5 Skills for Effective Communication in Leadership

5 Essential Communication Skills for Leaders: How to Elevate Your Leadership

Effective communication in leadership is more than just talking — it’s about inspiring action, building trust, and fostering an environment where people thrive. Throughout history, the greatest leaders — from Abraham Lincoln to Jacinda Ardern — have been powerful communicators, using their words and listening skills to motivate, connect, and create lasting impact.

Leadership communication skills are the bridge between vision and execution. Without them, even the most brilliant ideas can fail. A leader must not only express ideas clearly but also adapt to different audiences, listen actively, and show genuine empathy. In today’s fast-paced business world, mastering these skills can be the difference between organizational success and stagnation.

Below are five essential communication skills for leaders, each supported by research, historical insights, and actionable strategies you can implement immediately.

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1. Adaptability in Leadership

“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

Adaptability in leadership means adjusting your communication style and approach based on evolving circumstances, audience needs, and business challenges. In the workplace, adaptability allows you to:

• Communicate effectively across cultural, generational, and professional differences.
  
  

• Shift strategies when facing crises or rapid industry changes.
  
  

• Keep team morale high during periods of uncertainty.
  
  

Example:
During the 2008 financial crisis, many CEOs failed to adjust their communication to address employee fears. In contrast, Howard Schultz of Starbucks increased direct communication with staff, holding town halls to explain changes and gather feedback. The company’s transparency and adaptability helped it recover faster.

Practical tip: Ask your team early on how they prefer to receive information — whether in detailed written briefs, concise verbal updates, or visual dashboards. Then tailor your communication accordingly.

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2. Empathy in Leadership

“I refuse to believe that you cannot be both compassionate and strong.” – Jacinda Ardern

Empathy in leadership is not weakness; it’s a competitive advantage. Studies show that leaders who demonstrate empathy improve employee engagement, retention, and innovation. According to a 2021 Catalyst report:

Impact of Empathy in Leadership	Positive Outcome
High-empathy leaders	76% employee engagement
Low-empathy leaders	32% employee engagement
Empathetic communication	3x higher collaboration rates

Empathy in leadership involves:

• Recognizing and validating employee experiences.
  
  

• Actively listening to understand — not just to respond.
  
  

• Showing genuine curiosity about your team’s lives and aspirations.
  
  

Example: During the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda

Ardern demonstrated empathy by visiting victims’ families, wearing cultural attire,

and communicating with compassion.

Her leadership was globally praised for uniting the country.

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3. Transparency Builds Trust

“The people, when rightly and fully trusted, will return the trust.” – Abraham Lincoln

Transparency is a cornerstone of effective communication in leadership. When leaders

share both successes and challenges openly, they create a culture of trust and

psychological safety.

Benefits of transparent communication:

• Encourages employees to share feedback and ideas.
  
  

• Increases accountability and alignment with goals.
  
  

• Reduces rumors and workplace anxiety.
  
  

Practical steps to foster transparency:

• Hold monthly “state of the team” updates.
  
  

• Share reasoning behind decisions, not just the outcomes.
  
  

• Use anonymous surveys to gather unfiltered employee opinions.
  
  

Statistic: Gallup research shows that companies with high transparency report 27% higher

employee performance than those with opaque communication.

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4. Active Listening Skills for Leaders

“I need to listen well so that I hear what is not said.” – Thuli Madonsela

Active listening is a leadership communication skill that builds trust and fosters collaboration.

It involves being fully present, interpreting verbal and nonverbal cues, and

confirming understanding.

Key techniques for active listening skills for leaders:

• Maintain open body language (uncrossed arms, steady eye contact).
  
  

• Ask open-ended questions to invite deeper discussion.
  
  

• Reflect back key points to confirm understanding.
  
  

Example: Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, transformed company culture

by practicing active listening. His leadership shifted Microsoft toward empathy-driven

innovation, resulting in a market capitalization increase of over $1 trillion since 2014.

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5. The Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary.” – Winston Churchill

Feedback is essential for growth — for both leaders and their teams. Leaders must be able

to provide constructive feedback that focuses on behaviors, not personalities,

and is supported by specific examples.

Best practices:

• Balance positive reinforcement with constructive criticism.
  
  

• Give feedback promptly after the observed behavior.
  
