Lead with Communication

?If you spend time with SEALS a fact gets noticed immediately. It is a fact every commander employs: communication. Communication goes beyond delivering orders, and poor communication is fatal.

In a battlefield, soldiers cannot afford assumptions. There is no room for guesswork, doubt or hesitation. Hesitation leads to death.

This mindset is equally important in the corporate world. In organizations, leadership is known by the level of influence. Leadership creates an environment of success and profit. The backbone of leadership is effective communication.

John was delivering the details of the team’s new project: the company’s new building. The project was going to cost the organization $45,000,000.

“Top management just handed me a new project.” stated John “We are to design the company’s new building. Deadline is fixed for two years. I have taken the burden of coming up with the workflow process. And I want everyone to adhere strictly to it.”

Three years passed before the building was completed. Four months later, it developed issues. Outside contractors were brought in to examine the building. Turns out the building was liable to collapse within six months.

Did you notice anything wrong with John’s approach? He delivered the project to his team accurately. He even went the extra mile to draw up the exact plans to achieve it. So what went wrong?

Poor communication.

First, influence gotten from position or job title equates to less than 20%. Treating your team or staff like robots: ‘do what I say’ is a poor medium to long term strategy. No one follows a leader who does not treat them like humans.

Second, no one will feel a sense of responsibility to a plan they did not help create. Dropping your opinion onto your team is basically saying: You do not matter. And, if your team feel like they do not matter. You will not matter to them.

Finally, no one has monopoly of knowledge. Close the door to feedback and lose your team. Having a listening ear gives you the opportunity to see things from multiple directions. And that gives you a better overall result.

In the full analysis, the first mistake chases away any top Performers on your team. Top Performers do not subject themselves to a leader that has a ‘Do as I say’ mentality.

The second mistake removes creativity and initiative from the team. Creativity grows in environments that foster discuss and diversity of opinion.

And the third mistake ensures everything falls to you and you alone. That will ultimately damage your mental health and the work. Do you want that?

Here is how John could have effectively communicated the plan to his team.

“Hey guys, I just got word. We have two years to design a kick-ass new building. As you know, it is part of the company’s expansion plan. I will love to know what your ideas are.”

There is a lot more to effective communication that just this article. For more information on how to improve your leadership, feel free to ask me about my Leadership training camp.

Catch you all next week.