Effective Communication: The Key to Greater Leadership?

Effective Communication: The Key to Greater Leadership?

Almost all the leaders in the world have one thing in common; the need for effective communication.  They are often asked to speak in front of an audience.  In any organization, there will always be times when a leader needs to talk; in fact, it might be one of the most important skills an aspiring leader needs to develop.

Why do you need to talk?

Well, for one, how will you be able to tell others what you want done or how you want it done when you are too caught up in doing things on your own rather than explaining your plan to others and engaging them in it?

But first, let’s clear something up a bit; talking and communicating are two different things.  Talking, we learn that in school – the process of putting words together in order to express a thought. Communicating is very different though.  Talking is a one way thing and most of the time will get you nowhere if you do not use the skills you have in talking to effectively communicate your idea.  Communication is a process; it not only involves you but also your audience.  You do not just send a message, you also need to listen and observe if your message was understood.

That being said, let’s change the question a bit.

Why do you need to communicate in order to become a good leader?

Well, it would just be impossible for your team to know exactly what your plan is and how it can be done if you cannot explain to them what is in your head. Communicating your idea may be done in different ways; one is by discussing the idea with your team members.  Another way is to explain it in writing.  Either way, both forms should be effective or else you will find yourself with a team doing things that you neither understand nor expect.  You have to keep in mind that their brains do not work in the same way yours does and to top that, not one of them has the same understanding of things.  It is up to you to help all of the team members get on board.

In effective communication, the first thing you need to consider is your purpose and your plan.  If an idea is not yet clear to you, never ever say anything about it because you just might find yourself in an under-planned project that is bound to fail, and you have just dragged your team along with you.

Second, you need to consider how you can make your team fully understand your ideas because only those who understand it, and know how it will benefit the project and the team, can effectively roll out the plan.

Finally, create a safe venue for feedback.  If your team members have questions or clarifications, you would want them to voice it out. They will bring added value to your project and you will have a very engaged team backing you all the way to the top.

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As a self-professed “manager from hell,” Steve Caldwell learned through the hard knocks of making mistakes while building a career.  Today he serves as a leadership coach, mentor and role model guiding high achieving managers to become the strong leaders their companies, employees and the world needs.  He is also author of the book Manager Mojo – Be the Leader that Others Want to Follow (available on Amazon).

“In all arenas, we suffer from a lack of leadership talent,” Steve observes.  “Every day employees are promoted into management with no training or support to guide their development into leadership positions.  You don’t have to be born to lead. You can learn to lead.”  He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (415) 670*9543.