Mastering communication and being an effective leader.

Communication

Imagine communication is a coin with two contrasting faces - one side deals with tech-savvy individuals, the other with those less familiar with the intricacies of technology. This is almost certainly overly reductive, but for the sake of brevity, it will serve us well here.

Speaking tech to non-techies is always tricky. You need to distil complex concepts into digestible chunks that non-technical stakeholders can grasp. Computational complexity? Might as well be a foreign language. Instead, terms like time, money, and customer satisfaction often resonate louder. The challenge is to foster care about technical issues by translating them into concerns that are already on their radar. Data and precedents from within and beyond your company can bolster your case, showing that you're aligned with industry trends.

Employ metaphors, diagrams, and presentations to clarify your points. These have been super effective for me; I’ve found that a well-crafted diagram can often communicate concepts and challenges far more effectively than a lengthy email. In these moments, embrace your role with pride; you are an ambassador or tech.

But what about the reverse? When you need to instil in developers a concern for the business aspects they might typically shrug off? You're now sometimes bearer of unwelcome news - like the need to accrue tech debt due to business pressures. This is where translation becomes your ally once again. Make these business values relevant to your developers. Explain why certain unpalatable decisions are made and the anticipated outcomes. And whatever you do, make sure your language aligns with the wider company's messaging to maintain cohesion and trust.

Clarity and honesty are your key allies here. Articulate the messages you believe in and stand firm, especially when you foresee challenges. Remember, in this setting, you are the voice of the business, bridging gaps and ensuring alignment.

Consistency in your message is pivotal, yet be prepared to tailor it when needed. You'll ask yourself, "Why must I repeat myself? Why the misconceptions? Why doesn't this stick?"?

In such moments, consider your own personal experience; have you remembered and understood every detail your boss has shared? Likely not.?

Here lies the origin of this series title. While we live by DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) in coding, in leadership, repetition is your friend.

Expect to reiterate messages. Make your Slack channels come alive with gifs, emojis, your favourite memes, do anything that captures attention. Inject personality into your communication; this helps it to resonate on a personal level.

Reinforce your points across all possible mediums. Whether it be during 1-2-1s, team meetings, or casual conversations by the water cooler. The goal is not merely repetition but connection to a broader vision or strategy that provides context and memorability to your words.

So yes, communication becomes a substantial part of your role, as vital as any strategy or codebase, and mastering it is key to your effectiveness as a leader. However you will likely never truly master communication, so be kind to yourself and others - assume positive intent and be forgiving if people need help understanding what you are saying.

So, if it’s unlikely you will master communication, could you possibly master any other areas of your productivity? We’ll be looking at this next.

You as Leader

At some point you may reflect on your personal leadership growth. I remember often thinking to myself: How can I maximise my efficiency? How can I become better organised amidst the whirlwind of my ever changing responsibilities, and seemingly ever growing to-do list??

With numerous projects simultaneously clamouring for attention, each demanding its unique rhythm of care, maintaining focus always seemed impossible. Urgent tasks fought for immediate action, while important, not-yet-urgent tasks loomed on the horizon, threatening to transform into emergencies if neglected. Keeping track of personal and team actions, respecting deadlines, and addressing the relentless demands of context switching all become par for the course.

I think that finding what works for you is fundamental here - there's no one-size-fits-all solution. As for me, I've already shared my love of the four colour Bic pen. However when I do need to digitise written notes I prefer using Markdown for its simple yet sufficient formatting capabilities. I use Bear as the UI is elegant, writing Markdown is a pleasure, it syncs my notes across multiple devices, and has some really lovely export options if you need to send PDFs or DOCX files to colleagues. I’m also partial to a mind map - xmind is lovely for this - to help with non-linear and strategic thinking. These tools allow me to transform thoughts into actionable plans that I can put in place.

Mastering your calendar is akin to mastering time itself. It becomes the scaffolding for your professional life, supporting your daily routine and productivity. Try refactoring your schedule like you would your code. Intersperse breaks and variety - allocate time for people management, strategy thinking, and perhaps some hands warm technical engagement (the Maker calendar concept). Look ahead and prepare; anticipating meetings and scheduling time for preparation can prevent that cornered feeling of being unprepared.

For my own calendar management, Fantastical has been, well, fantastic. Its seamless integration with numerous platforms facilitates jumping from Teams to Google Meet to Zoom, stripping away the technological friction and allowing for smoother transitions. I also love its Openings feature for people to book time in my calendar if they need to chat to me.

Embrace techniques like Pomodoro to manage context switching effectively; work in bursts of focused activity followed by short breaks. Protect these intervals of concentration by silencing the continuous ping of Slack messages or email.?

A recurring theme in this series is to be kind to yourself, and this applies here as well. Perfection is elusive and not a prelude to effective leadership. Practice, iterate, and learn - repeat this cycle and watch as your leadership, as well as your personal well-being, flourishes.

We are nearing the finish line now, and you may have begun to wonder; How do you retain a semblance of peace amidst the high-paced rhythm of leadership? We’ll look at this next.