The Leadership Tip You Need in 2023: Communication
Start your new year right with advice from an executive coach
For many decades, people viewed their job to be just a job and nothing more. Regardless of whether it was their passion or not, they clocked in, put in their shift, punched the numbers, and brought back the bacon.
Sleep. Rinse. Repeat.
The future of the workforce looks different. Today’s generation wants to align their jobs with their passions, values, and causes they believe in.
What this means is that you have to stop holding on to your idea of leadership from decades ago and start pivoting your leadership to be relevant to the future of work.
2023 is the time to do just that. The question then is: What do I change in 2023?
Change the way you communicate
Effective communication can help executives and managers gain the respect of their team. Through it, leaders can motivate people to accomplish great things. Communication is the only way for leaders to connect with their teams and motivate them to perform at their peak levels.
On the other hand, a leader who can't communicate clearly will not inspire their team or may even lose them altogether. A leader who communicates poorly will have difficulty making decisions and developing strategies for the organisation.
What effective communication is not
Effective communication is not a one-way street
As an executive coach, I have always championed communication as a two-way street. Leaders who undergo my executive coaching program will be familiar with my passion for creating an open culture that encourages feedback.
You can distinguish whether a leader is communicating effectively by observing whether their team dares to voice their opinions. They provide feedback, demonstrating openness and honesty about handling situations. They show their desire for open dialogue between themselves and others around them—and if something didn't quite go right, they'd help set up an action plan moving forward.
Effective communication is not about persuasion or eloquence
There is a tendency among some executives or managers to assume that effective communication is about being persuasive, but this is not the case. An “I have a dream” speech is not going to get them anywhere. In fact, my advice to leaders I coach in my leadership coaching sessions is to use language that a “coffee shop uncle” can understand.
Effective communication is not about having the most eloquent words or the loudest voice but about making yourself understood. True success lies in the communication of meaning. Effective communicators provide meaning for the people around them. They can communicate their thoughts effectively in a way that makes people want to listen to and understand them.
Effective communication is not about using your mouth
A crucial component of effective communication in leadership is using your ears more than your mouth.
It means that the ability to engage in active listening is much superior than the ability to engage in active speaking.
Effective communicators can understand what another person means from their perspective and not just that of their own experience or perspective. As an executive coach, I have stressed the importance to the leaders I coach never to interrupt and never to assume they know where the conversation is heading.
What effective communication is
Effective communication is knowing when to communicate
The goal of effective communication is not only to share information but also to put the point across effectively such that the other party is crystal clear about the message.
For leaders to do this well, they need to know when to communicate. Catching a person at the wrong time is ineffective communication, no matter how urgent or important the message.
It can be as simple as a well-timed email or text, but also extends to how you approach every interaction with your team members.
Effective communication is about choosing your battles
What leadership coaching over the past decade has taught me is that leaders have to learn to pick which “battles” to fight. This all boils down to priority. What is of the highest priority takes precedence.
Learning to identify which is a “major” and a “minor” battle helps you prioritise what requires your intervention first. This saves leaders precious time and narrows down the relevant parties that need to be involved in the communication chain.
Effective communication requires you to be equipped with the skills
David Grossman wrote in "The Cost of Poor Communications" that a survey of 400 companies with 100,000 employees found that poor communication costs each company an average of $62.4 million per year.
This is just one reason why leaders ought to develop effective communication skills. Mastering the skills to become an effective communicator enables leaders to be more effective in conducting one-on-one meetings with employees, leading teams through change or crunch periods, and even charting the direction for your goals ahead.
This is where the need for an executive coach comes into play. Workshops that provide generic communication tips will not make the cut. Every leader is different, and the right executive coach can step in to tailor the leadership development specifically for each leader.
Be the change in 2023.
While my leadership coaching program is based in Singapore, the leaders who I’ve coached regionally will all be familiar with this value that I hold: leaders are the kingmakers for change.
Choose to be the change for your team this new year. Bring the way you communicate to the next level with me now!
