Be a good communicator.

Great managers may have the best intentions in the world, but if they aren’t good communicators, they won’t be able to properly leverage their strengths. Remember that you are trying to create a particular state of mind in each employee. The employee needs to feel that you are speaking directly to him, that you know what he is trying to accomplish, and that you have a highly specific idea of how he can do it better. This is why the most common mistake great managers make is to assume that their most important audience is their employees. It’s not. The most important audience is the one that the employee most values, and the employee will define that audience however he wants.

This can be tricky because a manager’s communication style will be tightly bound up with her personality. If you’re a loud, energetic, extroverted type, you will naturally communicate with very different body language, tone of voice, and metaphors than a quiet, introverted type. But you must be able to communicate in a variety of styles, and you must be able to do so in a variety of settings. You must be able to communicate effectively in front of a large group as well as in one-on-one meetings; during a crisis as well as on a normal day; in a large open office as well as in a small closed office; and in person as well as on the phone or via e-mail.

You must also be able to communicate in a variety of emotional states. There are times when your message must be upbeat. You can’t tell your employees that they’re on the brink of a disaster unless you are also telling them that they have the skills to avoid the disaster. But there are times when your message must be blunt, no matter how devastating it may be. And there are times when you must be able to convey bad news gently.

If you’re not comfortable with or accustomed to all these different styles, you will need to work on them. You can’t help your employees perform at their best if you can’t get them to believe in themselves. And you won’t be able to do that if you can’t get them to believe in you.

The first step is to be a good communicator. The second is to be a great listener. If you cannot communicate with people, you cannot be effective. If you cannot listen to people, you cannot be effective.

To be a good communicator, be a great listener.

GamdAi Media
Contact us at: [email protected]

  Photo by Andrea Piacquadio.