After all, being an effective communicator is certainly one of the key traits a good leader should have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet, the kind of communication leaders rely on is naturally different than the business communication<\/a> most of us engage in on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that in mind, we set out to answer some of our burning questions about leadership communication<\/strong>, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Along the way, we\u2019ll also provide some examples of successful communication in leadership roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, without further ado, let\u2019s dive into the subject of leadership communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leadership communication is often seen as downward communication<\/a> that relays information concerning an organization or company and its employees<\/strong> from those in leadership positions to employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, many leaders are also called upon to communicate that type of information to external parties<\/strong> such as clients, customers, or shareholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the interest of providing a more specific definition, we reached out to a management consultant, executive coach, and the Founder\/CEO of DSC Consulting Solutions, Dawn S. Cone, Ph.D<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She noted that the style of delivery is a big aspect of leadership communication<\/strong>, saying: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLeadership communication involves all of the ways the leaders of an organization deliver messages internally and externally that build and reinforce its culture\/core values, vision, mission, and strategic priorities.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It includes both what they communicate and how they communicate it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is an inherent inspirational nature to it \u2014 largely because of the leader\u2019s position of power and influence. This means a leader\u2019s communication has the ability to inspire either positive or negative attitudes, behavior, and performance.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Having determined that the style of communication is a big part of communication in leadership roles, we set out to find the most common characteristics of leadership communication with the help of more experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Discuss, share & collaborate with Pumble, a team communication app by CAKE.com.<\/p>\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Pumble Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone has their own ideas of what communication at the workplace should be like. However, many of those ideas are based on misconceptions. Check out this blog post to learn more:<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Paul Gunn Jr,<\/a> a thought leader, WSJ best-selling author, and member of the Forbes Business Council, the strength of a great leader lies in their ability \u201cto communicate difficult orders and directives with expectations even in the face of not being liked.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked to elaborate, he put forward the idea that leadership communication is action-oriented:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen an employee or a team states that they don\u2019t understand something, leadership communication addresses the concern by showing the team members they hear them, and if there are steps to be taken, they move on to get it done. They speak from the heart and consider others on the team.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n In other words, effective leadership communication allows leaders to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, this type of communication is usually focused on boosting productivity<\/strong>. However, that doesn\u2019t mean that leadership shouldn\u2019t take their employees\u2019 emotions into account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Share and store information on Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding the emotional and motivational aspects<\/strong> of professional communication is a huge component of leadership communication. After all, leaders need to be able to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creating an environment in which employees feel safe to make progress at their own pace and contribute to their organization\u2019s success is a key task of communication in leadership positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For another perspective on this, we turned to Harvard Business School Professors Anthony Mayo<\/a> and Joshua Margolis<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In their course on leadership<\/a>, they examine leadership styles<\/a> through 3 distinct frameworks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mayo and Margolis believe that looking at our impacts through these frameworks can help us discover our <\/strong>leadership styles<\/strong> and become more effective in our roles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Diane DiResta<\/a>, a workplace communications coach and author, effective leaders should utilize a variety of communication styles<\/strong> when interacting with employees, partners, and customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After all, in addition to impacting employees, leadership communication is also crucial for establishing strong relationships with third parties<\/a> and building a reputation<\/strong> for the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, the communication style leaders use should depend on the circumstances<\/strong> of the exchange. DiResta highlights some of the most prominent communication styles being:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The way leaders communicate shouldn\u2019t always be the same \u2014 it\u2019s always good to look at things from different perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thankfully, there are many leaders who successfully communicate with their employees, partners, and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, before we list the people we can look up to in that regard, let\u2019s talk about what an effective leader even looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Simplify your work with Pumble \u2014 the all-in-one communication app.<\/p>\n\n According to DiResta, an effective leader is characterized by a unique set of trait<\/strong>s<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEffective leaders: <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n They inspire and lead by example. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The best leaders have emotional intelligence, self-awareness, curiosity, and continually innovate.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n In line with DiResta\u2019s perspective, Cynthia Moore<\/a>, a leadership coach, mentor, and speaker, gives her view of what makes an effective leader: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEffective leaders display characteristics such as: <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n From this flows a strong ability to manage oneself, particularly in challenging situations, which in turn enables leaders to stay present and focused on the situation and people involved as well as the desired outcome.