By Sandra Mapemba, MSc, Deputy Director – Technical – HP+
Quite often we hear and read that good communication skills (and decision-making capabilities) play a vital role in the success and failure of a leader. While I agree with this generalized statement heard many times over, for me it remains the core. A leader usually gravitates to his or her innate qualities to shepherd and drive the team, i.e., honesty and integrity; confidence; inspiration; commitment and passion; emotional intelligence; humility, empathy, and resilience. On top of this, they will often combine these qualities with more pragmatic actions such as decision-making, accountability, delegation and empowerment, creativity and innovation, and transparency. Overall, all these great qualities, mannerisms, and practices are defined by their vision and purpose but will remain hopeless if they are not good communicators. Why do I say this? – It is because if a leader is not able to convey his or her vision to the team, then she/he will take a longer time in trying to establish the milestones they have set in order to achieve the overall vision. That being said, how does one become an effective leader? The first place to start is clarity.
An effective leader has to be certain that his/her team understands what is being asked of them, why the task is being performed, how it fits into the grander scheme of activities, and where it will lead towards. Most often we ask people to do a task without getting feedback as whether they have understood what is being asked and walking through with them areas that may be unclear. Time is lost when the team needs to keep coming back to you for clarification or you keep sending work back because it is incomplete. Keep your communication clear and simple.
Communication needs to be inspiring. Have you ever had to sit through a meeting or gathering where the speaker goes on in monotone and gets lost as to where they are when reading things? – Take a lesson from this. As a leader, you have the vision of success with the help of your team. It’s up to you to rally your team around the goal and help them embrace the vision, too. Inspiration is the fuel that keeps everyone working hard toward the ultimate goal.
While you may have the big picture of where you want to get to, remember that an effective leader listens to what others have to say. You may not agree, but you may also learn more than if you just did it your way. Listen to both the verbal and non-verbal cues that your team or people around you are presenting. This is not just sitting and waiting for someone to finish; by actively participating, there may just be an innovation in what is being suggested. Active listening helps you build relationships, solve problems, ensure understanding, and improve accuracy. Taking a moment to listen will help you waste less time in the long run, making you more productive.
With listening comes critique. An effective leader knows how to provide feedback on a task that does not demean or in any way demotivates the team. Give praise when it’s due, and give constructive criticism where it’s applicable. It is important that feedback provided helps them see the potential in them—this keeps them motivated rather than demoralized. In order to do this, an effective leader trusts that the team will deliver and provide feedback that does not undermine that trust. This is not to say that an effective leader cannot point out areas of improvement, areas where the team/staff went wrong—it is all in how one delivers the critique.
This being said, an effective leader knows not to overload staff and not to communicate everything at once. Therefore, learn to prioritize. Prioritizing your communications is important because you do not waste employees’ time—this makes them less productive. If you give someone too much information at one time, things are bound to get lost. Let them know what is most urgent and what you are flexible about shifting around. This should be both written and verbal. Use the tools on Outlook and other email settings that allow you to mark high-priority tasks. Keep emails short and concise, stating the goal of the task, how long you expect it to take, any resources they’ll need, and finally any relevant details that might help streamline the process.
Personalization is usually missed in effective communication. What does this mean? This means making everyone in a room feel like they are a very important person. Remember humility is one of the attributes of a great leader. Get to know your team—their strengths as well as areas of challenges—and learn their names. This makes the team/staff feel valued and able to perform at optimal levels.
Be open—communicate with an objective of gaining understanding from the team/staff you are interacting with. Keep an open mind when communicating with your team to see things from their point of view; it will make it easier to explain what you want from them if you put yourself in their mindset. If you withhold information around the task, this will only mean multiple tries, reviews, and time wasted before the work is complete.
Finally, lead by example. An effective leader should exemplify the qualities that you expect to see in your employees. Instead of always telling employees what you want them to do, show them—provide an example. In your review, don’t just “rubbish” what was written; suggest how to improve on what they have produced.
Since effective leaders are in a position of influence, they need to face obstacles with confidence. If your team shares your vision and is clear on what they need to do, this frees up time for you to focus on networking, growing relationships, expanding, and growing to the heights that you have set. Determination and a positive attitude will help you set the stage for the rest of your team to thrive and enjoy their working environment because they are clear on their tasks and confident that you will recognize their abilities. Anyone can take charge, but with the right tools and skills, you can be a great leader to your team.