem to linger over,

as any of us do over a rose, or a sunset, or a face.

Roses, sunsets, faces, have mystery."

In keeping his words, his language, natural and colloquial, Sandburg spoke for the masses. In speaking their language, Sandburg knew how to Own the Conversation® expertly translating truth to influence hearts and minds.

For leaders seeking enterprise growth and product acceptance, Sandburg offers a simple wisdom in assessing communications effectiveness in support of product or enterprise:  

Sandburg intrinsically knew never to underestimate the intelligence of his audience. As demonstrated in a style uncluttered. Evocative. Substantive. Authentic.

Ignoring Sandburg's wisdom prevents exercise of the freedom to linger, as over a rose, allowing people to discover their mystery, their magic within a product.

It's a wisdom seemingly adept product owners, those with brand ambitions, too often overlook.