Why is communication important in leadership?

When you think of successful leaders such as Dr. King, Ronald Reagan, or Barack Obama, the primary commonality between them is that they are all outstanding orators. According to a survey conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit, poor communication,

• according to 52% of employees, raises stress levels,
• according to 44% of employees, prevents them from finishing their projects,
• according to 31% of employees, causes them to fall short of their performance targets.

There is no doubting the importance of excellent communication in leadership. Because they help to generate rapport, build trust, and encourage collaboration towards a common goal. When leaders and their teams can communicate clearly, they can cooperate to accomplish shared objectives.

Effective communication is the method by which leaders convey messages and move people to action. This skill allows leaders to speak, write, listen to, and interpret information. To get everyone on board with their goals and make sure that everyone is working toward the same goal, leaders need to be able to communicate properly with their team and other stakeholders.

Communication can be of two types:

• One-way communication
• Two-way communication

As a leader, it is crucial to understand the value of both one-way and two-way communication.

One-way communication is linear and limited. It occurs in a straight manner from sender to receiver and serves to pass information, persuade or command. On the other hand, two-way communication also includes feedback procedure from the receiver to the sender and lets the sender know the information has been received accurately.

One-way communication examples	Two-way communication examples
Written materials (Reports)	In-person group discussion
Bulletin board notices	One-on-one discussion
Written memos on specific issues	360-degree reviews
Annual reports	Open Q&A sessions

For example, you will have to communicate to your team the decisions that have already been made in the managerial level and directives that must be obeyed.​​ Regardless of the situation, giving the opportunity to your team members to voice their disagreements about decisions is key, because understanding their concerns is important. But, framing your communication with your team clearly and addressing the concerns before they are presented can lead to faster acceptance.

But why is it so important?

When it comes to corporate, clear and effective communication from leaders offers a various benefits to employers and employees.

• One such advantage is that communication keeps employees aware of individual and organizational goals. When they understand what is expected of them, they are more likely to deliver the desired outcomes, which can help increase job satisfaction, improve morale, and boost confidence.
• Secondly, when objectives and expectations are well-defined—and teams are collaborating to meet them—it can increase efficiency, enhance employee engagement, and improve overall productiveness and work performance.
• Strong leadership communication helps ensure that team are aware of organizational challenges and opportunities, letting them to make more informed decisions that eventually benefit the bottom line.
• Effective leadership depends on trust. But, this is not possible without effective communication. It is through effective communication that you truly get to know team: what drives and excites them to work—or what makes them feel worried, disrespected, or disengaged in the workplace.
• In turn, effective and transparent leadership communication allows team members to make a relationship with you and your goals. This is key to developing mutual respect, overcoming barriers, and eventually fostering a driven and purposeful workplace environment.

Being an efficient leader is impossible if you lack strong communication skills. The good news is that it is possible to develop skills that will help you excel in both areas.

Let’s discuss this in detail.

As a leader, you should constantly react to changing situations, factors, and challenges while keeping everything under control. It is essential to be adaptable in how you speak and write. Why do you need to be adaptable? Adaptability help you tailor your messaging to adequately reach and influence your team members with different communication styles. Like, some employees may appreciate detailed written guidance, SOPs when embarking on a new task, while others in the team may prefer a verbal direction or summary. How can you become adaptable?

• Improve problem-solving skills
• Keep an open mind
• Learn to embrace change
• Leave your ego at the door
• Push yourself out of your comfort zone to connect with your team members

Although some of this comes intuitive, it is always good to speak with your team members early on about their communication habits and communication preferences so that you can decide as a leader what works best for them.

Leading and communicating with empathy is important to your success as a business leader. The good you are at recognizing, acknowledging, and validating the feelings and experiences of your team members, the more productive they will feel and the more likely they will be to meet the goals. Accordingly, it is important to have regular communication short meetings with your team so you can get to know them better. it helps you understand their professional experiences, challenges, and goals. To be an empathetic leader, it is also important to express a certain curiosity about the employees you work with. This helps to build stronger relationships.

Being transparent involves openly sharing information with your team about your organization’s high-level goals, and opportunities, regardless of whether the information is good or bad. Transparency will keep your team informed and build trust between yourself and your team. This is critical to performance. Through transparency and trust, you can

• empower employees to take healthy risks,
• share their perspectives openly,
• better collaborate, inspire and innovate, and
• actively try to solve problem.

You can create a culture of transparency by establishing clear communication channels and well-defined expectations. You should provide regular feedback on how the organization are progressing in their goals.

Active listening is important to effective leadership communication. It is a skill that involves hearing what people say and trying to understand their intent behind. Active listening techniques include being

• fully there in the conversation,
• responding to and using non-verbal cues,
• asking open-ended questions occasionally,
• avoiding interruptions, judgments, or advice, and
• reflecting on what you’ve heard
• maintaining open body language.

When you practice active listening skills as a leader, you can create a stronger rapport with your team members by showing that their opinions and ideas are heard and valued. This also involves making eye contact, refraining from crossing your arms, and smiling and nodding while you listen.

If you are leader, it will be your responsibility to give feedback to your team effectively and receive it carefully. giving clear and constructive feedback to the team through regular communication gives them the chance to change their working as needed, leverage their strengths, and improve their overall efficiency and effectiveness. And, it is equally important that you receive feedback from your employees too. Strong leaders must learn and grow constantly. And who better to give constructive feedback of your leadership skills than your team? When you receive feedback from team members, it is important to assess the input to create an appropriate action plan.

​​Finally, leaders must be consistent in their style. If the values, goals and missions they communicate differ ​seasonally​​​ it will lead to distrust against the leader. Inconsistent communication in leaders also damages team dynamics. ​ A leader needs to consistent with all of his team members. ​​If some team members receive constant constructive feedback from the leader and other team members merely receive any communication, they may feel left out.

Do you like to add anything? You can comment us below!