9 Mar 24
Communication is the key skill that all leaders should invest time in developing and honing.
Without it, a leader will not be able to be effective.
This is because complex tasks can only be achieved through collaboration.
Effective communication is achieved through verbal, written and listening means.
When communicating, deliver your message using ABC: Accuracy, Brevity and Clarity to avoid clouding the issue.
Whilst all modes must be mastered, by far the most important skill is to listen actively.
Listen to understand, not to respond.
Regularly check your team's understanding of your messaging.
Reinforce the messaging as often as you see fit.
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#2 - Why Communication matters!
What?
There are many skills required to be a great leader. The ability to connect with people, communication, decision-making and the ability to exert influence are among them. However, I would say that the most important one to devote the most time to, and to master, is the art of communication. Without it, you simply cannot operate as a leader.
Why?
Leadership is all about being able to communicate a vision of what the final destination looks like to your team.
A recent Forbes report stated that leaders typically spend 88% of their week communicating in one form or another.
Being able to vividly describe where you are trying to get to, and why, is key to your team being able to understand why they are doing what they are doing. It also allows them to fully understand their role in the journey to get there.
Throughout human history, most of the very greatest feats have been achieved, not singularly, but through collaborative effort.
Churchill famously sent out a memorandum to his Chiefs of Staff during WWII, outlining exactly how he wanted to be briefed. He was so frustrated with the quality of briefs that he was receiving that he felt he had to lay down the ground rules (see below). This helped him deal with the sheer volume of reports that were presented to him.
So it really makes sense to spend time on how messages are communicated.
Bad communications have been at the root of most of the issues that I have experienced throughout my working life where projects have gone awry.
How?
So what are the best ways for you to do this?
Think in terms of how you regularly communicate:
1. Write,
2. Speak,
3. Listen.
In some respects writing and speaking are very similarly. Both can be easily bloated and padded out with additional information which is ultimately superfluous to the situation and therefore not needed. Both can benefit immensely from being much more succinct in terms of how the message lands. Additional padding introduces confusion. Both can waste time inordinately.
So with those two methods in particular, always think of how the message can be conveyed as clearly and unambiguously as possible. Never make assumptions about the level of knowledge held by the recipient. You may never know because they may never ask.
So think (ABC) - Accuracy, Brevity and Clarity!
Be accurate, be brief, be clear!
The last mode of communication is the most important and it is also the most difficult to master.
Listening - Once you have built trust within your team, people will want to come and brief you on issues.
Always make sure you give them the courtesy to listen.
But to listen properly, you need to actively listen, asking questions as appropriate if you need to clarify. And that means listening to understand what is being said, not listening to respond!
It's a difficult but essential skill which really marks out the great from the good leaders.
Finally, check that the team have received the message as you intended it to be received. Reinforce the messaging so it becomes embedded as required.
In Summary
I hope that you enjoyed reading this newsletter and that it has given you food for thought.
Communication is the key skill that you need to master if you aspire to being an effective leader.
At the end of each day, ask yourself how you can improve. Check the team for their understanding, and reinforce the messaging as often as you need to.
Have a great week!
Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help you:
- Resources - Reading is an essential component to developing your own authentic leadership style. Check out my resources page for really inspiring books which I have found invaluable within my own leadership journey,
- Coach Station - Singular issue 60 minute coaching sessions,
- Coach Journey - Bespoke coaching packages of 6 or 12 sessions for transformative change,
- Schedule Optimiser - Online course allowing you to take back control of your diary.
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