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Learning about the traits and skills that set the stage for successful leadership communication will help us examine the various leadership communication styles we\u2019ll discuss later on. With that in mind, let\u2019s see which communication skills tend to come in handy for people in leadership roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To understand what makes a good leader and a good communicator, we asked Dr. Cone to share her point of view. She suggested that perspective is one of the most important skills a leader should develop<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA good leader is keenly aware of the business goals as well as the strengths and weaknesses of their people, and seeks to create an environment that encourages forward momentum through a combination of critical information and motivating engagement and buy-in.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n We can agree with Dr. Cone on this \u2014 the role of a leader isn\u2019t an easy one, particularly in the newly established remote or hybrid work environments<\/a>. The leaders of these so-called distributed teams<\/a> face a whole new set of challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With so many employees working from different locations and sometimes even countries, keeping everyone connected<\/a> is not the only concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, despite the recent changes in workplace and employee management, some things \u2014 such as the communication skills necessary to become a successful leader \u2014 haven\u2019t changed<\/strong>. Namely, some of the most prominent skills that define a good leader include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Those last few traits are crucial, according to Paul Gunn Jr: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEmpathy, kindness, and compassion are critical traits of a leader. This allows them to make difficult decisions with the best results in mind. They are not concerned with being agreeable, which is often confused with kindness. Kindness will make a tough decision even if it is seen as not being nice because the communication called for compassion for all involved.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, good leadership is reflected in a leader\u2019s ability to see beyond all the numbers<\/strong>, all the setbacks, and all other issues, and actually help others go through rough times<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stay connected, even when working remotely: Try Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Effective leadership communication can take on many forms. As we have established, leaders need to be able to adjust their approach to various circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Going forward, we will discuss the ways in which 4 widely celebrated leaders approach leadership communication in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even before she was elected for a second term as PM of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern<\/a> stirred the world with her authentic, kind, and <\/strong>empathetic approach<\/strong> to leadership<\/a>. Her decisiveness and resolution have proved crucial for her country in times of trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In her own words, leadership is all about bridging the gap between different opinions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo me, leadership is not about necessarily being the loudest in the room, but instead being the bridge, or the thing that is missing in the discussion, and trying to build a consensus from there.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, Ardern\u2019s greatest strength is her ability to show empathy through her work, which has secured her position. What\u2019s more, she\u2019s well aware that engaging her people and calming them<\/strong> in times of crisis is what will ultimately get the job done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Pumble Pro Tip <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Being a true leader in a time of crisis isn’t easy. To learn more about how you can successfully help your employees, read our full guide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the early days of HubSpot, culture wasn\u2019t Brian Halligan\u2019s main concern. According to him, the founder\u2019s job is never done, so there\u2019s no time to pause and reflect on what you\u2019re building:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs a founder, you\u2019re always fighting a fire, there\u2019s always a problem, you\u2019re always working on some issues where you can\u2019t really step back and look back and take stock of what you\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n According to a Jungle Ventures interview<\/a>, both Halligan and his co-founder Dharmesh Shah believed that thinking about company culture was a \u201cwaste of time\u201d<\/em> at the beginning of their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what changed their minds? Well, talking to other CEOs, notably iRobot founder Colin Angle, helped Halligan and Shah understand that culture helps leaders build a big company<\/strong>. That made them invest in their company\u2019s culture as one of the major products of their company \u2014 and the thing that helps them attract talented employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The decision that helped HubSpot transform the way it communicates with prospective and current employees was elevating an employee from the marketing team, Katie Burke, to be their first HR employee. The move exemplifies Brian\u2019s thoughts on employee communication at HubSpot \u2014 it\u2019s a marketing approach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though Halligan stepped down as CEO of HubSpot in September 2021, the influence of his leadership communication style is still felt in the company. That much is evident by the number of awards<\/a> HubSpot continues to receive on an annual basis from Comparably\u2019s user base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Pumble Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The founders of HubSpot took a while to realize the importance of company culture. If you want to prioritize it from the get-go, check out this guide to building a collaborative company culture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Secure and reliable team communication app for professionals. Try Pumble by CAKE.com.<\/p>\n\n Awarded the CFDA\/Vogue Fashion Fund for emerging talent, Aurora James has quickly become a big name in the fashion industry. She stands behind Brother Vellies, a people-oriented<\/strong> and \n
What is leadership communication? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Leadership communication is action-oriented <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Leadership communication is purposeful<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Leadership communication is adaptable <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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What are the most important communication skills for effective leaders?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n4 Real examples of successful leadership communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Empathy: New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Culture: HubSpot Co-Founder Brian Halligan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nValues: Founder of Brother Vellies and the 15 Percent Pledge Aurora James <\/h3>\n\n\n\n