Take a moment right now and think about a strong leader you know. Someone you truly enjoyed working for. Ask yourself a simple question about this leader. Did she clearly communicate to her stakeholders? I bet the answer is yes. Now think about a weak leader you know well. Someone you did not enjoy following. Ask yourself the same question. Did he clearly communicate with you and others? Your answer probably changed to no. It is difficult to follow someone who communicates poorly.
Three hard truths about your personal integrity
All The Way Leadership! believes that integrity is a non-negotiable attribute for leaders. Simply put – if you do not demonstrate integrity your team will not trust you, and you are dead in the water as a leader. In a previous post, I advised that you never forget these three hard truths about your integrity
A novel framework for new leaders
All The Way Leadership! created a novel framework for new leaders. Fundamentally this framework focuses on the fact that it is vital for you to possess integrated integrity as a new leader. Having individual integrated integrity means that ‘who you are’ aligns with ‘what you say’ and ‘what you do’. If you do not demonstrate individual integrated integrity your team will not trust you, and your impact as a leader will be limited. ‘Who you are‘ was covered in previous posts. Now ‘what you say’ will be discussed.
A constant leadership challenge
Clearly communicating is a constant leadership challenge that requires attention. Strong leaders invest their energy and brainpower into clearly communicating with their followers. They do it in small ways like sending thoughtful emails, not just blasting off rapid responses that are confusing. And in big ways like properly preparing for meetings and presentations. No one ever enjoys suffering through an endless meeting that accomplishes nothing. Don’t be that kind of leader. Stakeholders will skip your meetings if you fall into this trap.
People expect their leaders to communicate with them
After spending decades in leadership positions you start to notice certain patterns. One that is readily apparent is that most people do not like being kept in the dark. They want to know what is going on. Make sure you share the big news of the day with your team. Talk about the top priorities and discuss what do you expect them to do. Your team members may not like everything you have to share with them, but they will appreciate the fact that you are keeping them in the loop. Team members trust leaders who clearly communicate with them on a consistent basis. Don’t be the kind of leader who puts on your headphones and ignores everyone in the office.
A strong leader will communicate consistently
Leaders know that they should spend time communicating with their stakeholders. The real question is how much communication is necessary. All The Way Leadership! believes that the key to clearly communicating is consistency. Do you meet with your team on a regular basis? Is there a well-understood agenda that you actually follow? People prefer predictable patterns when it comes to meetings. Make meetings less painful for your team by thinking about the flow and format in advance. It is your job as the leader to facilitate your team meetings. Nothing will suck the energy out of a team meeting more than if you show up and ask “what are we here to talk about?”. You should know – it is your meeting.
Make sure you stay synchronized with your boss
It is important that you and your boss are “on the same sheet of music”. Strong leaders make sure they are synchronized with their boss. How often do you meet with your boss to discuss priorities and your activities? I am not suggesting that there is a right answer regarding how often you need to communicate with your boss. In some situations, it may be daily. Rather I am suggesting that you think about it, and put a system in place to execute. For example, I meet with my boss on a weekly basis, at a minimum.
It is hard to get your team to do what you want if you never clearly communicate it to them
This point seems like a no-brainer, but I will mention it anyway. Mainly because I used to fall into this leadership trap all the time. I would get frustrated with my team members when they did not do what I expected. Turns out the problem was me, not them. I never clearly communicated what needed to be done. Instead, I thought they knew the work and would do it without requiring direction. Basically, I was asking them to read my mind. Once I realized that the problem was my communication style I changed my approach. Performance improved. Having shared this pitfall, I need to mention another one. That is don’t become a micromanager.
Micromanagers are exhausting
Have you ever worked for a leader who is a micromanager? It is exhausting. Yes – it is important that leaders clearly communicate on a consistent basis with their stakeholders. Yes – you need to let your team know what work needs to be completed. No – you do not need to micromanage them. I witness two forms of micromanagement on a regular basis. The first is leaders and managers constantly checking the status of tasks that they assign team members. The second is leaders who always tell their team members how to perform every task. Both are bad. No one wants enjoys being pinged by their boss all day long, or being told what to do all the time. Don’t be that kind of leader.
What about you?
Are you building trust with your followers by clearly communicating with them? Do you spend time with your team on a consistent basis discussing what work needs to be done? Do you meet with your boss to stay synchronized? If not, then you have work to do. Don’t worry – All The Way Leadership! is here. The next blog post will focus on a framework for methods to clearly communicate with your stakeholders.
Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.
Plato
ATW! is designed to make you a better leader
I hope you join me on this journey to raise up the next generation of leaders. The world is in desperate need of more great leaders. Women and men who lead with confidence, clarity, and creativity. It’s time to become the leader that your world needs. Let’s go All The Way!
