History is filled with examples of leaders who left an indelible mark in the business chronicles and corporate excellence with their eloquent and powerful communication skills. Be it Henry Ford, or closer home, Ratan Tata, every exemplary business leader mastered the technique of effective communication for inspiring and leading people to achieve greatness. The success of these legends showcases the role communication plays in opening up new avenues by influencing and motivating people to attain unparalleled success.
Communication is a fine art which needs to be polished with constant learning and practice. Public speaking and presentation may not come naturally to everyone but with constant practice and adapting to the environment many people have acquired the skills to enjoy such interactions and have emerged as inspiring leaders. While leaders may have a crystal clear vision and exceptional strategizing prowess, they may still find it difficult to put their plans into actions if they fail to clearly communicate the corporate goals and individual responsibilities to various team members.
By communicating the corporate direction and vision in a manner that excites and involves team members, a leader can earn their support to ensure that everyone works towards the common objectives. An effective leader builds a corporate culture that encourages the free flow of communication in all directions, top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top and laterally.
Open communication ensures employee engagement and commitment to corporate goals that greatly impact the success of an organization. Effective business communication has the power to enhance overall team performance and encourages team members to achieve success for the organization.
Some of the channels through which effective communications can be achieved are:
- Motivation
Motivated employees are proven to be highly productive resources, who are driven to go that extra mile for delivering outstanding results. They shape the success of an organization by embracing the corporate vision as their own and bringing their best to work each day. Open channels of communication can help leaders to direct their teams towards creating value for the organization. Through direct and one-on-one communication, leaders can ensure that their teams have absolute clarity of the goals that they must work towards.
It also strengthens the inter-personal bonds leading to lasting relationships and employee confidence in management that are crucial for success. By encouraging team members to ask questions and clarify doubts, managers can win their commitment and dedication while imparting them a sense of ownership. The pressure of meeting deadlines can be tremendous but with positive and regular communication a leader can keep the team morale high even during the testing times to make breaking barriers an organizational culture.
- Innovation
The next big idea that can redefine the organizational success can come from any source and hence it becomes imperative to provide a platform where employees freely communicate and discuss their thoughts. When team members feel motivated and appreciated, they develop a keen perception to identify opportunities for innovation and feel confident to share the same with their leaders. Brainstorming sessions on issues concerning clients and customers offer employees a better understanding of corporate dynamics and nurture them to identify out-of-the-box solutions. In a scenario where team members feel that their leaders seek their ideas and are receptive to new suggestions, innovation will thrive as a corporate value. - Collaboration
Nothing great can be achieved in isolation. In today’s cohesive business environment, collaboration is indispensable for seeing a project through completion. A great idea from top management may flounder at the execution level. To ensure that unique skills of each team member are fully tapped and put to the best use, effective organizational communication for fostering teamwork is a must. Open communication channels ensure free flow of critical information amongst the team members along with a clarity of their role in the success of a project.
Regular discussions to update all those involved in a project about crucial developments ensures that team members are on the same page to execute important projects smoothly without any discrepancies. The benefits of synergy can be reaped by a team that communicates readily to pool their diverse expertise for achieving a common goal.
- Empathy
Pointing fingers and finding faults in the task assigned to other team members are common in high-stress and dependent roles. A good leader is cognizant of this fact and works to ensure that each team member is aware of the specific challenges being faced by their colleagues. Direct communication with team members who are facing challenges at their work, offering them relevant advice and helping them to overcome their limitations improves the overall efficiency of the team. Team sessions to discuss issues and resolve conflict will help each member develop a sense of understanding and camaraderie to help each other with bringing their best version to the table. Empathy differentiates a boss from a leader as employees put in more efforts when they feel that their manager relates to them in a positive and productive manner. - Trust
Trust is the foundation for building a high-performing team and trust fosters when team members are honest and open with each other. Office grapevine and tinted perceptions adversely affect employee morale. By being transparent in all dealing with team members, a leader gives his team the confidence that they are kept aware of all important information crucial to their success. Collaboration with team members through open discussion and face-to-face interaction eliminates unhealthy competition and politics. An organization can achieve phenomenal growth and success when its team members have faith that they are valued by their leaders and where they rely on each other to work in tandem towards common goals.
It is a common knowledge that successful teams build successful organizations. Daily interaction with leaders can make team members more engaged and committed to achieving organizational targets. With meaningful dialogue and exchange, a leader can build a motivated, driven and collaborative team that can break all barriers to take the organization to the next level.
