The 10 Secrets of Effective Communication as a Leader

Overview

One element of leadership is the often overlooked and underappreciated skill of communication. Many leaders that I meet think that they are great communicators. Many are. The reality is that some are not as gifted in communication as they think that they are.

In actuality, they may need a good deal of work. What is humorous is that in many organizations, when I talk to the managers and ask about their perceptions of their abilities as a communicator, they rank themselves as somewhere between great and good. The irony is that when I ask employees and team members about the level of communication within their organization, they often rank communication as being poor to fair.

Additionally, they will also make comments such as, “we really don’t know what’s going on around here,” and “no one seems to want to share the information.” So certainly, in organizations there seems to be a remarkable gap between the leader’s perception of the effectiveness of communication and the team’s.

It is up to you as the leader not to just communicate, but to communicate in a way that is effective for the team. It is your responsibility as a leader to get results, then it is also your responsibility to communicate in such a way to ensure that those results occur.

In “The 10 Secrets of Effective Communication as a Leader,” Shawn Doyle, CSP, will share the 10 elements that help transform good leaders into great leaders. It comes down to how effective you are at communicating mission, vision, values, organizational goals, and more. With more than 30 years experience helping executives and managers communicate better, Shawn’s advice is on target and timely.

Contents

1. The Skill of Communication
2. Why it Matters
3. Consider Taking Leadership Assessments
4. Ask Your Team
5. Ask Your Manager
6. Ask Your Family and Friends
7. The 10 Secrets
8. Danger Areas
9. Focus on Improving Your Skills
10. Identify Your Weaknesses