Effective Communication
Are you fully satisfied that your highest intentions are always achieved?
If not, the dilution of your message may have nothing to do with your written or verbal instructions or ideas and more to do with how well people are engaged in 'listening' to your communication.
Communication is the vehicle that facilitates both the spirit and accuracy of how things get done in your business. If everyone takes full ownership of your goal, bends over backwards to achieve it and helps others do the same, then you probably have a good platform of trust and are using the full gamut of your humanity to engage your organisation's motivation. For you, communication is much more than a set of 'functional' instructions.
However, if there is only moderate trust and little effort to communicate this way, you will probably not be satisfied that your highest intentions are being achieved, and find that no amount of coercing helps. If this is the case, communication could become the soft underbelly of your plans.
Your Vision
Good leaders communicate non-verbally that they know exactly WHO they are and WHAT they are trying to achieve. This action-based communication draws people to them making them proud to be part of what the leader is achieving.
Team Aspirations
Because a leader's results are entirely determined by what their team achieves for them, communication must always engage the team's highest aspirations. When the team is as motivated as the leader then communication is working, when they are not, there is a problem.
Involve the Team
Many companies involve only their leaders in their planning, leaving people at more operational levels to execute without much input. People at all levels have rich potential for ideas and practical input that is unlocked only when they are involved in the planning of what they do. When this happens, not only is this new value secured, but leader communication is at its most effective.
Know Individuals
Knowing what is important in their teams' personal lives is the only way a leader can demonstrate to them that their value lies in more than just the results they produce. This is fundamental to leader communication and team performance.
Never be Distracted
When a leader communicates through their example that they are never distracted from their mission, it has the effect of galvanising those around them to do the same.
Face Difficulties
Good leaders don't avoid difficult things to stay popular. They communicate they are worth following by tackling problems head on that threaten the mission, but with grace to protect hard earned relationships commitment.
