Great leaders are great communicators
How to reduce workplace stress, three questions and wisdom from Star Trek
Photo by Stefan Cosma on Unsplash
As work continues to shift to more agile ways of working, the ability to really listen, give direction, build connection, inspire others, give feedback that drives improvement and build trust – become even more critical. And they all rely on great communication.
Yet communication is one of the areas that causes the most problems for leaders; often unintentionally. Research by the Economist’s Intelligence Unit found that poor communication has a tremendous impact on the workplace. It leads to:
added stress for over half of us (52%)
project failures (44%)
low morale (31%)
reduced innovation (20%)
lost sales (18%)
Imagine the possibilities if communication improved. 52% less stress in your business? Yes please.
It may sound straight forward, yet communicating well is not simple. It takes time. You’ll find yourself repeating what you said. Some people will just ‘get it’. Others will need time to reflect. Or they may want time to scrutinising the detail and facts, before accepting the way forward.
Every one of us is unique and has different preferences and needs. In my client work I love using tools like DiSC with leadership teams to help them understand their own natural preferences for communication and think about what their teams need from them, as much as the other way around.
Many leaders I work with want to be open and honest with their communications. However there’s a fine line between being open and being transparent; and during tough unpredictable times there are judgement calls to be made.
The challenge for leaders is that your team will make up the story if they don’t hear it from you. The question therefore isn’t whether to communicate, it’s ‘what’ to communicate and ‘how’.
So, how well do you communicate? And how important is the quality of your leadership communication to your team?
Here are four thought provokers to help you reflect on what your team and business need from you to operate at their best.
Wise words: There are many aspects to what makes great communication. And being a good communicator does not mean being good at talking, or even words.
What does being a good communicator mean, to you?
What does it mean to your team? Are the two the same?
What would they say about your technique if you asked them?
Adapt: Research shows that the most frequently cited cause of communication challenges in work is a fundamentally human one: different communication styles.
Using tools like DiSC® can help identify what different people need and how to adapt your message to get their buy in.
Individuals with D styles will prefer solution focussed, bottom line messages
Those with i styles will want the positives and to hear the experiences & story
S styles will value a personal approach focussed on what it means for people
People with C-styles will seek facts and detail that they can consider in time
When you’re a leader you need to be able to adapt your natural style to meet the needs of those in your team.
What is your natural style? And how does that influence the way you communicate?
What do the individuals in your team need from you?
Are they people who look for brevity and the bottom line, or do they want the detail? Do they value the story or care about the impact on others?
How can you weave an element of each of these into your communications?
Assess: These three simple questions are ones that I’ve learned from communications experts I’ve worked with throughout my career and they’ve helped me - and my clients - with identifying ‘what’ needs to be communicated ever since.
What do your team currently think and feel?
What do you want them to think and feel?
What do you need to do to bridge the gap?
Read: Sarah Fenson has some cracking practical tips for how to improve your communication style here:
Share: What have you learned during your career so far about how to communicate well? Leave a comment below to share with others.
If you need help honing your leadership communication style or learning how tools like DiSC® can help you, send a quick note to me at rebecca@rebeccajjackson.com and I’ll help you move forward.
Meantime, thanks for reading this. If you found it thought provoking, please share it with someone you know.
With thanks,
Rebecca