Strong Leadership

Strong Leadership Starts With Communication Skills Training David Shoemaker

It is often said that a business is only as strong as its weakest link. This proves to be true in today’s competitive business environment. Businesses need all of their employees to have undergone corporate development training in order to increase the overall efficiency from the lowest levels of the company all the way to the CEO. Part of bringing out the best in employees is being able to effectively communicate horizontally and vertically throughout all aspects of the business.

Communication skills training is invaluable to anybody in a leadership role. Motivating employees through engaging vocal communication will result in improved outputs with fewer resources, improving the business’s bottom line.

Business executives must understand that a passive model of leadership will not result in the most efficient outcomes, and corporate development training will help pave the path to proactive leadership. Some of the skills that leaders need to thrive in today’s volatile business environment include:

Mobilizing coalitions with diverse agendas, sustaining momentum in order to execute strategy, developing and leading people through coaching relationships, and negotiating across and beyond organizational boundaries in a flat, well-networked environment. Those skills are what separate a passive, static leader from great leaders who bring the best out of their employees. Leaders have to constantly recalibrate and retool their goals and plans. Otherwise, they are doomed to repeat mistakes and lose their competitive advantage. Good leaders are not born; they come about through hard work and development of leadership and communication skills.

Building a strong, efficient working environment starts with leadership and continues down through

GetRuralLeaderMag.com | MARCH 2016 21 the chain of command. Professionals need to find a balanced approach to dealing with difficult people or conversations. Leaders must be assertive enough to avoid being taken advantage of, but not so aggressive that they alienate coworkers. Failure to properly communicate within a business can breed distrust amongst employees and decrease productivity. Business leaders must continue their communication skills training to help foster a strong business environment. Every individual has their own agenda and it is up to the leaders to mobilize those coalitions and sustain the momentum needed to achieve goals.

Communication will help employees rally around a single goal and succeed. Vince Lombardi, Super Bowl winning coach of the Green Bay Packers, once said, “The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.” He was, of course, referring to football, but the same concept can be applied to a business. Like the game of football, a business is trying to get a group people to perform at their maximum capacities to benefit the business. Also, similar to the end of a game when people look up at the scoreboard, a business looks at their bottom line. A business led by an effective executive who has undergone communication skills training and corporate development training will be able to get the most out of his or her employees. The business will have optimal communication between levels and a strong working environment. The results are sure to yield a strong bottom line.— About the Author David Shoemaker is Vice President of Learning Solutions and Innovation at eCornell. For more information on communication skills training, corporate development training, or eCornell, visit eCornell.com