  

• Invite feedback from your team on your own leadership.
  
  

Statistic: Harvard Business Review found that 57% of employees prefer corrective feedback

over purely positive feedback — because it helps them improve and grow.

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Why Communication Skills Define Great Leaders

Effective communication in leadership is the foundation for setting clear expectations, resolving

conflict and inspiring collective action. Leaders who excel in

adaptability, empathy, transparency, active listening, and feedback build stronger,

more motivated teams.

Leadership communication skills are not innate — they can be learned, practiced, and

refined. The investment in these skills pays dividends not just in productivity, but in

the trust, loyalty, and long-term success of your organization.

Lean Tips Edition #298 (#3496 - #3510)

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.  Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.

Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:

Lean Tip #3496 – Enhance Cross-Functional Collaboration

Many organizations find that most waste occurs at the points in a process where different functions intersect. Breakdowns that result in waiting, wasted motion, and unnecessary movement are common when handoffs occur. That's why getting all departments on one system to manage improvement and problem-solving is critical. When everyone is on a single platform, communication flows smoothly, and improvement gains momentum. Everyone speaks the same language and follows a standard procedure for planning, implementing, and evaluating their improvements.

Lean Tip #3497 – Conduct a Waste Audit

A waste audit involves analyzing each area of your startup to identify specific instances of waste. This can be done by observing workflows, talking to employees, and reviewing data. For instance, if you notice that your sales team spends a significant amount of time on manual data entry, this could be considered a waste of their time and skills. Similarly, if you find that your manufacturing process results in a high rate of defective products, it's important to address this waste to minimize costs and improve quality.

Lean Tip #3498 – Monitor and Measure Progress

To ensure that your efforts to eliminate waste are effective, it's crucial to monitor and measure your progress. Set key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect your waste reduction goals and regularly track and analyze the data. For example, you can measure the reduction in defects, the decrease in inventory levels, or the improvement in lead times. 

By monitoring and measuring progress, you can identify areas that still require improvement and make necessary adjustments to your lean initiatives. Celebrate success along the way to keep your team motivated and engaged in the waste elimination process.

Lean Tip #3499 – Streamline Processes

One of the most effective ways to identify waste is by analyzing your business processes. Look for inefficiencies, redundancies, or bottlenecks that may be causing unnecessary delays or expenses. For example, if your production line requires excessive manual handling or frequent rework, it might be time to invest in automation or process optimization. By streamlining your processes, you can reduce labor costs, improve productivity, and minimize waste.

Lean Tip #3500 – Eliminating Non-Value-Added Activities

Non-value-added activities refer to tasks that do not contribute to the final product or service. These activities consume resources without adding any value for the customer. Take a critical look at your operations and identify any activities that can be eliminated or streamlined. For instance, excessive paperwork, unnecessary meetings, or redundant approvals can be streamlined or eliminated altogether. By focusing on value-added activities, you can enhance efficiency and reduce unnecessary expenses.

Lean Tip #3501 – Give Your Team Members Ownership

The best leaders in the business understand the power of ownership. Giving ownership to the team members means nothing but letting them make their own decisions and making them accountable for their work.

Making team members accountable for their work induces a sense of responsibility in them regarding their work can be very helpful in improving team performance. They start to see their work differently so that their decisions can impact the performance of the entire team.

Lean Tip #3502 – Ensure Proper Communication

Communication is one of the critical factors that contribute mainly to team productivity. Without effective communication, businesses fail.

A lot of successful businesses thrive on effective communication. Now, a project manager must ensure effective communication prevails in a team.

Communication plays a significant role in helping team members to understand their job responsibilities. And, if there is any communication gap, it can lead to multiple confusions within a team, which will undoubtedly impact the overall productivity of a team.

Lean Tip #3503 – Give Them Room to Work

Every employee or team member works best when given an environment where they are allowed to do things ‘their way’. Most employees tend to lose interest as soon as they are being micromanaged by their bosses or managers.

One of the many ways that can help you overcome this is to create a kickass team. Define their job responsibilities and your expectations clearly to them. Now, get out of their way and let them work on their own.

At the same time, be approachable so that if someone in your team has a question, they don’t need to think twice to clarify their doubts.

Always trust your team with utmost confidence. This further strengthens their belief in themselves which helps them to perform to their best abilities and contribute positively to team productivity.

