At Academy Leadership we spend a lot of time facilitating the learning process regarding leadership communication. We use the time honored premise that leaders set the tone, create a winning environment, and guide the culture of their organization and they do this by executing one of their most important roles — by communicating. Unless they do this often and repeatedly, using every method available, the company’s mission, vision, and guiding principles (values) never get communicated, much less reinforced. There will be no unity of effort on the team; no battle plan.
Effective leaders use all the means of communication available: speeches, town hall meetings, company newsletters, e-mail, suggestion boxes, and informal open meetings. They use whatever is available to get their message out – and not just once.
A leader is an effective communicator when their reputation is based on trust and credibility. It’s often been said that people will believe and follow “the message” as long as they trust and believe the “messenger.” Leaders should always use quality time with those who work for them as an investment — and make consistent deposits in the trust account. True leaders give feedback and ask for feedback and don’t always make it about projects or assigned tasks. They ask the hard question and are honest about how they view those that work and report to them.
Communicate first when leading. It’s the key to being a success!
