Conversations Are Key To Leadership

There are many keys to effective leadership – to getting people to do great work, to achieve, to succeed. None is more important than communication and conversation.

For example, know what you want to achieve and let people know that you genuinely care and are interested in their ideas. Take the time to share a vision, solve a problem, and/or gain information and insight from others.

Remember, one of the most important motivators for people is that they feel they are making progress in their work, that they feel valued, and that their ideas are heard and appreciated. This type of leadership requires being out of your office and with your co-workers; it involves being accessible and demonstrating your interest in knowing how they are doing, their goals, their opinions, their families, and their interests.

Bear in mind that bottom up ideas are the best ideas, not top down. Want to know how to improve your work processes, share information better, and more quickly solve client problems? Ask the people who are closest to the action, who are actually delivering the service and doing the work. You will find your answer, and the deliverable will be improved.

Additionally, try to be easy to speak with. Don't talk at people; speak with them. Slow down your conversations, use silence to really listen and finally, of course, ask open-ended questions. Be genuine, no airs. Your co-workers will like you more and you'll get better results.

The book Fierce Conversations, Achieving Success at Work and in Life, One Conversation at a Time by Susan Scott is worth reading.

In her book, Scott promotes seven principles of effective communication, all excellent. In particular, three of these principles are especially relevant in the context of this blog. They are:

• come out from behind yourself into the conversation and make it real
• be here, prepared to be nowhere else
• let silence do the heavy lifting

I encourage all of us to practice these principles during this week at the office and also in the evenings and over the weekend with family and friends.

Some individuals are naturals at effective communication. For those of us who are not, we must commit to it to know it's importance, to allow ourselves to be vulnerable and accept ideas and help, and to seek continuous improvement.

Continuing to improve your communication will lead to continuing to significantly improving your leadership!