When Leaders are Poor Communicators, Who Pays The Price? Part 1
/Imagine, 69% of managers are uncomfortable communicating with their employees as reported by Harvard Business Review. And since 60%-80% of most leaders’ responsibilities are now considered Soft Skills… I think we can all agree this is a serious gap / challenge.
When leaders are poor communicators, who pays the price for this gap? The answer is everyone!
The employee: They don’t feel pride and don’t grow, leading to feeling uninspired to do their best work which starts the cycle over again.
The company: Doesn’t get the investment, insight and loyalty from their employees that they need and that their employees want do give… if they felt proud.
The customer / client: They don’t feel as important as they should, respected as they should and don’t get solutions that inspired employees could provide if they were engaged, respected and encouraged.
The leader: Even the leader is eventually found out, but often not before many employees and customers have become disengaged and moved on, costing the company dearly.
What makes a great leader communicator?
A great leader communicator starts with awareness of course. If you are wondering about yourself, look externally for your proof. Studies have shown that in almost every case we will rate ourselves as far greater - or far poorer leaders and communicators than we actually are. I encourage you to reach out to a reputable service that offers psychometric evaluations and/or who will coordinate a robust 360 degree evaluation for you and everyone else on you team… not just your leaders.
Another key aspect of being a great leader communicator is knowing what you should be doing. The following is a long list of strong leadership traits, but I will never say that a list I create is complete. I am sure everyone could add another great leadership trait that you have or do admire.
A great leader communicator is someone who:
Works with others to create a vision / strategy to shape their future.
Is an ambassador of the values of the team / organization.
Listens more than they speak.
Communicates frequently and is transparent with opportunities, goals, expectations and feedback.
Recognizes everyone is unique and has something special to offer.
Is compassionate and not afraid of their - or other peoples emotions / needs.
Inspires people to do their best as they work toward that vision and live those values.
Helps everyone incorporate each other’s style into the work and the values of the organization. IE: Does not micromanage and force others to do things ‘my way or the highway’.
Recognizes employee engagement is not a one-size fits all solution. For example, four motivators that engage people are competency, autonomy, purpose and impact.
Builds, mentors and coaches their team so they can feel proud of their efforts and develop skill to meet their personal and professional goals.
Doesn't lose focus but also embraces the need to change and adapt from time to time.
Accepts they are not always right.
Accepts they don't always have the answer - someone else will likely be the Subject Matter Expert.
Accepts they also have something to learn and additional skills to develop.
The fact that 69% of managers are uncomfortable communicating with their employees, it means there are opportunities for most of us (and I would wager all of us) to be better. So, with that in mind, lets discuss some of the things that many leaders hesitate to communicate but also things that happy, inspired and productive employees need and want to know.
#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. The great part of this is that 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 that outlines 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.
For 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 the leader asks for information but doesn’t share how it will be used so their team spends far too much time ‘packaging’ it into a brief, or far too little time and present only the basics.
Above all, always keep your team motivated by shining a light on 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.
#3. Encourage employees to ask for clarity or help
The last thing anyone wants is someone who won’t ask for help or clarity and instead:
Wastes time overproducing
Does a really bad job that can’t be used
Buries the request and does nothing at all
Too often the reason for not asking for help is because they feel they will look weak or incompetent if they ask. Truth is, in today’s workspace things are complicated so 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 cant use and/or have to fix themselves and 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
As mentioned above, when leaders are transparent it allows team members to align their work and decisions. When they 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; whether it was his intention or not, all he did was make it sound more like him. The downside of this is 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 for sure and often to 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.
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 eventually.
Remember that people want to succeed and feel proud of where they work and how they contribute. They rarely need control. Instead they need room to flourish. A leader’s job is to build the right team so that company, team and individual priorities are aligned and that happens when leaders are transparent, flexible, trusting, trustworthy and respectful.
Thank you for checking out ‘When Leaders Are Poor Communicators, Who Pays The Price? Part 1’.
An other article you might like.
When Leaders Are Poor Communicators, Who Pays The Price? Part 2
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.
