Many people may hold a position but lack the influence that should go with that job.
If you are the boss, people may have to follow your directives, but they do not have to show up with enthusiasm, and demonstrate loyalty for the long term.
Real leaders on the other hand, have more power and influence for when it matters most.
What is required of a "leader"?
You need the communication skills to influence people to follow you, to accept your ideas, to sign off on any proposed actions, and to encourage them to "show up" for you.
As a leader, you have to be able to build a persuasive case.
You can persuade people positively or negatively.
You can persuade someone for noble purposes or selfish interests.
It is your ability to communicate with purpose, vision, and to build a convincing narrative that will make you stand out as a true leader of people.
Leadership communication refers to the skills and application of messaging that anyone in a leadership position should utilise.
A leader displaying strong communication skills will not only encourage their team to perform their work efficiently, but will also foster a trusting work environment that helps their employees feel comfortable in sharing their feelings and ideas.
Here are some suggestions I have for leaders who want to augment their communication skills.
Active listening skills
You start you journey towards communicating effectively by first learning to listen actively.
Active listening skills refer to your ability to consciously participate in the information retention process.
Your job as a leader is heavily impacted by your own ability to retain information presented to you.
Active listening the direct opposite of passive listening, which typically involves only collecting a portion of the information that your conversation partner is relaying to you.
Many bosses fall into this trap of passive listening.
It happens because of time constrains or impatience, but you must curb this tendency.
So, to receive and remember the most possible information from an exchange, you may want to offer affirmational feedback, such as 'I understand' or 'I see'.
This type of feedback communicates to your conversation partner that you are actually paying attention to what they are saying.
Only after people are convinced that you have "heard" them in the first place, will they in turn be "mentally ready" to listen to you.
Storytelling skills
The ability to tell engaging and inspiring stories always enhances your leadership.
Leaders can use stories to convey lessons they have learned, and connect with their team.
Storytelling allows leaders to communicate their vision and values, in ways that resonate with their audience.
Storytelling skills involve communicating a narrative in a consumable and interesting way.
If you would like to impart an emotion to your team members, such as pride or satisfaction, offering the information in the form of a narrative will make your message more effective.
Open-mindedness skills
Stephen Covey in his seminal book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People wrote about the importance of open-mindedness.
He gives examples where open-minded team members learn things and achieve things that they wouldn't be able to do on their own.
This also leads them to offer greater solutions than they could have come up with alone.
And leaders actually offer this open-minded platform through their communication.
Open-mindedness means that you are willing to hear their perspective without judgement, which most employees prefer.
If you are open-minded in your communication, you will actively seek advice and feedback from others without feeling that your own ideas are being criticised; you are open to learning from others; and you are willing to balance your ideas against the ideas of those who work under you.
Empathy and positivity skills
Empathy allows you to understand team members' perspectives and adapt your responses accordingly.
Understanding how to respond positively can help boost team morale.
In combination, these skills provide insight into your team's needs so that you can effectively respond, and improve each team member's relationship with their work.
Delegation skills
An effective leader typically understands how to effectively communicate the delegation of tasks to their team members in a fair and efficient way.
Clearly explaining why, you have chosen a particular team member for a certain task can help everyone understand their own purpose on the team, and the reasoning you have for believing that this person was the best choice for the role.
Words matter
To help create a strong foundation on which to develop your professional communication, take time to critically consider your word choice after your conversations with team members.
By choosing specific, friendly, and non-technical language, you can refine your communication and make it more accessible to your conversation partner.
Remember, communication is how leaders get work done.
*The writer is managing consultant and executive leadership coach at EQTD Consulting. He is also the author of the national bestseller 'So, You Want To Get Promoted?'