Entrepreneur, Ken Lear, shares three useful communication tips for those in new leadership roles.
You can’t become a great leader without becoming a great communicator, it’s that simple. In order to share your vision, motivate others, serve as a mentor, or even deliver basic instructions, you have to master certain very important skills. As Ken Lear will tell you from first-hand experience, you can’t expect to become a strong leader over night. But, like any business skill, if you focus on having great habits and you learn from those who have been there before you, you’ll be well on your way to success!
Here are three tips to get you started:
1) Learn how to listen
The digital world that we live in has made many details of communication more streamlined and efficient. However, these improvements have also come with a cost: we don’t know how to listen well anymore. Body language, eye contact, and voice inflections get lost behind phone and computer screens. One of the best ways to gain the respect and loyalty of your team members is to practice thoughtful and empathetic listening. Show the person that you’re talking to that what they are saying is important to you by making eye contact and asking relevant questions.
2) Be honest
Sorry to sound like your mom with this one, but honesty really is the best policy. If you make an effort to be transparent with your team members, they will be honest with you in return. Additionally, being honest shows your people that you are a human too, not just their boss. By doing so, they will be less intimidated by you. They’ll be more likely to feel comfortable coming to you with problems and mistakes, rather than hiding them from you.
3) Deliver important information concisely
When you need to convey important information to your team, make sure that you do so with precision. In a fast-paced world so filled with distractions, many people have short attention spans. Don’t drag out team meetings. Keep your message short and sweet and then open up the floor for questions.
Do you have any other great tips for new leaders? Share them in the comments!
Ken Lear tweets several times per day… go see!
