Good
communication is a core leadership function and a key characteristic of a good
leader. Effective communication and effective leadership are closely
intertwined. As a leader, you need to be a skilled communicator in countless
relationships at the organizational level, in communities and groups, and
sometimes on a global scale in order to achieve results through others.
Leaders must be
able to think with clarity, express ideas, and share information with a
multitude of audiences. They must also handle the rapid flows of information
within the organization and among customers, partners, vendors, and other
stakeholders and influencers.
Being an
effective leader is virtually impossible if you lack strong communication
skills. The good news is that it’s possible to cultivate and hone skills that
will help you excel in both areas. Here are 5 skills to enhance leadership and
communication:
1.
Adaptability
“Change
is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain
to miss the future.” – John F. Kennedy
As a leader,
you must constantly react to changing conditions, factors, and challenges while
keeping a level head. In a professional context, adaptability refers to your
capability to remain flexible and respond effectively to fluctuating plans,
responsibilities, schedules, expectations, trends, goals, or work processes. As
such, adaptability is related to other soft skills critical to strong
leadership, including creative thinking, analytical, interpersonal, and
teamwork abilities.
It’s also
essential to be adaptable in how you speak and write so that you can tailor
your messaging to best reach and influence team members with different
communication styles. For example, some employees may appreciate detailed
written guidance when embarking on a new project, while others may prefer a
concise verbal direction or summary. Although some of this may be intuitive,
it’s always beneficial to speak with your reports early on about their
communication habits and preferences so that you can determine what works best
for them.
2. Empathy
“One of
the criticisms I've faced over the years is that I'm not aggressive enough or
assertive enough, or maybe somehow, because I'm empathetic, it means I'm weak.
I totally rebel against that. I refuse to believe that you cannot be both
compassionate and strong." – Jacinda Arden
Leading and
communicating with empathy is crucial to your success as a business executive,
manager, or director. The better you are at recognizing, acknowledging, and
validating the feelings and experiences of your employees, the more valued they
will feel and the more likely they will be to meet your goals. Accordingly,
it’s important to schedule regular communication meetings with your team so you
can get to know them better, including their professional experiences,
challenges, and goals.
To be an
empathetic leader, it’s also vital to express genuine curiosity about the
people you work with and take a personal interest in their lives, which helps
to build stronger relationships.
The many
potential benefits of empathetic leadership include the following:
- Creating trust,
appreciation, and loyalty
- Enhancing
employee engagement and motivation
- Improving
collaboration and empathy between team members
- Increasing job
satisfaction and productivity
In other words,
connecting with and relating to your team can have a lasting positive impact on
your employees and your company.
3.
Transparency
"The
people, when rightly and fully trusted, will return the trust." – Abraham
Lincoln
Being
transparent involves openly and candidly sharing information with your team
about your company’s high-level goals, challenges, and opportunities—regardless
of whether the information is good or bad. Being transparent will keep your
employees informed and build trust between yourself and your team, which is
critical to performance. Through transparency and trust, you can also empower
employees to take healthy risks, share their perspectives freely, better
collaborate and innovate, and actively problem-solve.
You can help to
create a culture of transparency in the workplace by establishing clear
communication channels and well-defined expectations and providing regular
feedback on how your team and organization are progressing in their goals. It’s
also imperative to create an open environment where employees feel comfortable
speaking up when their opinions don’t align with leadership. This can involve
implementing regular anonymous surveys or scheduling short meetings to check in
and allow employees to share their thoughts or ask questions.
Without
transparency or trust in the workplace, communication and morale suffer,
employee stress increases, and productivity decreases. But when you are
authentic and vulnerable with employees and readily share insights and discuss
rationale, you can create a space in which your team feels secure in
exploring—and voicing—their creativity. If you involve your employees in
aspects of the decision-making process, they are more likely to feel engaged
and loyal to your organization, to the benefit of everyone involved.
4. Active
listening
"I
need to listen well so that I hear what is not said." - Thuli
Madonsela
Active
listening is critical to effective leadership communication. It’s a skill that
involves hearing what people say and trying to understand their words' meaning
and intent. Fundamental active listening techniques include being fully present
in your conversation, responding to and using non-verbal cues, asking
open-ended questions, avoiding interruptions, judgments, or advice, and
reflecting on what you’ve heard. When you practice active listening, the goal
should be to understand and empathize rather than to respond.
When you
practice active listening skills as a leader, you can help create a stronger
rapport with your team by showing that their opinions and ideas are heard and
valued. When you know when to speak and when to listen, you can encourage
productive conversation, build trust, and create an opportunity to better
understand your employees' motivations, challenges, and goals. An essential
component of active communication is maintaining open body language. This
involves making good eye contact, refraining from folding your arms, and
smiling and nodding while you listen.
5. Ability to give and receive feedback
“Criticism
may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as
pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of
things.” – Winston Churchill
If you take on
a leadership role, it will be your responsibility to give feedback effectively
and receive it thoughtfully. Providing clear and constructive feedback to your
employees through routine communication gives them the chance to course correct
as needed, leverage their strengths, and improve their overall efficiency and
effectiveness. Some tips to help you provide helpful feedback include focusing
on the behavior rather than the person, balancing negative comments with
positive ones, and referring to specific examples to support your statements
rather than focusing on generalities.
If you want to
become a better leader, it’s equally important that you can receive feedback
from your employees. Strong leaders appreciate that they are fallible and must
constantly learn and grow. And who is better to provide constructive criticism
of your leadership skills than those directly affected by them? When you
receive feedback from team members, it’s essential to be open and aware of your
body language and tone of voice, try to remain objective rather than defensive,
ask questions for clarification as needed, and assess the input to create an
appropriate action plan.
For ages,
leaders have been motivators who have encouraged others to work on themselves
and achieve their goals. This ability of great leaders results from the
effective communication skills they possess. It is believed that effective
communication is linked to great leadership skills and that many successful
leaders like Abraham Lincoln have been strong communicators. Therefore,
effective communication skills are a prerequisite to becoming a successful
leader. So, what is the role of communication in leadership?
Communication
skills help leaders to define the goals of team members clearly. It also helps
understand team members’ goals and desires and solve their grievances.
Effective communication skills also help foster an open and good rapport
between leaders and their teams, which increases productivity and efficiency.
Therefore, it is clear that effective communication skills play an important
role in leadership.
