Why Communication is the most Important Tool in a Leaders Toolbox
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You can become a better leader by becoming a better communicator
60% of management problems are a result of faulty communications-Peter Drucker
Communication is the key ingredient to success in any leadership position.
A lot of team are now working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Communication alignment with the same goals and visions are crucial.
As a leader, your most important part of the communication process is to listen.
I know its hard to believe that if we are not talking we are not communicating.
But by becoming a better listener, we become better communicators by default.
Communication can takes on many forms. Speaking, non-verbal cues, email, and text are all types of communication.
In any type of communication there is speaking and there is listening.
I worked with a boss who would ask for feedback on a project. When you gave him the feedback, he would cut you off in mid-sentence and tell you why it wouldn’t work and why it was bad idea.
After a while, nobody on the team would give him any feedback at all because he wouldn’t listen.
Don’t fall into this trap.
Great leaders are good listeners.
When we listen instead of talk all the time time, we usually learn something.
Who has ever learned anything when they were talking? Raise your hand and keep it up high so we all can see it.
Right. The fact is we don’t lean anything when we talk.
Listen to understand. Don’t listen to rebut.
If your are listening to reply, you are not listening. There is a time and a place for your point of view. But when an employee comes to you with their concerns, you need to listen to them and give them 100% of your attention.
Great leaders will listen more than they talk.
They want to understand what their employees are thinking and get feedback. Leaders listen with the intent of not winning a debate, but doing what is best for the organization.
