USE THIS METHOD TO IMPROVE YOUR LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND COMMUNICATE MORE CLEARLY WITH YOUR TEAM

One of the most important skills to learn as a business owner, manager, or supervisor is how to effectively communicate with your team.

This involves many aspects, including things like how to clearly articulate ideas and expectations, how to promote mutually beneficial relationships by speaking to your team in the right tone, and how to properly delegate responsibilities.

But despite being one of the most important leadership skills for successfully owning a business or managing a team, learning how to delegate responsibilities in a way that’s easily understood by everyone involved is something that’s often botched or neglected by many people in leadership positions.

So, if you’re struggling to successfully communicate with your team, or you just want to learn more about this skill in general, then this blog is for you.

In this article, I’m going to detail why communication is one of the most crucial skills for anyone in a leadership position, and provide some useful tips by explaining one of the most effective methods I use to teach people how to clearly define roles and responsibilities.

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Why Communication is One of The Most Important Leadership Skills

You can have all the money in the world, be the best craftsman in your industry, or have a dozen degrees under your belt, but if you’re not a good communicator, it’s going to be very difficult for you to be successful in a leadership position.

For example, if you’re speaking to your team in a way that’s disrespectful or condescending, it’s going to be harder for you to get them to follow instructions, tougher to gain their loyalty and respect, and therefore it’ll be much more difficult to retain them as employees.

And if you’re not clearly articulating your expectations or delegating responsibilities in an intelligible way, you’re going to end up in a situation where people don’t know what’s expected of them or what they’re responsible for, and they’ll be passing the buck every chance they get.

In addition, over the last couple of years in particular, with all the restrictions imposed due to COVID-19, it’s become even more difficult to effectively communicate with your team, not least because so many people are now working from home.

Back in 2019, you could gather your entire team for an in-person meeting, which can be an easier way to interact, but today, it’s all too common for these meetings to take place via video call, and as a result, more things are getting lost in translation.

All things considered, it’s becoming harder and harder to effectively communicate with your team, and more important than ever to do everything you can to hone these vital leadership skills.

That being said, let’s discuss one of my favorite methods for clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of the people on your team.

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Communicate More Clearly With Your Team Using The RACI Matrix

When the people on your team are unaware of their roles, responsibilities, or expectations, it’s a great way to induce one massive headache.

Things go way over budget, instructions aren’t followed, work doesn’t get done on time, no one wants to take responsibility for that, and everyone’s playing the blame game.

I’ve seen this time and time again, particularly when it comes to building communication with tradespeople.

Communicating with contractors, for instance, can be challenging, as communication isn’t exactly a necessary part of their skillset.

It’s also not uncommon for businesses to operate with the help of independent contractors and subcontractors, and they can be an integral part of your team, depending on the kind of project you’re working on.

So, if you’re not adept at communicating with contractors, and the contractors you’re working with aren’t good with communication either, then things can fall apart very quickly.

At any rate, if you’re in a leadership position, you really don’t have time for this nonsense. What you need is a solid team of people that get along, help each other out, and take ownership of their responsibilities.

But in order to do that, you need a way to make sure everyone’s on the same page.

Easier said than done, right?

This is where the RACI Matrix comes into play.

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What is The RACI Matrix?

The name might sound a bit intimidating, but it’s not that complicated.

The RACI Matrix is simply a method for delegating roles and responsibilities and making sure every member of your team is on the same page about these things.

At this point, you’re probably wondering what RACI stands for, so let’s get into it.

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How Does The RACI Matrix Work?

RACI is an acronym for the words Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed, which refer to the different roles and responsibilities delegated to the various members of a team.

Using this method, you’re basically assigning one or more people to each of these roles for a given task.

You’ll find everything you need to know about each role below.

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Responsible

When someone is Responsible, they can also be referred to as the “doer.” This is the person who actually performs the activity. They are responsible for taking whatever action is required for the implementation or creation of something. Keep in mind that there can always be more than one “doer.”

The degree of responsibility delegated to each “doer” is defined by the person who’s considered Accountable.

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Accountable

The person who’s Accountable is the individual tasked with making sure something gets done. They are the final decision maker, the person who’s ultimately accountable for whatever happens, and they have Yes/No power, as well as the power of veto. Only one person can be made Accountable for a given step or activity.

If someone wants to pass the buck, this is the only person they can pass it to. In other words, the buck stops here.

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Consulted

Those who are Consulted need to be kept in the loop regarding any action or decision involving the task at hand because they have expertise that needs to be utilized before a final decision is made. Without their expertise, a wrong decision may result. The responsibility for this role can be shared between multiple people if need be.

This role is vital, as it encourages two-way communication, and helps keep everyone moving in the same direction.

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Informed

When you’re the one who’s Informed, you need to be notified after any decision has been made, or action has been taken. This responsibility can also be shared between several people if required.

Those who are Informed need to be given an “FYI” whenever something happens.

Benefits of The RACI Matrix

Implementing this system is a highly effective way to ensure everyone’s roles and responsibilities are clearly articulated, and properly delegated.

It will help you to make sure everyone’s on the same wavelength, and prevent many of the issues that crop up when people aren’t sure what’s expected of them or what they’re supposed to be doing.

By using this method, you’re going to be able to:

• Ensure everyone understands the accountabilities and responsibilities of each individual
• Be more equipped to meet deadlines and make sure everything gets done
• Improve communication between team members in decision-making roles
• Stop the unnecessary duplication of work

In addition, having everything clearly laid out is going to make it more difficult for people to make excuses, such as:

• “I don’t know what to do here.”
• “No one is willing to make a decision.”
• “I don’t know who to go to for approval.”
• “I am doing work that is part of someone else’s job.”
• “It’s not my responsibility; I thought you were going to do it.”

There’s more to this method than what I’ve explained in this article, but this should give you more than enough information to start thinking about how you can effectively delegate roles and responsibilities, and at the end of the day, improve communication with your team, and get great results that flow to the bottom line.

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If you’re struggling to effectively communicate with your team, want to learn more about the RACI Matrix method, or you’re looking for?leadership coaching?in Texas, or wherever you are, don’t hesitate to reach out. Schedule a?free consultation?today.