Page 26 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

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GREAT COMMUNICATION SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS
among themselves rather than speak even to employees. When this happens,
communication does continue. Communication, like nature, abhors a vacuum.
In the absence of word from the leader, people will create their own messages,
typically in the form of rumor, innuendo, and gossip. The net result is a com-
pounding of difficulties: Employees who could be part of the solution instead
become part of the problem. Why? Because they are uninformed—worse, they
are ill informed. The leader needs to get out front and tell the truth, instead of
letting people draw their own conclusions. When you leave employees to draw
their own conclusions without providing the proper message, they will draw
the opposite conclusion from the one you want them to draw. They will auto-
matically assume the worst, when perhaps the problem is not so grave, if it is
addressed in time.

Have you ever heard something that sounds right but does not feel right? For
example, when the boss says, “Our people are this company’s most valuable
resource,” you groan because you know it’s a cliché. You also know better. The
boss rules by fear and looks over your shoulder constantly. Your coworkers are
frustrated at their inability to make decisions. Your subordinates are fearful of
losing their jobs. And the bean counters are making noises about impending
job cuts. And this from a company where people are important! Could it be
that there is a disconnect between the speaker and the message? Exactly! The
words are not consistent with the boss’s behaviors. As a result, what sounds
well and good comes across as phony and false. This is an example of a situa-
tion where speaker and message do not intersect; there is a lack of credibility.
Effective messages are built upon trust. Trust is not something that we
freely grant our leaders; we expect them to earn it. How? By demonstrating
leadership in thought, word, and deed. Credible leaders are those who by their
actions and behaviors demonstrate that they have the best interests of the orga-
nization at heart. They are the type of bosses who view themselves as sup-
porters; they want their people to succeed, and they provide them with the help
they need in order to achieve. These bosses know that they will be judged by
the accomplishments of the individuals or teams who report to them, and that
is why they invest so heavily in those individuals or teams.
When a leader makes a commitment to the success of individuals in order
to achieve organizational goals, that leader is well on the way to earning trust.
All of the leader’s specific actions, such as articulating the vision, setting
expectations, determining plans, and allowing for frequent feedback, are fur-
ther ways of demonstrating trust.
The message emerging from a leader whom we trust is said to be a lead-
ership message. Such a message is rooted in the character of the individual as