Leadership communication problems can and do sink ships!

In a Forbes post entitled: ‘Businesses don’t fail – leaders do’, the author Mike Myatt identified 15 top reasons business fall asunder. And guess what the recurring theme was?

While being in the right place at the right time with the right ideas is of course important, all of these can count for nought if those you lead don’t buy or feel motivated by your ideas or you!

Of course, that’s hardly surprising. After all – to use a rowing analogy – if a team doesn’t pull together and in the same direction, they’ll likely steer off course or even capsize.

And here’s the thing. Communication disconnects not tackled quickly commonly fester and escalate to levels of rot that are tough to reverse. Unchecked, not only are they poisonous, they can be deadly!

But what are the top reasons leaders and those they lead don’t see eye to eye?

In a recent Harvard Business Review post, Lou Solomon sited a Interact/Harris study among US workers which found the top 2 communication issues that prevent effective leadership are:

• Not recognizing employee achievement
• Not giving clear direction

Isn’t that interesting? As mentioned in many previous posts:

• Audiences need to believe that their leaders are paying attention to and heeding their feelings and needs (especially when it comes to recognition), and
• Unfocused communication (including the cardinal sit of hitting your audiences with too many messages) will fail to hit home and flounder.

So what should you do about these 2 vital tenets to boost your ability to truly engage those you lead – recognising, as Albert Einstein once put it so neatly?:

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that created them”

That’s the topic for today’s expert interview, when I had the opportunity to speak with business alchemist/turnaround expert, inspirational speaker, author and co-founder of the newly formed Celtic Way Leadership Programme, Paul Davis.

Lean in as we discuss many ideas that’ll help you unravel how to avoid communication disasters that could torpedo your business.

8 Ways to Avoid Potentially Fatal Leadership Communication Blunders

Listen in as we discuss:

• Common downward spirals when leadership communication issues arise
• How individual failures can spark ‘bereavement-like’ thoughts and why it matters
• How building this awareness can put you on the road to better results
• Amazing truths from the coalface
• Why paying attention to personal concerns in a winning tack, preventing a slew of possible ills
• The power of giving others permission to excel
• Why you simply must build confidence at all levels within your business
• The virtue of answering the ‘why did you get out of bed’ question
• And more

Your Turn

What vital lessons have you accumulated as a result of leadership communication failures you’ve experienced or witnessed that could help others to inspire versus hold back team performance?

And Speaking of Delivering Communication That Inspires…

I’m delighted to announce that ‘How to Make Powerful Speeches 2nd Edition – A Step-by-Step Guide to Inspiring and Memorable Speeches’ is now available on Amazon: Click Here

Get your copy today.

Learn how to conquer speaking anxieties and what it takes to give confident, polished, and persuasive talks.

This book will help you to discover how to transform your speech making abilities; helping you to inspire others with your ideas, every time you take to your feet.

Photo Credit: Luigi Mengato