Effective Communications – The Driving Force of Leaders

Effective Communication: The Driving Force of Leaders

Many believe the essence of effective leadership is the ability to accomplish organizational goals through the efforts of others, using influence and persuasion as opposed to force. The leader who depends primarily on force to get things done, is a leader who has not learned the true art of leadership. Command and control is not really leadership at all, but the use of legitimate power associated with a position to accomplish goals as opposed to one’s leadership abilities. The leader who depends primarily on command and control, will be significantly limited in what he or she can accomplish based on the reality of human nature; that being, adults simply do not appreciate being the recipient of another’s force.

Modern leaders have learned that effective communication is key to effective leadership because it is rooted in relationship, and the leader’s ability to care and empathize with those they lead. True influence is allowed by the follower and given as a gift in response to the relationship that has been developed, primarily through that leader’s interaction and communication. No leader can develop a valuable relationship with a follower without the ability to communicate in a way that creates a level of trust and one that motivates a follower to go the extra mile that leaders ultimately need.

This explains why servant leaders are often very effective leaders, and those who invariably transform both their environment and the lives of their followers. Servant leaders are motivated first and foremost by the needs of their followers. They understand how meeting those needs can bring about a transformed life that can then be aligned with their own vision, and one that often benefits the entire community. Those motives, the well-being and development of the follower and the well-being of the community, are the underlying bases for their effective communication with those who follow. As they meet the emotional, individual, and practical needs of followers, those followers respond with appreciation and the reciprocal gift of true followership.

Using a Communication System

Effective communication is a system of components that includes among the following three components:

• Choosing the most effective ingredients for the message;
• Using the best medium based on who the receiver is; and
• Ensuring that the communication is appropriate for that receiver.

Notice that the primary onus for being an effective communicator is more on the sender than it is on the receiver. Let’s take a closer look at these three components.

Message ingredients:

Excellent communicators realize that effective communications is more than just sending out a message. In effective messages, communicators share knowledge, feelings, ideas, passions, empathy, and direction. When appropriate, they solicit ideas, articulate arguments for or against, and they also persuade. These elements add a level of clarity that helps the receiver correctly interpret the intended purpose of the message, and not just the message. There is a difference.

Message medium:

When choosing a proper medium, the focus tends to be on whether to use email, text, or phone call. What is often overlooked when choosing a medium, is whether the most appropriate medium is correct based on who the receiver is — and the frame of reference in the mind of the receiver, not in the mind of the sender. A sender must first ensure there is an existing relationship in place first, and then use a medium that is not only consistent with the message, but also with that existing relationship. This is one of the reasons permission is required before an email may be sent.

Message Interpretation

Effective communicators also consider how the receiver is likely to interpret the appropriateness of a message. The sender of a message has an obligation to consider how the receiver will feel about the message. Most of us have experienced situations when it was best to not send a message at all. If a sender knows a receiver has unresolved issues on the table, right or wrong, it’s probably not the best time to talk about some things. Unresolved issues tend to affect the interpretation and subsequent response to messages.