6 Ways In Which Communication is Key to Leadership Success

By Terre Short

All leaders excel at something. When I ask clients to describe the best leader they’ve ever had, a long pause typically follows. How would you answer this question? Would communication play a role in how you evaluate “best?” Whether you are considering the impact this “best” leader had at the organization, or on your career, or even how they juggled priorities and managed change, I suspect the key that unlocks why they are perceived as the “best” lies in their ability to communicate well.

The impact of communication in the workplace has been highlighted in recent years as it relates to working remotely, retaining employees, navigating the pace of change, generational differences, cultural differences, inclusion and belonging, preparing for a recession, engagement and morale, technology choices, and career development to name a few. Phew! How do you know if you are succeeding at communication in each of these areas?

A good place to start might be the 30,000-foot view. A report from The Economist Intelligence Unit titled, Communication Barriers in The Modern Workplace, provides data for the impact of communication breakdown, as well as the causes. In conclusion they recommend the following: clear goals for every scheduled meeting, organization-wide training, and a wide range of communication tools (implying value in redundancy). The authors contend that, “By improving in areas such as these, as well as being aware of communication differences and the best applications of various tools, the workforce can both communicate more effectively and keep pace with the inevitable continuous change in when and how we connect at work.” Why does this matter? Their survey also produced results on the impact of poor communication, and all five areas will affect your business. They are:

1. 52% of employees said that poor communication leads to higher stress levels.
2. 44% of employees reported poor communication causes failure in completing their projects.
3. 31% of employees said poor communication causes them to miss their performance goals.
4. 20% of employees in poorly communicative work environments said that they experience obstacles in innovation.
5. 18% of employees report that poor communication leads to an increase in lost new sales opportunities.

By now, you may be contemplating the impact of your communication style, how leaders at your organization communicate, and how collectively you can elevate this skill. There are six ways you can unlock improvement today. Each pertains to a one of the six personas of a thriving leader. Communication is the key to success in each of these personas, and some example solutions are offered. Upon self-reflection you can assess where improvement is needed. You may have data that points you in the right direction (see list above for ideas on where to look).

6 Ways in Which Communication is Key to Leadership Success

1. Ambassador of the Culture – Leaders set the tone for the culture of the organization and are expected to live the mission, vision, and values every day in all they do. This includes a focus on learning and evolving, elevating individual contributor strengths, honoring inclusion with word choices.

Communication Keys:

1. 1. Weave a component of the organizations mission, vision, or values into all communications – including in recognition of individual contributions.
   2. Ask probing questions about what is learned in each situation and how an experience enables someone to evolve in their role. EX: “What strengths serve you well in this role, which do you lean on the most?”
   3. Test for inclusion by having communication (written or presentation drafts) assessed by someone who has felt excluded in the past.

2. Leader as Coach – Great leaders actively coach those they serve to bring out the potential of all individual contributors. This includes squeezing the most out of 1:1s, mastering difficult conversations, and delegating to empower others.

Communication Keys:

1. 1. Follow a framework for 1:1s that involves conversing about personal highlights, celebrating wins, harvesting recognition of others, exploration of barriers to success, and authentic inquiry as to how you can help.
   2. Assess why you consider a potential conversation as “difficult,” abandon any limiting beliefs (about yourself or others), plan for a successful talk that has a clearly stated desired outcome.
   3. Message delegation for what it is – an opportunity for someone else to gain experience, learn a skill or process, and shine.

3. Continual Change Agent – Great leaders embrace change as a constant and lead in a way that normalizes change for their team and key stakeholders. This includes leading with why, maintaining and testing for vision centricity, leveraging problem-solving and growth mindset skills.

Communication Keys:

1. 1. Ensure change messaging has all aspects of why the change is necessary and/or beneficial.
   2. Tie the “why” back to the mission, vision and/or values of your organization. If it does not tie back, why are you doing it?
   3. Challenge those you lead to find solutions by encouraging inquiry and asking “what if” questions to spark exploration. Speak in terms of limitless potential.

4. Life Integrator – Great leaders integrate all aspects of their true self, including personal and spiritual connections. This includes weaving the prioritization of self, family, work, play, and community into the 112 awake hours in a week.

Communication Keys:

1. 1. Express what these life priorities mean to you, normalizing attention to them.
   2. Ask open-ended questions about self-care and life prioritization that assumes integration.
   3. Acknowledge and support when you see or hear someone prioritizing themself, their family, some play, or their community.

5. Emotionally and Intuitively Intelligent – Great leaders harness the power of emotional and intuitive intelligence. This includes recognizing and honoring intuition, practicing situational awareness, and consistently employing active listening.

Communication Keys:

1. 1. Recognize, and therefore reinforce, when someone exercises good situational awareness. EX: A colleague reads the room and adapts the meeting plan or topic, pivoting appropriately based on the situation.
   2. Acknowledge and support when you see or hear someone leaning on their intuition.
   3. Provide undivided attention, be curious, repeat key points and lean into conversations you are privileged to have with others and expect the same.

6. Proactive and Productive Juggler – Great leaders plan well and accomplish much. This includes blocking sacred worktime, prioritizing well, and consistently operating proactively over reactively.

Communication Keys:

1. 1. Transparently offer insight into the important things you are juggling and how you intend to maintain your focus. EX: Set time on your calendar that is non-negotiable to honor your commitments – and expect the same from others.
   2. Include others in discussion of priorities and assess for any synergy or overlap in resources or effort.
   3. Communicate your plan (daily or weekly as appropriate) to establish accountability to operating proactively.

Some communication is to yourself, it is an inward conversation that sets you up for success. Perfecting your internal dialogue to one that is supportive, and inspiring, creates the confidence needed to commit to the types of messaging outlined above. As illustrated through the six personas, there are many behaviors that are expected of leaders. Leaders who feel the joy of leading others excel at each of these personas. The key to this success is in how well a leader communicates. This key unlocks the potential of those you serve and how you thrive.

Join us on this joyful journey! Connect with the Thriving Leader Collaborative to access resources, assessments and information about upcoming retreats or follow the conversation on social media: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook.