The Virtue of Self-Communication for Leaders

Often, when we think of leadership and communication, we always think about the charisma of a leader, and his ability to communicate effectively with those who work with and for him. While not discrediting these key communication skills a leader must possess, in this post, I would like to argue that even before these external communication skills come into play, a leader must have certain other communication skills, which involve the leader talking to himself. Communicating with oneself is what sets a leader apart from a follower. I will share three key insights on the self-communication of a leader:

1) First, when the leader faces a problem, he should be the first one to talk to himself about the challenges it has or can have. He must articulate questions that must be answered in any situation. These questions about the problem are part of an assessment of the leader's surroundings. Various propositions and interpretations are raised in his mind, and he can analyse them, pick out the right ones, and direct the energies of the institution, of the people behind him to follow in answering and solving those problems.

2) Second, whenever solutions are presented, the leader should be able to reflectively talk to himself about their viability. This reflective conversation is not unique to the leader himself. All humans have a commentary going on within them as they experience the world around them. However, often this commentary is biased and fulfils our prejudices. It isn't trained to be critical. This is where the leader is set apart, in that his self-commentary is developed to become critical and reflective. He can rigorously analyse the various interpretations and solutions, critique them, and come out with solutions that are viable and smart.

3) Finally, a leader has creative self-conversations. The leader imagines possibilities that are not present in and around him or his organisation. He does this by having conversations with himself. He's able to create new viable realities by talking to himself about various future possibilities. This not only allows the organisation to solve problems but also gives the vision to ensure the longevity of its purpose and existence.

These are the three ways a leader talks to himself. He talks about problems and challenges around him and chooses the best ones the organisation can focus its strengths on. He critiques the various answers and solutions that are presented to him so that he can, without bias and prejudice, choose the best solutions to work on. He has creative self-conversations where he imagines the future of the organisation which helps guide it to its destiny. Therefore, when I think of leaders and communication, I first think of their internal communication skills. How they use language to observe, reflect, analyse, imagine, and create new realities for themselves and the people who are following them.