Why is communication important in leadership?

Leadership requires engagement in countless relationships at the organizational level, and in different communities and groups, dealing with a multitude of audiences, and handling rapid flows of information. In short, being a leader means you will need to get a lot of people around you and if so, you need to communicate effectively. But communication for leaders is much more complicated than just sending and receiving information.

Leadership communication is mainly about messages involving a company’s culture and core values, these messages should be delivered in the right way to the firm’s stakeholders including the employees, customers, strategic partners, shareholders, and media. When it comes to messages delivered from leaders, they’re technically the most critical due to the direct impact the leaders have on these relayed messages especially in what concerns the organization’s vision, mission, and transformations.

Studies confirm that good and effective communication within the organization is a key factor for success, and the awareness of its importance in the workplace is increasing, it is actually becoming a supreme business priority.

Good communication with your team helps you at aligning employees’ goals with corporate objectives and giving them a sense of belonging to the organization.
It makes it easier to manage problems: by getting together, exchanging ideas, and avoiding misunderstandings.
Improves inter-departmental collaboration. Different departments in an organization shouldn’t be working in total separation, this is why we need transparent, honest, and open communication to facilitate collaborations between everyone in the workplace and deliver better results.
Allows knowledge sharing: when there is communication, workers are more likely to share their knowledge and expertise with their colleagues. Information flows more smoothly and benefits everyone.
Without effective leadership communication in place, a leader cannot and should not expect their employees to be engaged and connected in the workplace.
Establishing and fostering a strong line of communication is essential to inspire and Keeping employees motivated and driven towards success.

Being a great communicator does not mean great talker. There is a big difference between the two, the thrust of gaining more knowledge separates an excellent communicator from a good talker, who lacks knowledge and gets confused while interacting with others. A great leader is aware that his communication should be, primarily, directed towards the inspiration and encouragement of his team by systematic and meaningful sharing of information by using excellent communication skills.

A leader’s communication skills include:

. Listening: the first skill you need to develop in order to communicate effectively is: listening, which means hearing the facts accurately without prejudgment and with a conscious effort to understand the message, being attentive to any emotions behind the words, and considering any potential relevant questions.
. Clarity: ensure clarity in everything you communicate, otherwise you are creating confusion and chaos. No need to complicate things, just keep it simple and make sure it answers the following questions: What? The main idea you are trying to communicate. Who? Precise your audience and make sure the message is delivered to the right person. Why? Explain the reason and purpose behind the “what”, people don’t like to do things without knowing the reason. When? For more efficiency in your work, it is important to fix deadlines and make sure to respect them. How? Help your team by providing more details on how things should be done
. Transparency: be transparent with your team, provide visibility and all the needed information, and share honest feedback. Any ambiguous or cunning behavior from the leader contributes to breaking the trust between him and his team.
. Empathy: understanding your employees’ feelings and emotions and showing them compassion makes them feel valued and appreciated. This leads to creating a healthier and more productive environment in the workplace