A leader can communicate the goal effectively. Communication is a big deal when leading. I can tell my daughters that we have an appointment at 3 PM. What they may hear is that they have until 3 PM to get ready. Then we all get frustrated and rush to the appointment and usually are late.
I should have spelled out the details. "We have until 2:30 PM to be ready for our 3 PM appointment.What can I do to help you be ready?" Obviously you wouldn't need to be as detailed for your supervisor. Be sure of your audience. I wouldn't want to offend a peer or supervisor by being so detailed that they may think that you do not believe they know what is happening.
Good communication help guide!!
To be a good communicator you must be a good listener as well. Make sure to get all the facts before making decisions. If an employee has an issue take the time to listen to the problem. Maybe go into your office where you can really listen to just them and where they may feel more comfortable discussing the situation. Then repeat the main facts about what you heard so that you and the employee are in agreement about the problem. Never make them feel that their problem is not important to you. Take the time to think about the situation.
Make sure you follow up. If the person feels like they aren't getting heard they will take their issues elsewhere. You will loose the respect as a leader if you do not investigate the issue and then follow up. This does not mean that they will like or accept the results but they will appreciate that you listened and followed through.
Something I read years ago and I kept....:
ReplyDelete1. Speak not with a forked tongue: In most cases, people just won’t open up to those they don’t trust. When people have a sense a leader is worthy of their trust they will invest time and take risks in ways they never would if their leader had a reputation built upon poor character or lack of integrity.
2. Get personal: Stop issuing corporate communications and begin having organizational conversations – think dialog not monologue. Here’s the thing – the more personal and engaging the conversation is the more effective it will be.
3. Get specific: Specificity is better than Ambiguity 11 times out of 10: Learn to communicate with clarity. Simple and concise is always better than complicated and confusing.
4. Focus on the leave-behinds not the take-aways: The best communicators are not only skilled at learning and gathering information while communicating, they are also adept at transferring ideas, aligning expectations, inspiring action, and spreading their vision. The key is to approach each interaction with a servant’s heart.
5. Have an open mind: I’ve often said that the rigidity of a closed mind is the single greatest limiting factor of new opportunities.
6. Shut-up and listen: Great leaders know when to dial it up, dial it down, and dial it off (mostly down and off).
7. Replace ego with empathy: I have long advised leaders not to let their ego write checks that their talent can’t cash. When candor is communicated with empathy & caring and not the prideful arrogance of an over inflated ego good things begin to happen.
8. Read between the lines: Take a moment and reflect back on any great leader that comes to mind… you’ll find they are very adept at reading between the lines. They have the uncanny ability to understand what is not said, witnessed, or heard.
9. When you speak, know what you’re talking about: Develop a technical command over your subject matter. If you don’t possess subject matter expertise, few people will give you the time of day.
10. Speak to groups as individuals: Leaders don’t always have the luxury of speaking to individuals in an intimate setting. Great communicators can tailor a message such that they can speak to 10 people in a conference room or 10,000 people in an auditorium and have them feel as if they were speaking directly to each one of them as an individual.
11. Bonus – Be prepared to change the message if needed: Another component of communications strategy that is rarely discussed is how to prevent a message from going bad, and what to do when does. It’s called being prepared and developing a contingency plan.
All of these things seem to bring the subject matter to a smaller group. This will enable the leader to make a bigger impact. One of the hardest things to remember is to shut up and listen. Leaders can think that they have all the information but listening to the people closest to the issues can not only give you better information but also show that you care about things just as much as they do. Most times they will respect you and follow you, as a leader if they know you truly care. That is a good way to start troubleshooting. Thanks Shelly. Great things to work on!
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