When Leaders are Poor Communicators, Who Pays The Price: Part 2
/In Part 1 of this post I mentioned how important it is for leaders to use professional evaluation tools to assess their communication skills. This is important because studies show many of us would rate ourselves as good communicators when we are not. The reality is, very few of us have invested in ourselves to learn and develop good leadership communication skills. Yes, some leaders have taken presentation skills training which has helped them speak to groups, but in their day-to-day, minute-by-minute, employee-to-employee and meeting-to-meeting work, I again propose few have invested in themselves to truly become good communicators.
I also outlined in Part 1 a total of 14 different ways leaders can be better leader communicators. But a long list like that may be overwhelming, so with that in mind lets discuss 5 of my favourite ways leaders can develop effective communication skills. Let me also give you one piece of advice now; if you are ever stuck, do whatever you feel the people you are leading need at that moment in order for them to be happy, inspired and productive employees who are loyal to you - their leader as well as loyal to their team and the company.
5 Ways Leaders Can Become Better Communicators:
#1. Lead with a clear reflection of the company’s Vision and Values.
It’s easy to get busy and see only what is in front of us, but great leaders help their team and team members also stay focused on the big picture… the vision and values of the organization.
A focus on the company’s vision and values reminds everyone why they are working on a project and how the purpose of that project supports the teams, companies and customers success. Having a discussion at the beginning of a project to outline how the task and results will support the companies vision and values helps everyone 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 important piece of a puzzle and how it must fit. This creates harmony by streamlining goals and aligning decision making, increases commitment and accountability by everyone and saves money by delivering solutions quickly and with little waste.
#2. Be clear with your expectations.
Being clear about your expectations is important from your big picture expectations and down to each request.
Communication Example:
Early in my career I learned the hard way that my job description was not a guide on how to be a top performer and get Exceeds Expectations; it was the minimum of what was expected of me. How wonderful it would have been if someone shared that insight with me.
When I say be clear about each request, I don’t mean micro-manage. What I do mean is answer the basics of Who, What, Where, When and How… especially when someone is new and doesn’t know your / your teams style. Far too often a leader will ask for something and everyone immediately drops what they are doing, meanwhile the request isn’t urgent. Also, far too often a leader will ask for information but doesn’t share how it will be used so their team spends far too little or far too much time ‘packaging’ it into a report that is far too brief or far too robust.
And when being clear with expectations, be sure to always keep your team motivated by shining a light on how they have met your expectations and the progress they’ve made. Remind them they have grown, and you are there as a coach as well as boss and you want to help them succeed. As leaders, far too often we tell people when they've fallen short but don’t tell them when they've met or exceeded our expectations and the reason we use is “it’s their job”. Let’s change this.
#3. Encourage employees to ask for clarity or help
The last thing anyone wants is someone who won’t ask for help or clarity. Unfortunately, when this happens one of three things often happen. They:
Waste time overproducing
Do a really bad job that can’t be used
Bury the request and do nothing at all… which usually becomes a crisis
Too often the reason for not asking for help is because they feel they will look weak or incompetent if they ask.
In today’s workspace things are complicated and ever-changing. If an employees is doing something new (and we all should be in order to stay current and grow), we have to make sure we are clear about expectations. It is a leaders biggest frustration when they get work back they can’t use and/or have to fix themselves. This is also one of the biggest frustrations and let-downs for employees who are scared to ask their boss or work diligently on something only to see it not meet expectations and not be used.
Great leaders let their team know that asking for help is a sign of respect for everyone and confidence in themselves. It can also be a sign of how that employee is growing and learning new skills.
#4 Give people autonomy to make decisions
When leaders are transparent it allows team members to align their work and decisions. When employees know what is expected of them another benefit is that teams and team members are able to work more independently, choosing when and where to work. This way, leaders can focus on getting updates and on bigger picture aspects of knowing the project is on time and on budget versus every minor decision. A critical part of this will also be to remember that ‘your way’ is not always ‘the only way’.
For example, I used to have a boss who would wordsmith copy changing a word here and a word there but never impacting the value of the document. One downside of this was that passing everything by him slowed down every project. It also had two other very negative impacts. First, everyone on the team started getting the ‘why should I bother spend more time perfecting my copy’ attitude because they knew he was going to edit and change the document. It just seemed we wasted less time by giving him ‘good but not great’ copy. Second, we never felt ownership or proud of anything final, so we began losing our inspiration to do our best. Thirdly, our loyalty to the leader, the project and the company dropped. While at that time I didn’t have a formal leadership position, I remember noticing that turnover was a bit hirer in our department than in others.
#5 Working 24/7 isn’t impressive
It’s not uncommon for people to think that being ‘busy’ is a sign of success and how valuable they are. At the same time when I teach Time Management people always talk about wanting more work-life balance.
It’s often a sign you are a good leader when your team occasionally pitch in during a crunch or to help with a great new opportunity for the company. But if this is happening all the time it is a sign something is wrong and your most valuable assets – your employees – are at risk of burning out. Note: burning out usually means short term disability or they quit. Either way it is a lose-lose situation for everyone.
The world at work is speeding up and especially since the COVID pandemic began people are stressed at home and often working far more than they or you ever signed up for. As a leader watch out for opportunities to tell your team how much they are appreciated. Also, as soon as you can reset everyone’s expectations, give them a break and perhaps lighten their load… and do that by bringing them in and asking them what ideas they have and what they need.
One last thought. Sometimes we try to give our team a break by letting timelines or quality slip. Lightening someone’s load for a short time or even a full break if they need it but lowering your and their standards isn’t the solution; people have to be proud that they did and will continue to deliver quality work.
Conclusion
Leadership is an iterative process that ebbs and flows. On one hand it is all about being in control and building a corporate culture focused on a vision and organizational values while on the other hand you are helping individuals bring their unique self to work, feel engaged and supported. It’s not easy.
As I mentioned in Part 1, the fact that 69% of managers are uncomfortable communicating with their employees says quite a bit. And I bet when looking at communication effectiveness, the number is actually higher if we were to ask the individuals who work with those managers. , it means there are opportunities for most of us (and I would wager all of us) to be better.
There is, however, one deceptively simple tactic that can help: ask people. Ask them, “How can I best support you?” or “What environment would help you do your best work?”. They may not have an answer immediately, but you’ll get them thinking. You’ll show them that you’re interested in their perspective. And provided you keep asking, you’ll get the answers you need to help them be happy, inspired and productive employees who are loyal to their leader, their team and the company.
Thank you for checking out ‘When Leaders Are Poor Communicators, Who Pays The Price? Part 2’..
An other article you might like.
When Leaders Are Poor Communicators, Who Pays The Price? Part 1
About Bruce and Bruce Mayhew Consulting.
Bruce is Corporate Trainer, Keynote Speaker and Executive Coach.
Bruce Mayhew Consulting specializes in customized Email Etiquette Training, Leadership & New Leadership Development, Generational Differences, Time Management Training and other soft skills training solutions in Toronto and across Canada. Bruce is also an Executive Coach to a few select clients.
Bruce is an experienced motivational speaker in Toronto and has inspired audiences across Canada and within the USA and the UK. Bruce works hard to always make sure your training event, conference, retreat, or annual general meeting is a success.
