Why is communication so important for leaders? | The Importance of Leadership Communication

Why is communication so important for leaders? There are few certainties when it comes to leadership, but it is no exaggeration to say that you cannot be an effective leader unless your communications skills are highly developed. The ability to communicate well with others impinges on everything you do as a leader; whether through face-to-face or written channels, you are always communicating and the amount of time you spend doing so simply reinforces its importance.

For example, you need to communicate effectively too:

• Maintain Positive relationship with others.
• Provide direction for the organisation, or that part of it for which you are responsible.
• Build and sustain high-performing teams.
• Motivate and inspire others.
• Handle conflict.
• Manage change.
• Provide feedback.
• Recruit new team-members.
• Why is communication so important for leaders?

And the list goes on, In fact, unless you sit in a darkened room all day, you are constantly communicating, so a failure to do it well has major implications on your ability to lead. In exploring the importance of communication for you as a leader, you should reflect on both your own talents in this area and the structures and channels you have in place to facilitate communication.

Personal Skills

Striving to build your personal communication skills constantly should be a top priority. To give yourself a sense of where you currently stand in this critical area, consider the following questions:

• How well do you understand the dynamics of communication and, in particular, the importance of tone and body language?
• When communication breaks down at work, do you have a tendency to blame other for it, or do you reflect on your own contributions to the problem?
• When was the last time you had formal communication training? What did you change / improve as a result of that training?
• What do you think your superiors, colleagues and employees might say about you as a communicator, if asked?
• Do you avoid certain communication situations because you lack the confidence to maintain control?
• How do your emotions currently affect the way you communicate? Are you good at staying calm or have you a tendency to fly off the handle?
• Are you more comfortable writing an email/memo to convey an important topic, where you have time to gather your thoughts, review drafts and be confident that you have sent the best version of the message?
• Are you more comfortable communicating in person, where you can spontaneously discuss the matter in an interactive way?
• Do you over-rely on one particular channel of communication?
• Are you better at communicating up or down the chain of command?
• Do you feel confident when you communicate face-to-face with others?
• How productive are the briefings and meetings that you hold? Are they well-controlled, whilst at the same time giving everyone a chance to contribute? How well do you deal with difficult participants?

After reflecting on these questions, think about your areas for improvement as a communicator and identify concrete action you can take in the coming week and month to build your capabilities. Why is communication so important for leaders?

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Structures and channels

In reviewing your effectiveness as a communicator, look beyond your own skills to wider issues such as the effectiveness of the structures and channels currently in place that facilitate internal communication within your team, and with others of the organization. Why is communication so important for leaders?

Useful questions in this regard include:

• Who are the internal stakeholders that you interact with most frequently at work (for example, employees, superior, colleagues, etc.)?
• What are the key messages that you need to convey to each of these stakeholders?
• How often is formal communication required in order to get those messages across?
• What structures/ channels are in place to reach each key stakeholder group?
• How well do these structures/ channels work at present? Where are the gaps?
• What concrete action might you take to address those gaps?

These questions are a good start in analyzing the effectiveness of current structures and channels. By reflecting on these and similar questions, you can identify current blockages and define areas for improvement.

The remaining questions on communication in this section of QUICK WIN LEADERSHIP give you more guidance on how to address any shortcomings identified