Lean Tip #3504 – Praise a Job Well Done

While for different employees, different things work to boost their productivity and efficiency at work. But for many of them, it is something as simple as being acknowledged for their efforts.

Nothing can add to productivity if an employee feels that his contribution isn’t valued enough. Whereas appreciating them in front of the whole team can work wonders.

Instead of virtual congratulatory words, this public act of appreciation inspires others in the group to do their best. This promotes a healthy work culture in an organization which will be an addition to boosting team productivity.

Lean Tip #3505 – Lead With Gratitude

Being thankful can have a major impact on the people you work with within the workplace. Gratitude improves how we interact with others and collaborate. It makes our colleagues feel a sense of belonging and motivates them to work harder. So, don’t ever underestimate the power of a firm handshake, a warm smile, and saying “thank you” to your team members.

Lean Tip #3506 – Provide Help if Needed

Helping your team members at work is critical to fostering and maintaining a stable workplace. As a team leader, you should encourage your team members to approach you in case they have any questions or concerns at work. You should instill confidence in them by taking the initiative. Observe your team, which people are most productive and who are struggling with meeting deadlines.

Here are some ways how to improve team productivity by offering timely help to your team members.

• Practice consistent communication with team members
• Actively listen to people in your team and encourage 2-way communication
• Use your experience to recognize when others are struggling at work
• Build relationships with team members while being aware of professional boundaries
• Practice surprising acts of thoughtfulness such as getting them coffee, leaving personalized “thank you” notes on their desk, etc.
• Ensure a fair and even workload to prevent employee burnout and excessive stress
• Inspire positivity by maintaining a friendly attitude

Lean Tip #3507 – Be Authentic and Vulnerable

Create an environment of trust and honesty within your team so people feel comfortable talking about what's going on for them. Start from the top by being honest and open about where you have opportunities or where you might have trouble. Being publicly vulnerable with your team shows them that admitting when you don't know or need assistance is OK.

Cultivate a team culture that lets people know that it's okay to be human. Asking for help, admitting you were wrong, or having a project go sideways isn't unforgivable. If you position these things as learning opportunities, it will help your team be more productive — they can move forward and try new things without having to worry about being punished for failure.

Lean Tip #3508 – Set a North Star

One of the hallmarks of a good team is working together. But how are you supposed to work together if you don't know where you're trying to go? Imagine a three-legged race where both participants are trying to run in different directions — they wouldn't get very far!

The same goes for your team if they don't have a unifying goal or metric that they are trying to hit. Before you start trying to boost your productivity, identify the big things that would impact your customers' experiences. From there, distill the big-ticket items into achievable goals and metrics.

A "North Star" metric is a measure that is the most likely to indicate success for a company or team. In the case of support, your North Star metric may be:

• Customer satisfaction (CSAT)
• Customer effort score (CES)
• First contact resolution
• Time to first response

Or, it may be something that funnels up to your company's overall metrics. For example, if your company sets a North Star metric of the number of customers and wants to increase from 10,000 to 30,000 customers in a year, your team would need to set some goals in service to that. Those goals might be closely linked with:

• Customer happiness
• Time to first response
• Churn
• Renewal rate
• Customer satisfaction

Each of those metrics contributes to the company’s North Star by helping to maintain or gain new customers.

Lean Tip #3509 – Prioritize Your Goals

One of the best ways to increase productivity within your team is to prioritize your goals well and to help your team members prioritize theirs. Once you've identified priorities and started to work toward them as a team, check in regularly to see if they need to shift or grow with your team’s abilities and your company's goals.

Lean Tip #3510 – Reward Quality, Not Quantity

Recognition is so important when it comes to the workplace. Any good team lead or manager takes the time to recognize the hard work and effort their team members put in. This recognition can occur at the team level, within stand-ups or meetings, or at the company level during all-hands or annual events.

When you recognize excellent work and contributions, try to focus on quality efforts rather than the quantity of a body of work. For instance, consider if one of your team members answers tons of tickets but has a low customer satisfaction score. You may also have another team member who responds to fewer tickets but has a 100% customer satisfaction rating. In this situation, it's best to target your praise on the team member with higher-quality work.

