Good leaders are defined by their ability to communicate.
Communication isn’t about selling an idea; it isn’t about ‘winning people round,’ either.
Communication in leadership is about inspiring others to be the best that they can be in any given situation.
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— Will Corry (@slievemore) April 18, 2020
You know that if the people you lead are working to the best of their capacity, they will do an excellent job, pushing productivity sky high and improving interpersonal relationships within the team as they go.
Learning to communicate
So how do we learn to communicate? It’s not just as simple as walking into a meeting and owning the floor, although some people do have this natural ability. Generally, learning to communicate is about learning charisma and confidence. It starts with really believing in what you are saying and aligning your actions with your core values.
There are many valuable resources online giving much more detailed communication tips than this article, but here is a very quick overview of the four main aspects of great communicators.
Learning to Listen
“Rule 9: Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t.” Professor of Psychology Dr Jordan B Peterson, Author of 12 Rules For Life
Everyone listens, right? Wrong. In fact, this is so wrong, it’s almost laughable. There is a chronic shortage of good listening skills in the world right now that we’ve almost forgotten the art altogether.
There is a theory in psychology that humans know things that they do not know that they know, and the way that they find out the things that they know is by exploring ideas, thinking aloud, speaking, etc. Learning to listen is an incredible art, because people will always be willing to speak, and, if you let them speak for long enough, they will tell you the things you need to know.
Speaking Well
“If you say and do things the things you actually believe, then you’ll attract people who believe in what you believe.” Simon Sinek, Author and Inspirational Speaker
Learning to speak well is a vital skill that all aspiring leaders need to develop. The skill to spin a tale and tell a story in a way that motivates your followers is something that will help you throughout your career.
Speaking well isn’t about speaking the loudest, sometimes it’s about speaking the least but having the biggest impact in a room.
Vision
“At some point in your life, you have to work with people who make you feel insecure… Because that means you’re working with people who are better than you, who are pushing you.” Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet
All good leaders need a vision, a mission statement, a reason why. They need to push themselves to be better all the time. Great leaders share their vision with others. They allow their vision to become others’ vision, to transcend themselves, and morph into a new pathway.
Great leaders have a great vision of the future, and that vision is vital.
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