Communication Skills Leadership Articles

The Price of Communication Skills Leadership

Communication skills leadership articles. According to Harvard Business Review, 69 percent of managers are uncomfortable communicating with their employees. And, as 60% to 80% of most leaders' responsibilities are now classified as Soft Skills. We can all agree that this is a significant gap/challenge.

Who bears the price for a leader's lack of communication skills? Everyone is the answer!

The employee: They don't feel proud and don't progress, which leads to a lack of motivation to produce their best work, which repeats the cycle.

The company: Doesn't receive the investment, insight, and commitment from its employees that it requires and that its employees want to provide if they are proud.

The customer/client: They don't feel as valued as they should, aren't treated with the respect they deserve and aren't given the answers that inspired staff could bring if they were engaged, respected, and encouraged.

Even the leader is eventually discovered, but not before many staff and customers have gotten dissatisfied and left, losing the organization a lot of money.

Do you have leadership communication skills?

Of course, being a great leader communicator begins with awareness. If you're unsure about yourself, look for confirmation outside of yourself. According to studies, we nearly always consider ourselves as far better - or far worse - leaders and communicators than we are. I recommend contacting a reliable service that provides psychometric evaluations and will coordinate a comprehensive 360-degree examination for you and everyone else on your team, not just your bosses.

Knowing what you should be doing is another critical component of being a great leader communicator. I've compiled an extensive list of great leadership qualities below, but I'll never claim that any list I make is exhaustive. I'm sure everyone could think of another outstanding leadership quality they possess or respect.

Someone who is a strong leader and has excellent communication skills is someone who:

1. Collaborates with others to develop a vision and strategy for their future is representative of the team's or organization's ideals.
2. They pay more attention to what they're hearing than what they're saying.
3. Opportunities, goals, expectations, and comments are communicated frequently and openly.
4. Recognizes that each individual is unique and has something special to contribute.
5. He is empathetic and unafraid of their own - or others' - feelings and needs.
6. Encourages people to accomplish their best to achieve the vision and live out the principles.
7. He assists everyone in incorporating each other's styles into their job and the organization's values. IE: Does not micromanage or require others to do things "my way or the highway."
8. Recognizes that there is no one-size-fits-all answer for employee engagement. Competence, autonomy, purpose, and effect are four motivators that individuals respond to.
9. Builds, mentors, and coaches their team so that they may be proud of their work and build skills to achieve their personal and professional objectives.
10. Maintains concentration while acknowledging the need to alter and adapt from time to time.
11. Recognizes that they aren't always correct.
12. Accepts that they may not always have the answer and that the Subject Matter Expert will most likely be someone else.
13. Accepts that they have more to learn and improve in terms of skills.

The fact that 69 percent of managers are uncomfortable talking with their staff indicates that most of us (and I would assume all of us) have room to improve. So, with that in mind, let's talk about some of the things that many leaders are hesitant to share but that happy, motivated, and productive staff require and want to know.

1. Begin with a concise statement of the company's Vision and Values.

It's easy to get caught up in the moment and see what's in front of us, but excellent leaders assist their teams, and team members keep focused on the broader picture of the organization's mission and values. The best element is that it reminds everyone why they are working on a project and how the project's purpose contributes to the success of the teams, companies, and customers. Discuss the start of a project that outlines how the task and results will support the company's vision and values. It helps everyone make decisions (either independently or as a team) because they have a shared understanding of the goals. They can see how that project is like a critical piece of a puzzle and how it must fit everyone to make decisions (either independently or as a team) because they have a shared understanding of the goals and can see how that project is like one crucial piece of a puzzle. This promotes harmony by streamlining goals, harmonizing decision-making, increasing commitment and accountability among all stakeholders, and saving money by promptly and efficiently delivering solutions.

2. Be specific about your expectations.

From your significant picture objectives to individual requests, it's critical to be explicit about your expectations.

Consider the following scenario:

My job description was not guidance on how to be a high performer and receive Exceeds Expectations early in my career; it was the bare minimum of what was required of me. It would have been nice if someone had shared that understanding with me.

I don't intend to micromanage when I say be clear about each request. You should be able to answer the fundamental questions of Who, What, Where, When, and How especially when a newcomer is unfamiliar with your / your team's style. Far too frequently, when a leader asks for something, everyone stops what they're doing, even if the request isn't urgent. Also, far too frequently, the leader requests information but does not explain how it will be used, causing their team to spend far too much time 'packing' it into a brief or spend far too little time only giving the essentials.

Above all, always keep your employees engaged by highlighting their accomplishments. Remind them that they've progressed and that you're there to support them as a coach and a supervisor.

3. Encourage employees to seek clarification or assistance.

Nobody wants someone who refuses to seek aid or clarification and instead:

• Overproduction is a waste of time.
• Does a terrible job that isn't usable
• The request is buried, and nothing is done.

Many people avoid asking for help because they believe it will make them appear weak or inept. The truth is that things are demanding in today's workplace, so if an employee is trying something new (which we all should be doing to stay current and progress), we must be explicit about expectations. It is one of the biggest frustrations and let-downs for employees who are afraid to question their supervisor or work carefully on something to have it not match expectations and not be used.

According to great leaders, asking for aid is a sign of respect for others and confidence in oneself. It could also indicate how that employee is progressing and learning new skills.

4 Allow people to make their own decisions.

As previously said, transparency among leaders allows team members to align their work and decisions. Another advantage of knowing what is expected is that teams and team members can work more independently, deciding when and where to work. As a result, instead of focusing on every tiny decision, leaders can focus on getting updates and the more considerable picture aspects of knowing the project is on time and budget. It's also important to remember that "your way" isn't always "the only way."

For example, I used to work for a boss who would wordsmith copy, changing a few words here and there without affecting the document's worth; whether it was his aim or not, all he did was make it seem more like him. The disadvantage is that passing everything through him slowed down all projects. It also has two more highly harmful consequences. Because they knew he would modify and change the paper, everyone on the team began to think, "Why should I bother spending more time refining my copy?" We merely seemed to waste less time by providing him with an "OK but not great." Second, we never felt like we owned or were proud of anything final, so we lost motivation to perform our best. Finally, our commitment to the leader, as well as the project and the organization, waned. While I didn't have a formal leadership position, I recall seeing that our department had a higher turnover rate than others.

5. Working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, isn't impressive.

It's typical for people to believe that being 'busy' means being successful and worthwhile. At the same time, when I teach Time Management, students frequently express a desire for more excellent work-life balance.

When your team pitches during a crunch or to help with a beautiful new opportunity for the firm, it's typically an indication that you're a good leader. However, if this occurs frequently, something is awry, and your most valuable assets – your staff – are at risk of becoming burnt out. Burning out frequently results in a temporary incapacity or quitting. It's a lose-lose situation for everyone in any case.

People are anxious at home, especially since the COVID pandemic started, and they are often working considerably more than they or you ever signed up for. As a leader, look for opportunities to express your gratitude to your staff. Also, as soon as you can reset everyone's expectations, give them a break and possibly decrease their load. Bring them in and ask them what ideas they have and what they need.

A final thought. We strive to give our staff a break from slacking on deadlines or quality. It's OK to lighten someone's load for a while or even give them a complete break if they need it, but reducing your and their standards isn't the answer; individuals should be proud of their job and will continue to do it.

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