"Yeah, yeah . . . I have to communicate more."
NO, not 'more'.
You have to communicate strategically to your team, peers, and key people above you to be a great leader. It's not MORE communication, it's how, when, what, and why you're communicating.
Too many managers blather on, micromanage, pick on weaknesses, and worst of all, give faint praise at the worst time.
You do not want to be this person. You want to say the right things, at the right time, to the right people.
Here are 3 simple actions to communicate more like a leader:
PLAN AHEAD
Take time to see the big picture — who are your key connections — team members, peers, and superiors. Develop a plan on why you will communicate with them and how you will deliver that communication.
Every morning, take a few minutes and architect who you will interact with that day, what message you will use, and what it will accomplish. This should only take 3-5 minutes if you do it daily.
BE AUTHENTIC
Weak managers hurry their communication (bad status meetings, faint praise, etc.). You have to be visible and approachable.
Powerful leaders exude messages from the heart, target their statements with precision and ensure the recipient not only understands the meaning but reacts in an expected fashion. And they add a bit of fun too.
COMMUNICATE IN THE MOMENT
You can’t plan for everything — sometimes leaders are called upon to make a snap decision, ask for resources from their boss, or help a peer with a problem.
This only comes with experience and practice. Bad managers shy away from these opportunities, leaders dive right in and practice their craft.
At first, you will not be perfect, but as you hone your ability, you will find authentic, spot-on communication will flow right off your tongue.
We can go so much deeper into Communication — but we wanted to give you a few quick, actionable steps to take away and use this week.
This is part one of a 4-part series on Leadership.
We've just launched a new program: The Four Elements of Transformational Leadership where we engage managers on how to effectively communicate, motivate, educate, and delegate their teams.
It’s a series of customized timely workshops for your team to focus on growing their leadership skills over a series of months. Why months?
People learn by doing, not just attending a single 8-hour offsite — our program ensures that each candidate learns, understands, and takes action after each 60-90 minute live session.
In addition, we include one-on-one coaching sessions for each candidate to follow up on their progress, answer any questions they might have, and reinforce the right behaviors so they apply what they've learned in their day-to-day interactions.