The art of communication is the language of leadership.
I was in a meeting the other day where we went around the table and shared a lesson learned. In 75% of the stories, it boiled down to a lesson in communication. You hear all the time that communication is KEY to successful relationships. In fact, most relationships really are based solely on how well (or not well) two parties communicate with each other. So, I thought I'd share the lessons learned as a kind reminder of the things that help us, as leaders, successfully communicate with our teams and clients:
1. Use your calendar. Often, in organizations, calendars are shared, and it is the first line of reference to learn what you are doing, if you are available and if it is safe to reach out. This goes a few ways. Can I book a call with you urgently? Or, perhaps I see that your only available moments on a given day are your lunch hour....my issue can wait. A calendar can be blocked for deep work, and it can be cleared to give access to people who need your support. Use your calendar.
2. Speak in context. Sometimes it feels like working with a team is like one giant game of telephone. You have a meeting, then one person from that meeting goes into another meeting still thinking about the topic. Then they share it with that team and come away with new ideas. One of those people does the same and suddenly, you are getting an email, or a call pressing you with questions about something vaguely related to a meeting you had a couple of days ago. And if you are on a virtual call with even a hint of tech issues...things can get lost quickly. Make your sentences clear, give items and people names, and provide detail that supports ("the morning stand up meeting" vs "the meeting"), so that all parties listening can have a clear picture of where you are coming from and what story you are telling.
3. Confirm in writing. Close the loop. When so much of our communication is digital, it becomes crucial to acknowledge the email, and if more than one party is on the email, then take the steps to summarize and set expectations. These things tend to run away with themselves quickly. I send emails often that simply have a handful or less of words: "I'm on it." "I'll handle this." "I've reached out to this person." "This is complete." "I will follow up with you tomorrow morning."
4. Set boundaries. You cannot do all the things. At least, not as quickly as your various clients and team members would like you to do them. Setting boundaries with people ("I won't get to this today." "I am not free at that time." "I can prioritize this next week." "This is something we can ask ____ to do.") is the surest way to protect your time and energy, allowing you to do good work for all of your priority people. They cannot know all of the directions you are pulled. So set expectations with them on what you can give them in a healthy way. If you exceed or beat the expectation, then you're just winning.
There are a multitude of ways to improve and cultivate your communication style. I’ll visit more in future posts, but these were lessons learned that I think hit home for many people frequently.