Communication Tips Every Leader Needs To Hear 📢

Have you ever heard someone from your leadership team complain about going on vacation? Maybe they’re not complaining about the vacation, but the mess they’re coming back to at the end of it. I’m sure we can all imagine it… You left behind what you think is a well-oiled machine; every task and project has been laid out and assigned to the right team member. But now you’re on the beach and you have missed calls, text messages, emails - you name it. Even worse, you get back into the office and somehow it seems like nothing got done. That’s just part of being a leader right? WRONG. Keep these tips in mind when working out your leadership plans. Develop Communication skills beyond just delegating

Adults don’t need babysitters. People can run their lives without you having to hold their hand right? The same can be said about employees in a business. Spoon-feeding team members is just going to lead to more confusion and more reliance on your daily instruction. Find a balance between clear expectations and micromanagement. If you need to delegate, be specific about deadlines and the steps to take for more complicated tasks. If someone is hired to do a job, they should be able to do it with minimal supervision.

I like to use a cake analogy 🍰 to describe good vs. bad communication. You can ask anyone for a cake, and they can probably deliver on that request, but you can’t be mad when you don’t get the cake you were expecting. People are not mind readers! If you want a cake - done right - you need to establish these things:

1. How many people does the cake need to feed? What are the project deliverables?

2. When does the cake need to be finished? What is the project timeline?

3. What flavor should the cake be? Does the project need to cater to a specific audience?

4. What’s the occasion? Does it need to be decorated? Can this project be done alone, do we need a team, or incorporate other departments?

The list can go on forever, but you probably get the idea. As long as you give clear directions, you can trust that the cake will be made, will be made well, and will be made to your specifications and expectations.

Schedule regular check-ins with your team

When I talk about checking in with your team, I don’t mean sending a weekly memo. I don’t even mean a department meeting where everyone wastes time talking about what did or didn’t get done. A scheduled check-in should be time set aside for you and your team members to get together individually to touch base on expectations, troubleshoot issues, or find out how they’re feeling about work in general. This isn’t a time to lay into underperforming employees, this is a chance for you to connect with them and empower them to accomplish the larger goal. If they have lost sight of what they’re doing and how their work contributes to the team, this is a great opportunity to ask questions and find out what you can do to help them

As a leader, your team is not just looking to you for guidance on completing daily tasks or large projects. You aren’t there to dole out tasks every day. You’re there to organize and make sure all the pieces fit together for the big picture. Sharing that big picture with your team and how to accomplish that goal together not only builds trust in you as a leader but also enables everyone to feel accountable for the work that they do. Always act to EMPOWER your team.

Continue growing and adapting your communication style

At Business & Beyond, we love helping business owners and leaders find their voice and build successful teams. Even if you’ve been leading effectively for decades, the workforce is going to continue to change and, surprise-surprise, they’re going to be looking for fresh new work environments to make their own! Reach out to us for more tips and info on how you can continue to improve your leadership and communication skills.