Communication Skills for Leaders

With the rise of remote work and AI tools, effective communication has never been more essential for organizations internally. Reduced productivity, burnout, and conflict are leading the pack when leadership fails to set communication norms in the onboarding and retention phases in the workplace. Today, let’s look at the three areas that are critical for leaders to adopt to help grow their team and their profits, while keeping employees engaged.

Listening

Think about what is important to your employees by listening to understand. Respond to urgent complaints sooner rather than later so stress and gossip don’t mount amongst the team. 

Create shared practices of how to notify action and response in consistent ways. Inconsistent use of communication platforms can lead to missed information and inefficiencies. Stop implementing more apps and platforms when face-to-face or a simple online chat does the trick. 

Effective communication isn't just about sending information; it's about making sure people can easily process it.

Observing

The quality of interactions between leaders, followers, and customers impacts how others act. How people are treated and how they treat others guide your organization’s values. By observing closely, you will easily find the pain points and areas of leading friction before they strike.

Setting expectations for engagement outside of work hours to prevent burnout is also key. It is unrealistic to say organizations in the 21st century do not have multifaceted responsibilities due to the pressure of constant information provided now. But preventing burnout and decreased productivity can be accomplished by implementing “quiet hours’ or encouraging the idea of asking “is this urgent.”

Participation

Effective leadership is about more than profit; it's about building an environment where employees feel secure and valued. Walking around the office or setting up online chat rooms to catch up on everyone’s weekends are simple ways to add value. Using Maslow's hierarchy of needs as a guide, we can see why this is so important.

While our jobs provide the funds for our basic physiological needs like food and shelter, strong leaders know that employees also need to feel a sense of security and safety at work. Once those foundational needs are met, people desire to be loved and feel like they belong. In a workplace, this means building relationships that go beyond daily tasks.

By investing in these personal connections, leaders not only retain employees but also help them achieve the next tier of the hierarchy: self-esteem. This focus on the whole person, not just their output, is an indicator of successful organizations.

By proactively addressing these three areas, leaders can create a more efficient, less stressful, and more productive communication culture.