Effective communication is an essential element of leadership. Leaders are communication champions who inspire and unite people around a common sense of purpose and identity. They lead strategic conversations that get people talking across boundaries about the vision, key strategic themes, and the values that can help the group or organisation achieve desired outcomes.
Four elements necessary for strategic conversations are an open communication climate, active listening, discernment, and dialogue. Open communication is essential for building trust, and it paves the way for more opportunities to communicate with followers, thus enabling the organisation to gain the benefits of all employees’ minds. However, leaders must be active listeners and must learn to discern the hidden undercurrents that have yet to emerge. It is through listening and discernment, both with followers and customers, that leaders identify strategic issues and build productive relationships that help the organisation succeed. When active listening spreads throughout a group, a type of communication referred to as dialogue can occur. Through dialogue, people discover common ground and together create a shared meaning that enables them to understand each other and share a view of the world.
Leader communication is purpose-directed, and an important element is persuading others to act in ways that achieve goals and accomplish vision. Four steps for practicing the art of persuasion are to establish credibility, build goals on common ground, make your position compelling, and connect with others on an emotional level. Leaders use rich communication channels, communicate through stories and metaphors, and rely on informal as well as formal communication. Electronic channels can be very advantageous if used appropriately, but their use increases the potential for communication errors, and these channels are not very effective for complex or sensitive messages.
Leadership communication
Leadership means communicating with others so they are influenced and motivated to perform actions that further common goals and lead toward desired outcomes.
Communication is the process by which information and understanding are transferred between a sender and a receiver. Two common elements in every communication situation are the sender, anyone who wishes to communicate, and the receiver, the person to whom the message is sent.
• The sender initiates a communication by encoding a thought or idea.
• The message is the tangible formulation of the thought or idea, and the channel is the medium by which the message is sent. The channel could be a report, telephone call, or e-mail.
• The receiver decodes the symbols to interpret the meaning of message. Encoding and decoding are potential sources for communication errors because individual differences, knowledge, values, attitudes, and background act as filters and may create “noise” when translating from symbols to meaning.
• Feedback occurs when a receiver responds to the sender’s communication with a return message. Feedback is a powerful aid to communication because it enables
the sender to determine whether the receiver correctly interpreted the message.
Leading strategic conversations
Strategic conversation is communication that takes place across boundaries and hierarchical levels about the group or organisation’s vision, critical strategic themes, and values that can help achieve desired outcomes.
Leaders facilitate strategic conversations by:
• Actively listening to others to understand their attitudes and values, needs, personal goals, and desires
• Setting the agenda for conversation by underscoring the key strategic themes linked to organisational success
• Selecting the right communication channels and facilitating dialogue.
Four key components necessary for strategic conversations are an open communication climate, active listening, discernment, and dialogue.
Open communication
Open communication means sharing information throughout the company, especially across functional and hierarchical levels. This runs counter to the traditional flow of selective information downward from supervisors to subordinates. People need a clear direction and an understanding of how they can contribute.
Active listening
Listening well is an essential component of good leadership. A leader can become a more effective listener by learning the skills of active listening. Working relationships become more solid, based on trust, respect, and honesty. Active listening is not an optional component of leadership; it is not a nicety to be used to make others feel good. It is, in fact, a critical component of the tasks facing today’s leaders.
Discernment
One of the most rewarding kinds of listening involves discernment.
Discernment involves detecting the unarticulated messages hidden below the surface of spoken interaction, complaints, behavior, and actions. A discerning leader pays attention to patterns and relationships underlying the organisation and those it serves.
Dialogue
Dialogue occurs when active listening and attention to unspoken undercurrents spread throughout the organisation.
Dialogue is active sharing and listening in which people explore common ground and grow to understand each other and share a worldview.
There is a distinction between a dialogue and a discussion. A discussion explores opposition by individuals who advocate their positions and convince others to adopt those positions. A discussion is resolved by logic or “beating down” opponents.
A dialogue requires that participants suspend their attachments to a particular point of view so that a deeper level of listening, synthesis, and meaning can emerge.
No substitutes
As a change leader, communication is the primary and most important tool. There is no substitute for good judgement, and change leaders need to be reflective and thoughtful about the ways they communicate. There is also no substitute for “active listening” and receiving feedback from the staff and colleagues about how the leader communicates. A leader may make communication mistakes, but the mark of an effective change leader is that these mistakes are quickly identified through feed back and discussion, and corrective action is taken.
Dr Sattar Bawany
Head of Transition, Coaching Practice
DBM Asia
www.dbm.com
Case study
Situation: New leadership style and communication skills needed
A CFO was promoted to executive vice president of operations at a major entertainment company. The executive was armed with a solid record of success in his previous role where a hands-on controlling style with staff direct reports was an effective managerial tool. However, in his new position where he faced broad operational responsibilities, the executive needed to lead cross-functionally by bringing together departments throughout the company including finance, marketing, distribution, and technical operations.
With significantly more people under his leadership, the executive’s communication style was soon found to be confrontational and abrasive, and often prevented the executive from building trusting relationships with his newly formed management team. His style also jeopardised negotiations with existing and potential key business alliances.
Coaching Strategy: Assessment, feedback, new behaviour acquisition
During the first stage of the coaching process,
the executive completed a group of assessments to provide objective information about his communication and leadership style. Feedback by peers and direct reports, combined with constructive communication from the chairman, provided clear insight into style, competencies, and behaviours. This data enabled the client to see the impact his behaviour had on others, and how it could impact his success in building relationships and reaching business outcomes.
A developmental plan was written by the individual and reviewed with his coach to address gaps in areas of communication and strategic leadership. More effective techniques and approaches were role-played with the coach, and the executive was encouraged to use these new behaviours in team and individual meetings with his boss, peers, and direct reports. He also began to use them with business associates outside the organisation. The coaching goal was to increase the executive’s effectiveness in all his business endeavours and to increase his ability to improve the organisation’s success.
Results: Marked communication style changes observed by the organisation
• Within three months, positive change in the executive’s leadership style was perceived at all levels of the organisation.
• Key sensitive strategic alliances were successfully negotiated, resulting in considerable new and sustained business opportunity.
• The executive was better able to communicate with and facilitate information transfer among his team.
• Due to the success of this coaching intervention, executive coaching is being used more broadly as a tool to enhance leadership development among senior-level executives throughout the corporation while nurturing external business alliances aggregating to $50 million dollars.
