Leadership Trait 4: Clearly Communicates
In this series of blog posts titled “They Don’t Build Monuments Honoring Managers,” I will be documenting and sharing my thoughts about the eight traits found in GREAT LEADERS. While understanding that leadership styles may vary, the successful, truly transformational leaders I have encountered in my 30+ years in business exhibit these eight traits.
Trait 4: A Great Leader Clearly Communicates
My degree is in communications, so maybe I have a bias here. But I believe that the ability to communicate clearly is the one trait that is mandatory to be a great leader. Perhaps one could be a little weak on one or two of the eight traits I am covering in this series, but I don’t believe a leader can be weak in this area.
The basic process of communication is simple to explain. A message, whether verbal, written, or visual (such as body language and signs that can be used for communication) must be generated, transmitted, received, and understood, for communication to take place. The two most important parts of this process are generation and understanding.
It sounds easy, but it is hard to do. Experience tells me that failure to communicate clearly is what keeps many people from becoming great leaders. Leadership development training often emphasizes the importance of communication skills for this reason.
If the Transmitter, or the leader in this case, does not generate a clear, concise message tailored to the audience, it may be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Additionally, any message transmitted must take the receiver's aptitude and knowledge level into account. For example, no matter how perfectly worded the message, if it is about nuclear physics, I probably won’t understand it.
President Ronald Reagan was often called the “Great Communicator,” and he shared his thoughts on this during his farewell address to the nation. He said, “I wasn’t a great communicator, but I communicated great things.”
Many people disagree and still say that he is among the best communicators to ever hold the office. I know he has been the best in my lifetime.
He understood that the message must be composed so that the receiver can understand it. Early in his radio broadcast career, Reagan said, “Talk to your audience, not over their heads or through them. Don’t try to talk in a special language…use everyday words.” Later, he added regarding his presidential speeches, “What I said simply made sense to the man on the street.”
In his book “Speaking My Mind,” Reagan points out that one must be honest in what one says. I will add that a leader must never portray themselves as knowing more about a subject than their followers do, unless they truly do. Most of the time, the receiver or receivers of a message simply know when they are being lied to or when someone is portraying knowledge or expertise that they do not have.
Great leaders use communication to share information and to inspire. They inspire people to perform, dream, create, and buy into an organization’s common vision, mission, and core values.
Steve Jobs is considered to be one of the best presenters and inspirational leaders of all time. Those who have studied his communication methods point out that he wasted very few words, and that is something we can all learn from and adopt. When communicating and attempting to get our message across, extra words are just noise that distracts the receiver.
To further enhance this point, my technical writing instructor at Mississippi State University said, “If you saw a dog in the hallway on the way to class today, write ‘I saw a dog in the hallway on the way to class today.’ Don’t embellish it, don’t use extra words, don’t give details about the dog. Just state the facts and let the reader understand that before you even consider elaboration.”
Being a great communicator is, I believe, a skill that anyone can develop by focusing primarily on the message and the receiver, because no matter how the message is transmitted, it must be clear and understood. Be a great leader by keeping your words honest, clear, and concise, then go out and share your values, mission, goals, and vision with the world.
Clearly Communicates is the fourth of eight traits in the series, and over the next several weeks, I will touch on each of those eight traits. As a preview, “A Great Leader Inspires Trust” will be the fifth trait in the series. Please follow RWSmith Education Training, and Consulting on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/87207378/) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/rwsmithetc) for a link to each post. Or one may visitwww.rwsmithetc.com/blog to catch up on past posts. Appropriate comments are encouraged, and please follow us, comment on, and “like” these social media posts if you find them valuable. Finally, forward this to your friends… or maybe your manager. Professional development training is key to enhancing communication skills.