What role does communication play in effective leadership?

What is there without communication? Not much. Communication is much more than our spoken or written words. We communicate with our actions, the way we enter a room, how we sit, our eye contact, and much more. All of it adds up to how we develop relationships with others. If we focus on one aspect too much, we may lose the connection with someone. When you want to engage with others, remember to use all of your options with communication. What works with one person may not work with everyone. It is worth the effort to develop effective communication because it leads to much more learning, deeper understanding, and better relationships with your team.

Being an effective leader and communicator go hand in hand. Clear, consistent, and proactive communication enables teams to feel included, appreciated, and respected. No one wants to be delegated to from an "ivory tower" and nothing causes more employee disengagement than feeling in the dark. That's how rumors start, too. If there's a lack of communication, people take it upon themselves to come up with scenarios that could be far from the truth. Clear, effective internal communication is a key indicator of a positive culture and caring leadership.

Effective communication is not a one-size-fits-all process. In fact, the best communicators tailor their methods to who they are communicating with. You have got to be observant and take in the contexts of the situation you are in, and communicate in line with it. Lots of aspects such as eye contact, volume, pace, posture and tone can effect how you are perceived by others. Ensure you know the message you wish to put across ahead of time and behave accordingly, as often there is more to communication than simply the words you say!

To effectively communicate it is important to note that being flexible is the key to generate the right results. You need to plan for each meeting or discussion by knowing who your audience is, the tone that will best suit them and the way to craft your message. You also need to make room for last minute changes should there be any change of plans.

An effective leader contributes to a positive work environment. Utilisation of communication skills play an important role here. This involves aligning the organisation's goals with the leader's vision and incorporating team members' thoughts and ideas into actions. In order to achieve effective leadership, communication should be open and the leader should be a good listener to understand the conflicts and motivate the team to resolve it and work towards the aligned goal of oneself and the organisation.