When it comes to being the best LEADER you can be…

Communication is the transportation that will get you there. 

And by communication I mean your ability to connect with the people that you lead. 

If you're not a good communicator...

Every other part of your leadership is going to be harder than it needs to be. 

Here are some numbers for you:

• 91% of employees think their manager is NOT a good communicator (Interact/Harris Survey)
• 50% of employees left a job to get away from their manager (Gallup)
• 70% of employees are "disengaged" (Gallup)

BIG POINT: If you want to be a great leader, you MUST be able to connect and communicate with the people you lead. 

REALITY CHECK: All of us have some area of our communication with others where we miss the mark. All. Of. Us. 

Where are you missing the mark? 

Here's a look at the big four mistakes that you need to avoid. 

#1: MUDDY MESSAGING

After working with thousands of people, I've noticed a lot of leaders are just not clear in their communication. The symptoms of this are if your people seem confused, the environment seems chaotic, and the team is not doing what it's supposed to do, even if you think you've "clearly" communicated. 

I find this often happens when people are NOT aware of their style of communicating and their impact (of their communication style) on other people. 

#2: SILENT SUPERVISION

This occurs when leaders do not consistently engage with their teams, preferring instead to keep their distance, or remain in their office, without connecting with their people. This leaves people feeling unseen, unheard and unvalued. 

#3: PASSIVE PRESENCE

Signs of this are when managers avoid making decisions, resist addressing issues, or bringing much needed clarity, and instead just let things ride. This mistake leaves teams feeling exposed, frustrated and waiting for their leader to....do something!

#4: FILTERED FEEDBACK

I see this when leaders try too hard to filter their feedback to their employees, to avoid upsetting or angering them. This can look like sugar-coating, withholding critical feedback, or artificially offsetting negative feedback with positive feedback, which diminishes the impact of the negative feedback. 

While being strategic on how feedback is delivered is a good thing, when its filtered unnecessarily it prevents employees from having a clear understanding of where they need to improve, causing performance problems, which can shipwreck the morale of your team. 

The Big Idea

Good leaders are competent. 

Great leaders CONNECT. 

Commit to connecting well, and watch your leadership soar! 

-Rommel