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Think clearly » Speak with certainty » Sell ideas » Lead effectively
Lead effectively (by communicating a vision and influencing attitudes)
Great leaders are great communicators. Poor leaders are poor communicators. The connection is that clear. 
And we need great leaders to get things done. Ideas are only as valuable as their execution. Strategies will fail if the people involved in implementation do not fully understand or support them. Vague communication from leaders increases frustration and crushes morale.
"You have to get great at the public speaking thing if you want to be a great leader." Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence and Re-Imagine
How do great leaders communicate?
Being a great communicator gets better results than just being great at your work. So how do you build a team? Gain support for a project? Implement a new strategy? Get people to take action? Well, life can be complicated, but consider this starting point: Great leadership communication...
- Is clear (we are all sceptical of change, and the antidote is clarity).
- Is specific about why we are doing something and how we are going to do it.
- Paints a picture of the better future after the goal is achieved.
Presenting a vision of the future (whether it is for the end of today's meeting or at the conclusion of the five-year plan) is a cornerstone of leadership.
Vivid training/consulting helps you influence attitudes through compelling communication that increases your impact and credibility as a leader. We not only ensure that your messages are clear, relevant and aspirational, we can assess gaps in communication and assist in creating a plan to reach all stakeholders with the right delivery mechanisms (face-to-face, e-mail, conference, etc).
"The leader is the one who recruits the others, by making the vision so palpable and seductive that they see it too." Warren Bennis, author of On Becoming a Leader
Great things happen when people communicate persuasively. Decisions are made, obstacles are cast aside and business is secured. Other benefits of better leadership communication include:
- Handling media requests or crisis situations calmly and effectively.
- Holding shorter and more productive meetings.
- Building a highly functioning team.
- Reducing mistakes and re-work due to misunderstandings.
Real Credibility vs. 'Trust me'
Warren Buffet (the legendary investor) says that if he finds it difficult to understand an annual report a company, he assumes it's because they don't want him to understand and are attempting to hide the truth. He doesn't invest in them. Jack Welch (the legendary CEO of GE) says that poor managers are scared of being clear because they fear being labelled as 'simplistic' - leaving people unclear and uncertain. He doesn't promote them.
Consider the following conversation between a consultant (with vague communication) and a potential client.
Client: "Tell me about your training program, why should we spend the money with you? We have many other areas where we could allocate the budget."
Consultant: "Because it will increase your sales."
Client: "How?"
Consultant: "It will sharpen the team. Your people will be more polished."
The client waited expectantly. "Yes, but how exactly?"
Consultant (becoming defensive): "Look, this is my area. This training will make your salespeople better. Trust me. I've done this sort of thing for years."
Client: "What do you see as wrong with them now? Are you saying they're no good?"
Consultant: "They're ok. But we can make them better. You'll just have to trust me on this. You'll see."
The client found it difficult to continue the conversation as it was going around in circles. How would she justify the training to her CEO? The only message the consultant gave her was "trust me" and she knew that wouldn't convince her CEO. Vague communication weakens your credibility. By the way, the consultant was not hired.
Leadership Confusion - is it catching?
Research demonstrates that our immune system is weaker in periods of uncertainty or confusion. People are more likely to get sick when confused or frustrated.
The same can be said of organisations. A study conducted by Reuters Business Information examined the effects of "excess information" in business. The study found that "57 percent of Australian managers agreed that information overload leads to delays in important decisions." It seems that information overload creates an environment that weakens the organisation.
Now picture an environment in which expectations are clear and direction clearly defined. Imagine:
- Meetings that end with a clearly stated decision.
- Presentations that communicate clear and relevant messages.
- E-mails that don't require 3 follow-up e-mails to clarify a point.
Now, apply these scenarios to the everyday health of your organisation. Just as individuals become stressed and unable to perform, so too the organisation is made unhealthy when staff are stressed by lack of clarity or direction. The result is a cultural malaise which guarantees organisational underperformance.
Improving Organisational Performance
Are your change/culture/vision messages being communicated clearly and transferred to others? Exceptional organisational performance requires that key stakeholders be persuaded - and that they, in turn, convince others.
Credible, persuasive communication enables culture change and improves productivity. When messages fail to engage your team, when managers don't share the vision, and when messages are not structured in a way that can be discussed or transferred accurately, change is stifled and productivity weakened.
Consider these Vivid options:
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