A Pocket Guide to Communication for the busy Leader
Shouting loudly is no longer enough
Past are the days when the baying of an Executive would be sufficient to gather and galvanise the pack. This, though, does not prevent some howling at senior levels for the way things use to be.
The more enlightened and successful Leaders are becoming sophisticated communicators, able to elicit the desired action from their audience. The better Executives have identified a change in the tide:
- Customers are more influenced by other customers than the Corporate press release;
- The better suppliers want to be wooed. They will no longer accept dictation. High-performing suppliers can decide with whom they share their competitive advantage;
- Talent has choice. High-performing individuals are becoming ever more mobile, with each job is seen as “a project in which I can deliver and develop.”;
- Deeds speak. With the advent of social media and smart-phones, behaviours and words are easily captured and rapidly disseminated. Acting ‘on-brand’ is a permanent requirement for the high-profile executive.
And while formal presentations may appear to represent the majority of communication opportunities, the number of communication channels is myriad.
Whether talking to colleagues, presenting to investors, or writing a profile on LinkedIn, the opportunity exists to create the demand to participate for mutual benefit.
Investment in the principles of communication yields a huge return for Executives and, at the request of a group I work with, I am making communication check-list available here.
A number of the Executives I coach have a pocket-sized version of this check-list and prior to a communication opportunity, will rehearse their upcoming presentation with this checklist in mind.
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. ”