WORDS TO LEAD BY - Communicate

Repost from February 10, 2013

Continuing with lessons from Wally Adamchik's book, titled Construction Leadership from A to Z which explores "26 Words to Lead By."

This session's word is COMMUNICATE

COMMUNICATE

Communicate - to impart knowledge of; make known; to give or interchange thoughts, feelings, information or the like by writing, speaking, etc.

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." - George Bernard Shaw

(c) Renjith Krishnan

Leaders get people to do things. These actions may be of the leader's choosing or they may be a shared objective, but the leader is the one who gets it all started. The leader is the one who helps people understand their role and their contribution. The leader tells they story and explains the "why".

Communication is not about your monologue; it is about the message interpreted by the receiver matching the message intended by the sender. Effective communication means that what is heard is actually what was meant to be heard.

Communication is most effective when it flows evenly between people. Thus, listening is equally as important as speaking. The only way a leader can know what is going on in the ranks is to talk with people and be genuinely interested in what they tell him or her.

Generally there are two ways in which a leader can influence others to do something. The first is by setting an example or modeling the desired behavior. The second is by communicating personally and organizationally to others to help them understand the vision, the objectives and the plan. This helps people understand their role in accomplishing the objectives - why they are important and the impact they can have.

Clear, open, effective communication is the bedrock of successful leadership. And, at its core, leadership is about relationships. Effective leaders have more effective and positive relationships. And like all relationships, good, ongoing communication is essential

"We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak." - Epictetus

Communication Jumpstart:

• Learn to listen better.
• Turn the cell phone off, leave it in the car, go face to face.
• Respond, don't react. There is a difference.
• Sit, don't stand. It sends the message, "I have time for you".

Communication!

 "Nobody tells me nothing."
 "The communication around here is bad."

Who hasn't heard that? Maybe even said it? But how can that be? Who among us doesn't think they are a good communicator?

 "I told you how to do it."
 "I told you not to do it."

Is that communicating? Probably NOT.

We communicate by setting the example, by listening, by building relationships. Effective communication is not easy. It takes work. It takes commitment. It takes a desire for things to improve. Let's choose to truly communicate today and every day!

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc