Communication is one of the pillars of leadership and yet I am constantly amazed by the lack of communication skills demonstrated by leaders I encounter in my line of work. A pattern has emerged for me while observing the organizations I serve who have frustrated, disengaged employees who aren’t producing results. I frequently find a leader who is failing at proper, effective, two-way communication. Communication and killer leadership go hand in hand, and the leaders who take the time to work on their communication skills and self-awareness are the ones whose organizations thrive, not fight to survive.

Consider these facts:

• Research shows that the most productive workers tend to receive the most effective communication from their leaders.
• Improved communication in the workplace enhances employee satisfaction, according to numerous surveys.
• Effective communication has a direct, positive impact on absenteeism and turnover; when leaders communicate authentically, their direct reports feel more compelled to remain loyal.
• Bad communication leads to poor, inconsistent customer service.
• Unfocused, ambiguous, and vague communication contributes to an overall decline in morale and engagement.
• Inadequate communication plays a significant role in health, safety, and stress-related illnesses, causing employees to miss work and consequently, a decrease in productivity.

Poor communication skills are organizational poison. It can stifle a business—leaders are to blame for not being accountable for how they communicate and for how they interact with others each and every day.

The irony in writing this is that those that need to read it most to enhance both their own performance and overall team results believe they are fabulous communicators! If you’re grounded, self-aware and open-minded, and the voice in your head or heart is telling you that improvement is needed, then please read on.

If you’re going to become a better communicator the first step is to listen!

Communication Failure #1 – Not Listening

Why are leaders failing so badly at communication? Mostly it’s because they fail to listen. So, if you’re going to get anything out of this message, please remember that there is always room for improvement when it comes to listening.

I know listening seems like the simplest thing, but it’s one of the top-ten skills that leaders who perform at a high-level use in every interaction.

As a leader, it is absolutely critical that you learn to listen to your people. Don’t coast through your day by spoon-feeding them easy answers when they approach you for advice or consultation. Hear them out, ask empowering, clarifying questions, and help them explore learning in a collaborative and engaged manner.

When you listen actively and attentively, you drive employee engagement and send the message that you value your people, which enhances their growth and development.

Communication Failure #2 – Interrupting

Sign number one that a leader is not listening is when they interrupt you or another individual in the conversation. Sure, interrupting might appear to be human nature—the average person can only listen for about seven seconds before they’re compelled to interrupt—but leaders need to hold themselves to a higher standard.

Interrupting is, of course, closely related to a lack of listening. We’ve all been there: engaged in conversation, but then we start paying more attention to what we’re going to say next vs. what the person in front of us is saying at that moment. And then the interruption happens.

Stop it! It is counterproductive, and you will be viewed as a command control leader who always has to have the last word or control the conversation.

I know, you may be thinking to yourself that sometimes it’s useful to interject to gain clarity, but useful interjections are much different from interruptions. A useful interjection comes from a place of listening or the need to keep the conversation on track, where an interruption comes from a place of distraction and disinterest. And guess what? Your people can tell when you’re distracted and disinterested. It’s not a good look for you!

Let’s look at it another way:

Do you remember the last time someone gave you their full, undivided attention when you were speaking? It was a nice feeling, wasn’t it? You could express yourself fully and your ideas flowed much more easily because the person on the other end of the conversation was engaged and fully committed to listening to you.

When we listen to others, we, in turn, make the people around us better communicators by role modelling the right behaviors. Leader-led poorcommunication will breed poor communication in the front-line ranks of your organization and that’s one of the ways organizations or teams fail. Ouch.

Communication Failure #3 – Multi Tasking

You’re a busy professional, we all are but don’t start believing you’re so busy you can’t be bothered to pay attention when people talk to you.

Multi-tasking might seem like a great way to get things done while you engage in “face time” with your employees, but all it does is distract you and make your people think you don’t care about them or their time.

Ineffective leaders are always trying to do two or three things at once. Strong and effective leaders structure their time in ways that allow them to give 100% of their concentration to each task and each moment.

If you truly can’t talk to someone and give them your full attention, find a better time to chat. Put your phone down. Stop looking at your screen. Don’t take that call. Just be there, be present, and pay attention.

You Can Be a Better Communicator!

Here’s a challenge for you: observe the conversations that happen around you every day. Pay attention as you observe these interactions and you’ll start to notice exactly what I’m talking about. Furthermore, I challenge you to be more observant of your own conversations and interactions. You might catch your attention drifting, or you may notice yourself interrupting. Perhaps you’ll find yourself trying to talk to someone while you’re reviewing a spreadsheet or taking care of some other business.

If you notice yourself engaging in these types of poor habits, remember—you have the power to change your behavior. And as you alter your approach to become a better communicator, I have no doubt that you’ll notice higher levels of engagement and productivity with your team and within your organization.

High-performing leaders are constantly working on their communication skills. Are you?

Do you have any additional advice or insight about why leaders fail at effective communication or how to become a better listener? We would love to hear what you think, so send us an email!

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