Communicate to lead and excel
November 13, 2006 | 12:00am
So many organizations sink into bedlam, and you need not look far for the major culprit: it’s their leaders’ inability to communicate effectively.
You may also have leaders who present impressive, overarching-yet-fuzzy notions of where they think the company is going. They assume everyone shares their definition of "vision," "accountability" and "results." The result is often sloppy behavior and misalignment that can cost a company dearly.
Great communication is a leader’s most important tool in the crucial exercise of leadership. He inspires his people to take responsibility for creating a better future, and aligns the organization’s commitment and energy with a well-understood vision of the firm’s real goals and opportunities.
Universal communication factors that have an impact on leader effectiveness include language know-how, listening, mode of delivery, feedback mechanisms, organizational culture and group dynamics. Communication, like any skill, is a learned behavior that is honed over time. It is a two-way process with stimulus-response shaping future behavior. It becomes even more complex when used in an organizational setting since there are multilevel communications, multiple messages, a mixture of senders, and a range of receivers and competing agendas. Leaders in today’s corporations must be skilled communicators to earn trust and respect, and when these have been earned, others are willing to listen to the shared vision and help make it work. Leaders must demonstrate proficiency, critical thinking, triumph, and coaching and nurturing abilities.
To raise public awareness of the importance of communication in business and corporate life, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) recently named its second batch of honorees for the Communication Excellence in Organization (CEO) EXCEL Awardees, a preeminent honor the IABC bestows on heads of organizations who exhibit leadership in fostering excellent and effective communication, consistently projecting clear vision and demonstrating admirable leadership in their commitment to raise their respective organizations to higher levels of success.
This year, 23 CEOs were given the prestigious tribute. Through their actions and examples, these executives have supported the communication profession and those who practice it. They have clearly demonstrated exceptional leadership, management and communication skills, using strategies that are creative and innovative. All of them have vast experience and deep involvement in talking to diverse audiences – internal and external, at local, national and international levels.
The awardees were Manuel V. Pangilinan, PLDT; Antonio T. Aquino, Manila Water Company; Jose Luis Romero-Salas, TNT Worldwide Express; Menardo G. Mateo, Philips Group of Companies; Arthur R. Tan, Integrated Microelectronics; Carlos C. Ejercito, United Laboratories; Aurelio Montinola III, Bank of the Philippine Islands; Jean Henri O. Lhuillier, Cimtree Management Services; Eugene Emile Ellis, Standard Chartered Bank; Lorenzo V. Tan, Sun Life Financial; Jose Mari S. Magpayo, De La Salle University-Manila; Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, Jr., Quezon City; Mayor Jejomar C. Binay, Makati City; Corazon S. de la Paz, Social Security System; Jose Mario C. Bunag, Bureau of Internal revenue; Illac Angelo Diaz, Pier One Seafarer’s Center; Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, GMA Network; Carlos A. Agatep, Agatep Associates; Ma. Yolanda Villanueva-Ong, Campaigns & Grey; and Mario O. Mamon, Enchanted Kingdom.
Reading the blurbs of the awardees, and listening to their two-minute speeches during the award ceremony, 10 top drivers of successful communication could be gleaned. The underlying assumption in all their presentations was this: communication, in all its forms, is the beginning, the middle and the never-ending element of change. It’s what makes things happen. If people know what is expected of them, they can perform. If they don’t, they can’t.
1) Road mapping is a staple. Know where you want to go. A clear, well-communicated destination point makes organizational progress attainable.
2) Commitment from your people is critical. A committed and dedicated work force can ignite the engine and power progress.
3) Honesty is still the best policy. Credibility can be established only once. It ought to be protected eternally, and when broken, it will have to be rebuilt forever.
4) Giving back is key. Pick up a cause, and be passionate about supporting it. It can result in the advancement of public interest and be beneficial to all stakeholders.
5) Accountability at every level is crucial. People must be made responsible for their own change.
6) Effective communication is part of everyone’s job. The tools to make it work must be placed in the hands of all employees.
7) Active listening to people at all levels is fundamental. Regular consultations and focus group discussions are fast ways to be in touch.
8) A valued role, and a chance to contribute, work. The purpose of the company must be connected to people’s performance goals.
9) "Walk the talk" is the unassailable mantra. If leadership expects specific behavior, leadership must model that specific behavior.
10) The theory of repetition is fundamental. Keep repeating key messages. If it’s important, repeat it until people recite it in their sleep.
Indeed, true leaders use communication to move processes and people forward. Certain behaviors are the key ingredients of leadership. The more of these ingredients leaders take to heart, teach and expect of others, the more power they will have to achieve their objectives. These behaviors or ingredients are simple, sensible, positive, sincere and very doable. Communication consultant James E Lukaszewski calls them the "Be-attitudes of Leadership" because, you see, they all start with "be," and they are attitude-driven behaviors. Here are the top five ingredients:
1) Be positive. Behave in positive ways. Teach others to have fun and celebrate some success every day. Use positive declarative language, and eliminate negative words and phrases.
2) Be constructive. Insist on constructive behavior by seeking to make and solicit positive, constructive suggestions. Seeking out useful and challenging questions to answer will be useful. Critique the performance and achievements of others constructively, with an end view of providing constructive suggestions and results.
3) Be outcome-focused. Commit to generating and maintaining forward momentum. Focus on today and tomorrow, recognizing that the past holds very few important lessons. You can select an achievable, understandable, time-sensitive, worthwhile goal, and then go for it. Outcome focus saves precious time, reduces mistakes and misunderstandings, and acts as a positive force for moving ahead.
4) Be a finisher. Focus on completion. Avoid endless and mindless projects, as you break down the barriers to finish what you have started. Studies of management failure and management success show that the ability to finish a few small but core projects can spell the difference between success and failure.
5) Be relentless in seeking positive, incremental, personal improvement every day. Break problems into solvable, doable parts. Resolve each increment of the problem promptly. You can prepare to be lucky, but remember luck is limited. Watch for the big break. Crises occur explosively but are resolved incrementally.
Leadership is the strategic force that drives individuals, organizations, cultures, and societies forward everyday. Leadership is the discipline of being communicative, and intentionally constructive with a relentlessly positive approach to helping everyone.
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