What is Leadership Communication?
Not all great leaders in history have been the best communicators from the start. The most successful, memorable, and effective leaders in history have learned to become outstanding communicators. We are not born that way. Leadership communication is an acquired skill that we learn through observation, experimentation, reflection, teaching, coaching, and most of all: continuous practice.
75% of employees view communication as the most important leadership skill (Haiilo) yet only 18% see this applied by the leaders in their organization.
I specialize in high-stakes communication, so I look at leadership communication from three angles:
- Building high-performance teams (using communication to lead others)
- Interacting with senior leaders (strategic communication with seasoned leaders)
- Building your brand (leadership style, perception, ambition)
Overall, leadership communication aims at equipping you with the leadership skills that will be most frequently expected of you at any organization. Leadership communication focuses on those communication skills that are most critical to the success of leaders. This may differ slightly depending on the role in the organization, but often includes:
- Convincing senior executives
- Handling objections, employee resistance, conflict, or market crises
- Presenting in high-stakes situations such as investor and board meetings
- Driving transformation and mobilizing teams
- Drawing and holding attention, and resonating through stories
The skillsets that enable the ability to master these typical challenges and similar ones are key to success. This makes leadership communication coaching a key investment for both organizations and individual leaders since success in this area is key to success in critical business areas.
Why Is Communication Important in Leadership?
Communication skills are pivotal to the success of all other leadership skills. You can be the most gifted problem-solver but without the ability to mobilize teams, you would slash your chances for success. Share on XGreat Communicators Increase Engagement
Employee engagement is massively important because engaged employees will work harder; stay with the organization longer; improve customer service; and generally lead to better business outcomes, according to Gallup research. In fact, employee engagement is one of the most significant drivers of organizational success. So why aren’t companies doing everything they can to make sure their employees feel engaged?
The answer isn’t complicated. Most people don’t feel engaged because they don’t trust their leaders. They don’t see their leader as someone who shares the same values as them, believes in the mission of the organization, and is committed to helping them achieve their goals. And without trust, there is no way of knowing whether the organization is really acting in good faith or whether it is just trying to manipulate you into thinking that way. Without trust, employees won’t put their hearts into solving problems, improving customer service, and achieving great things together.
But how does a leader earn trust? Employees want trustworthy leaders. That’s why it’s critical for leaders to communicate honestly and openly, especially during times of change. When leaders share the vision of the organization and show by actions that they truly care about its future, employees will begin to trust them.
Great Leaders Build Trust And Communicate Transparently
The global crisis of leadership is evident across every region and demographic. A study conducted by Edelman found that trust in political leaders has fallen dramatically over the past decade. In the United States, trust in Congress fell to 11% in 2018, down from 17% in 2009. This same trend is seen throughout the world; in Canada, trust in Parliament is at a historic low of 8%; in Germany, trust in the government is at a record low of 7%; and in Australia, trust in politicians is at a 20-year low of 5%.
In addition, people are increasingly turning away from traditional news sources. For example, in the United Kingdom, trust in newspapers has declined by 30% since 2012. And in the United States, trust among millennials in media companies has plummeted by 50% since 2016.
Edelman’s research reveals that people are looking for leaders who can bring about change, solve problems, and make things better. They want leaders who are honest and transparent, and who are willing to listen to others. However, they don’t believe that anyone has these qualities today.
Clear Communication Enables Leaders To Align Employees With Strategic Goals
How do you ensure that everyone knows what the organization stands for, why it exists, and how it plans to achieve its objectives? You need to be able to align your team’s work with organizational goals. This requires clear communication of those goals and the reasons behind them.
Communication is one of the most important factors in employee engagement; without it, people won’t feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves. And without clear communication, people aren’t able to make sense of the organization’s direction, let alone contribute meaningfully to achieving it.
Alignment isn’t just about telling people what to do. It’s also about making sure that they understand why things matter, and that they believe in the values that guide the organization.
Leaders must help employees understand the organization’s purpose and direction, and enable each employee to fulfill their role in helping the organization reach its goals.
Masterful Communication Creates Inclusive And Collaborative Culture
Communication skills impact how well people work together. In fact, research suggests that when leadership communicates effectively, it leads to better collaboration throughout the organization. And because good leadership communication can lead to better communication within teams, it can even improve performance across the board.
For instance, one study found that when communication among team members improved, overall productivity increased by 30%. So, whether you’re looking to increase your own effectiveness as a leader or build stronger relationships with colleagues, learning to communicate effectively is essential.
Trained Communicators Are More Effective And Confident Leaders
In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to forget how important it is to communicate effectively with others. While some people are naturally gifted communicators, most of us aren’t.
We tend to think about how we want to be perceived rather than what we actually say. In fact, according to a study from the Harvard Business Review, nearly 70% of managers are uncomfortable having conversations with their team members. These numbers are even worse among millennials, where only 43% feel comfortable speaking to their peers.
Poor communication has a far-reaching impact on organizational culture and business goals.
Improving leadership communication skills will help your organization become better at managing people in a number of different ways, which will make your leadership much more effective. Skilled communicators are better able to mentor others, solve problems, and manage projects. This leads to more confident and effective leaders, who know they can handle any challenge that arises.
The Cost of Poor Leadership Communication
75% of employees view communication as the most important leadership skill yet only 18% see this applied by the leaders in their organization. Share on XMore companies today are working remotely in order to reduce costs and increase employee productivity. However, this challenges employees and business leaders who must learn how to communicate effectively across geographies.
Communication skills impact effective leadership in a remote environment. You need them to convey expectations, articulate vision, build trust, mobilize teams, solve problems, foster collaboration, and drive results. That’s why I begin with this set of skills.
Communication Skills are pivotal to the success of all other leadership skills. For example, if you are a gifted problem-solver but cannot mobilize teams or build trust to foster collaborative and creative problem-solving, you have slashed your chances for success.
If you are in charge of hybrid teams, bridging the distance – geographically and mentally – is even more challenging. This requires mastery of effective communication skills and emotional intelligence to navigate hidden assumptions, biases, and even resistance to enable entire teams to collaborate despite real and perceived barriers to communication with team members.
A lack of communication skills will impact other aspects of leadership. Poor communicators risk damaging relationships, mishandling critical conversations, and missing personal goals and organizational performance goals. Effective communicators on the other hand are able to inspire action and help their teams to achieve strategic goals.
But, what exactly should you focus on?
Where To Begin Building Leadership Communication Skills
Leadership communication skills include a wide range of topics. Before you follow the urge to sign up for a program, a course, or buy a book, consider these questions to narrow down your focus area:
- Where do you face the most frequent challenges?
- What types of communication have presented the biggest obstacle to you?
- Where have you faced difficulties in the past?
- What would you like to learn about or improve and what’s at stake if you don’t?
To give you an idea of skills and challenges that you can address if they apply to you, take a look at these topics:
If you’re interested in leadership communication coaching, take a look at this leadership communication program or ping me on LinkedIn. Having responses to the questions above will help you narrow down meaningful options to expand your skill set.