"Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives."
-: Oprah Winfrey
The sheer amount of time leaders spend in meetings, training programs, appraisals in an organisation underscores how important communication strategies can be for being a successful leader. Researchers, Management professionals, Management gurus, policy makers, distinguished leaders come to a consensus that communication strategy is something quite crucial for a business leader. In an era of realignment, when the global scenario in transforming in an alarming rate, effective communication strategies become a prerequisite for a leader to create a positive work environment and bring harmony.
What makes the difference?
In a business context, A single email, a single text message from a leader has a huge impact on the employees. What a leader communicates, how s/he communicates matters for a successful work culture to develop. It is required for a leader to acquire the skills and strategies of great communication so as to communicate the right message to the right people at the right time.
In the above context, this article uncovers four core communication skills and strategies a leader can consistently employ to become more effective and productive.
1. Choose your words wisely: Words have power. Words build a relation or break a connection. Through chosen words, a leader can have more opportunities for promotion and increased responsibilities. Moreover, when words are chosen wisely, they bring clarity and transparency. A successful leader relies on transparency. According to Forbes, statistics show that companies with happy, loyal staff share transparency as a common corporate principle. Employees at all levels perform better when companies have a distinct vision and a culture of straightforward communication. “You cannot over invest in communication skills” clarifies former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, “if you cannot simplify a message and communicate it compellingly, believe me, you cannot get the masses to follow you.”
2. All you need is to be empathetic: A true leader is an empath. The revered Indian Industrialist Mr Ratan Tata was known for his compassion and kindness towards people. A leader can connect through his understanding emotions and perspectives of the employees. Once s/he speaks genuinely showing honest opinion, employees remain motivated, pay more attention and connect with the organisation. Its not about a one sided communication but paying attention to other’s opinion is what makes a great leader.
3. Listen more than you speak: Another form of excellent communication strategy for a great leader is active listening. A leader pays attention and respects his/her employees when s/he listens actively. According to Mind Tools, this type of listening requires a conscious effort of hearing not only words but reading between the lines on what is said. A leader can gather information, build stronger relationships, manage people more effectively and help others learn through listening actively.
4. Resilient leader: Resilience is the capacity to face adversity, setbacks, uncertainty. In a VUCA world, being resilient is another communication strategy for a leader to become successful. Resilient leaders possess a high degree of emotional intelligence which fosters effective communication, enhances collaboration and builds strong relationships with the business context. Transparent and empathetic communication with employees during crisis creates a greater connection. Employees feel cared for and safe when they interact with a resilient leader.
Final words: For leaders in a business context, communication is not the part of job but it is the job which they cannot just ignore but prioritise. All the above discussed communication skills can be clubbed under different quotients, such as intelligent quotient, emotional quotient, spiritual quotient and more importantly humanity quotient.
