Great Leadership & Effective Communication. Can one exist without the other?

BY DWIGHT HODGE

In business today, great leaders must possess effective communication skills. No matter how fantastic your vision, ideas or plans are, you’re already off to a rough start if you can’t convey them to others. Leaders need to be effective communicators.

Effective communication doesn’t have to be a challenge or chore. Like anything new, having a plan can ease the nerves and give you the space to experiment and try new ways.

Let’s take a step back to understand what I mean by communication. Before moving forward, remember there are two sides to effective communication.

1. Sharing: Using words and gestures to get your point across.

2. Listening: Tuning in to both the spoken and unspoken.

The thing is most people only focus on talking or sharing and need to remember to sharpen their listening skills. To be tops when communicating, you’ve got to work on both. Listen as much, if not more, than you talk.

As you gear up for 2024, here are two simple and effective ways to level up your communication game. The 4 Cs of Communication and the Intention – Action – Outcomes model.

First, let’s delve into the 4 Cs of Communication. These are four areas you should keep in mind:

3. Connect: Before diving into a conversation, build a connection and rapport with the other person. If you skip this step, people might put their guard up, making it hard for them to really hear you. Failing to connect is a surefire way to erode relationships, trust, and team culture.

4. Consider: Allow the other person the time and space to share. Be open and curious and listen to their perspective. Curiosity is a superpower in the world of leadership and communication. You can’t be curious and judgmental at the same time. So, be curious and understand the value of another person’s perspectives when listening.

5. Context: When it’s your turn to share, ensure you’re on the same page and understand each other. It’s not just about sharing. It’s about communicating at the level of their experience, knowledge and understanding. Good leaders shift their style depending on who they’re talking to.

6. Coach: Instead of barking orders and dictating what others do and how they do it, ask questions and make space for others to share their ideas. Good communication isn’t a weapon to control others; it’s a resource to help everyone grow and develop. It’s about showing them a different way of thinking, being and doing.

To become a more effective communicator, focus on one of the 4 C’s, or alternatively, all four at once. Determine where you want to improve, be bold, and seek feedback from others. This enables you to see fresh perspectives and sheds light on blind spots you didn’t even know you had.

Now, let’s talk about the Intention-ActionOutcome model, the three-step secret sauce for effective communication:

7. Intention – Why you’re communicating and your purpose for doing so.

8. Action – How you communicate.

9. Outcome – The result you achieved from the actions you took.

Your intentions can either be good or bad. And trust me, nothing good comes from bad intentions. So, only start a conversation if you come from a place of good intent. Before acting on your intention, think about the outcome you want to achieve and paint a clear picture in your mind of what that looks, sounds, or feels like for you.

Imagine you want to share with your team an excellent review the salon received about Sarah, one of your team members. You intend to celebrate Sarah’s efforts and the fantastic client experience she created and highlight specific actions for the team to repeat. There are numerous ways to do this. A few options may be;

• Send the team a group text,

• Call them all individually,

• Meet with each team member in person, or

• Share the positive review and feedback with Sarah in front of the team.

Each option meets your intention. However, the outcome for each will be very different.

The daily hustle and bustle of operating your business is real. You’re often time-poor, under pressure and juggling everything simultaneously. This can lead to a lack of or failure to consider your intention. But having a clear and positive intention, followed by thoughtful actions, can steer your communication in the right direction. Without it, you jump straight into action and then wonder why you didn’t achieve your expected outcome. So, remember to consider your intentions.

Self-awareness is at the heart of the 4Cs and the Intention – Action – Outcome communication models. To embrace more effective communication methods, be aware of the gap between your current skill level and your desired approach. In the end, we are all imperfectly human and becoming a pro at communication is a journey. It’s not about being perfect or comparing yourself to others. It’s about getting better, one conversation at a time.

Dwight Hodge is an experienced leadership coach and mentor. His career spans over two decades as a Director, business owner, coach, and mentor. He founded The Creative Leader, a leadership coaching practice that assists business owners in propelling their leadership capabilities to the next level. Dwight is a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), holds qualifications in Business and Personal Coaching, is a Master Coach of NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP), and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sculpture) from the Victorian Collage of the Arts (VCA)

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