The Right Tools for the Job: Communicating Effectively

Wouldn’t it be great if leaders could rely on a stock set of phrases in order to motivate, guide, challenge, and instruct … as needed? Unfortunately, today’s business environment constantly presents us with new scenarios, ambiguous situations, and challenging events. Leaders need to be able to adapt their communication style to the situation at hand to lead effectively.

What does this mean? Effective communication skills means communicating for the strongest impact in whatever situation you’re in. A strong communicator is able to influence across a variety of scenarios and audiences, while adjusting content and style to be effective in the given moment. This requires a high level of savvy to determine how your words and actions will affect the scenario your team is dealing with. When in doubt, I recommend that leaders think about whether a situation calls for “commanding” or “collaborating.”

Commanding & Collaborating

It all comes down to how the style, tone, immediacy, and method of communication might change for different events your team faces.

Command Mode

A commanding style is appropriate for crisis situations. This doesn’t mean communicating disrespectfully, but being highly present and clearly communicating information and tasks that your team needs to address immediately in order to mitigate the crisis – think about the aftermath of natural disasters, or the early days of navigating COVID-19.

Collaboration Mode

Sometimes your team is “in the work” for long periods of time. This could mean that the business is operating uneventfully, or it could mean that you are experiencing a sustained challenge period… like the ongoing pandemic. In these scenarios, constantly being in command mode will wear you and your team out. It can even come across as untrusting or micro-managing. Instead, communicate in an empathetic and collaborative manner, practice delegation, and trust your people. Collaboration is about guiding and helping, not barking.

Feedback will help you get it right

If you are unsure of how effective your communication style is for your team, it’s a great idea to ask for feedback. Ask your teammates, direct reports, and mentors if your communication style is clear, appropriate, effective, inclusive, and invites questions/dialogue. Take the feedback you receive seriously, and adjust accordingly.

Communication is everything in leadership. Leaders need to prioritize and invest in building more effective communication skills, just as you invest in skill building for your people. Better communication skills – from listening, presenting, and delegating – can help you be more effective and impactful with your team, your peers, your customers, and your stakeholders. No matter the situation, having the right skills in your communication toolbox will smooth the way and set the stage for a positive outcome.

Success Labs is a leadership development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to grow leaders, build teams and drive results through great people strategy. Contact us to get proactive about expanding your company’s potential, and stay up-to-date with our latest news and leadership development updates here.