Some Communication Tips for Leaders

Communication, is the most important vehicle for unleashing the power of people. This is the tool which can either motivate the people or derail them completely.

But almost all the times , we use communication just as means of passing information instead of using it as a powerful mean to get connected with people.

Each one of us want to make an effective communication , so that "what is heard " by people is "what we said" . But usually it happens in opposite manner , what is heard by people is not what we said but something else & here crops up the problem of not getting the results we wanted .

And usually we account this problem to the people who are listening, but in reality the problem lies with us in communicating.

Recently I came across one very good book ("Say It Right The First Time" ) which unleashes communication skills in a very simple manner.
So, I thought of just pinning down some of the key take aways. I will be put these in form of daily series.

Words are Potent. All words have meaning & impact. They can either move the action forward or backward ; there is no such thing as Neutral comment.

And the truth is your competence, expertise & commitment will not overcome Poor Communication skills.

Therefore , as a Leader you need need to harness the power of your words & accept the accountability for how they impact others. In simple terms be an owner in everything you do or speak.
When you act as an owner the focus is on fixing the problems rather than fixing the blame.

So, key point is to first "Become Accountable" which is being 100% responsible for how your words impact others .

Hey hey wait..are you thinking that if you accept the blame you are becoming accountable. When people say," I am accountable", they often think it means , " I am to blame".
But this is not true. 100% Accountability is :

• Choosing to be an OWNER in everything you do
• Accepting responsibility (Not Blame ) for your impact on results & people
• Focusing on what you do instead of waiting for the others to act

Here are 7 Keys to speaking Accountabily

1. Talk Straight responsibly - Be Direct, Honest & straightforward

2. Inspire Positive action

3. Collaborate with others

4. Build ownership

5. Commit with integrity

6. Hold people accountable

7. Recover Quickly - Remember perfection is not the quest; Recovering quickly is the goal.

Will continue more on Communication in my next post.