Practical Ways to Ensure Your Leadership Communication
Has a Better and Broader Impact
This question came in from a senior leader working to ensure their communication has a broad organization-wide impact:
“Hi Karin, We have a lot of moving parts around here. I’m quite sure my senior team is with me. They get it. They understand what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. I’m concerned about the cascade, is our leadership communication making it all the way through the organization? What advice do you have?” #AskingForaFriend
3 Master Techniques for Effective Leadership Communication
1. Speak the Common Language of “Why”
Ensure your senior team can articulate the “why” of your projects and the big-picture vision of your organization. When someone truly understands the “why,” they’ll make better decisions. It’s not just about them nodding along. You want to ensure that every member of your senior team is an expert translator– articulating the vision in terms of specific actions and behaviors. So if employees hear “EBITDA” from you or another leader, they understand “what I need from ya.” That’s the moment the abstract becomes tangible, vision becomes action.
In your leadership communication be sure to translate strategy into relatable actions and practical habits so that the entire team can connect the dots when they’re working. Then, check for understanding to hear back from them so you’re sure they are on board.
2. Turn Monologues into Dialogues
If you have a town hall or end-of-year meeting, don’t just use that time to talk about vision and strategy. Give them an opportunity to really work with your strategic initiatives. Be sure they get a chance to think and talk about how the strategy is going to work for their team. Give them a chance to share their ideas.
Have them to consider how the initiatives inform their own projects. And, don’t forget to make room for real talk. Give people a safe space to ask real questions and answer them with transparency and candor. Our clients will often add an “Asking for a Friend” Q&A to their all hands meetings. This gives employees an anonymous and fun way to ask questions, and the senior team answers.
3. VIP Invites: Bring a Friend Staff Meetings
Another effective leadership communication technique is “bring a friend” to staff meetings. In these meetings, your executive team can bring a high-potential employee to join the discussion. These “friends” bring additional perspective. It also gives people an opportunity to learn more about what’s happening strategically and how decisions are being made. Those managers then return to their teams with newfound insights and a deeper sense of belonging.
So there you have it – a deep dive into leadership communication that goes beyond the surface. Remember, leadership communication is not just about talking, but about creating understanding, alignment, and inspiration that resonates throughout your organization. And since this is an ongoing conversation…what would you add? What are some of your favorite techniques to ensure your strategic communication flows through your entire organization?
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Check out this related article:
All-Hands Meeting: How to Ensure Yours is Amazing and Worth the Investment
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