Lean Quote: Communication is the Key to Any Effective Teamwork

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"In teamwork, silence isn’t golden. It’s deadly."   —  Mark Sanborn

Teamwork is the force behind every successful business. Only when employees come together, share a common vision of the goal, put together their strengths, complement their weaknesses, and help each other in times of need- can an organization grow to its greatest heights. Teamwork leads to a multitude of benefits:

• Builds a sense of community
• Improves employee morale
• Increased productivity
• This leads to personal and professional development
• Brainstorming ideas
• Faster problem solving
• Enhanced creativity
• Faster execution of ideas

Communication is the key to any effective teamwork. If you can’t share ideas and get your point across in a supportive environment then it will be difficult to get anything done. If people don’t agree, or have a problem then need to be able to tell the other members in a constructive manner. Also, each member needs to stay informed about any decisions or progress so that everybody is working together rather than in their own direction.

Make it clear that collaboration is the minimum standard. Define roles and responsibilities within the team. Every team member should understand their position and what is required of them. In a collaborative environment every team member takes responsibility for good outcomes.

Include every person on the team in as many large decisions as possible. Create a means of communicating current work flows to avoid duplication of effort. Initiate daily team huddles where each member shares what they will be accomplishing that day. This keeps everyone on the same playbook and enables team members to re-direct their efforts as needed.

Team communication is one of the most fundamental aspects of collaboration. Communication in teams is more than just efficient work. It allows everyone on the team to be educated on any topic that may affect their work. Moreover, it develops trust, builds camaraderie among the team members, boosts morale, and helps employees stay engaged in the workplace.

Replace your SMART goal with a PACT

A system without a goal is like a marathon without a finish line. But a system with a bad goal will result in a bad outcome. Traditional goal-setting methods use the SMART framework.

Specific. Your goal should be well defined, clear, and unambiguous.

Measurable. You can easily measure your progress towards the accomplishment of the goal.

Achievable. The goal should seem attainable and not impossible to achieve.

Relevant. The goal should be aligned with your current priorities.

Timely. Your goal should have a clearly defined timeline, including a starting date and a target end date.

Each of the SMART components is needed in order for your goal to have clarity and focus. Clarity and focus are the driving force behind achieving your goal. Without clarity you wouldn’t know what to do; without focus, you wouldn’t have a reason to do it.

Instead of SMART goals, which don’t encourage ambitious, long-term endeavors, I prefer to make a PACT with myself. While a SMART goal focuses on the outcome, the PACT approach focuses on the output. It’s about continuous growth rather than the pursuit of a well-defined achievement. Which makes it a great alternative to SMART goals.

PACT stands for Purposeful, Actionable, Continuous, and Trackable—the four factors that make for great goals:

Purposeful. Your goal should be meaningful to your long-term purpose in life, not just relevant to you right now. It will be much harder to stick to your goal if you don’t actually care. When a goal is aligned with your passions and your objectives in life, you are feeling much more motivated. (many tasks don’t feel purposeful but need to be done in order to achieve a meaningful long-term goal, and that’s fine—they are tasks, not goals)

Actionable. A good goal is based on outputs you can control. Your goal should be actionable and controllable. It’s all about shifting your mindset from distant outcomes in the future to present outputs you can control and that are within your reach, taking action today rather than overplanning for tomorrow.

Continuous. It’s important that the actions you take towards your goal are simple and repeatable. So many goals are not achieved because of what’s called choice paralysis. That’s when there are so many options that you end up spending more time doing research than actually doing stuff that will make you progress towards your goal. The good thing about continuous goals is their flexibility. What you need to do is get started, and as you learn more, you can adapt your approach. It’s about continuous improvement rather than reaching a supposed end goal.

Trackable. Not measurable. Stats can be overrated and don’t apply to lots of different types of goals. More of a “yes” or “no” approach, not measurable; ask yourself have you done the thing today? Have you coded today? Have you called three potential customers? Have you published your weekly blog post? Yes or no? This makes your progress easy to track.

While goal-setting methods come in many different forms, there is no one goal-setting technique that works for every person in every situation. Some people say SMART Goals are outdated and PACT goals are too ambitious, so if either of these methods aren’t for you, research some other strategies and try out a few until you find a good fit. Being able to set realistic, attainable goals is a very useful skill you should have as it’s a skill that can set you up for long-term success.