Leaders and Communication Skills

October 21, 2024

Good morning! The Impatiens, among the more sensitive plants to cold, are flowering and undeterred entering into the mid-month of autumn. Here in our yard we have yet to have a hard freeze, though the tips of some tendrils were nipped with just a bit of frost one week ago. And, the two-week forecast contains no freezing temperatures. We were reminded, courtesy of an expert researcher, and reader from New Jersey, that 2020 brought us not only the plague, but 7″ of snow on this day four years ago.

• Our Lynx took it to overtime, but couldn’t bring it home from the Big Apple.
• Not sure what we might learn from 14-year-old data, but job vacancies in all sectors worldwide are greater today than in 2010.  (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024)
  • Those hoping for a hard landing — or a soft landing — might just have to settle for no landing at all, but simply a continuation of the status quo.
  • On the other hand, perceptions and expectations about hiring have cooled a bit compared to one year ago, with 31% of employers expecting to grow now compared to 41% in 2023.
• What was the most volatile, worrisome, or dangerous period of human history?
  • Macro or micro?  Lots of subjectivity here, but give it a think.
• If you have the top leadership role in your organization, regardless of your title, it’s likely your most important job is communication.
  • Almost everyone thinks of herself/ himself as an expert communicator; hardly anyone ranks lower than an A-.
  • But, perfect communication is impossible.
  • Accept that, embrace that — and then work to make it as close to perfect as you can.
  • Something we learned more than 50 years ago:  The receiver of information gets to evaluate it — not the sender.  Yes, the recipient.  Humbling.
    • Ouch!
  • And so…
    • Here are five (5) strategic-level imperatives against which to constantly assess your communication:
      • Embrace and systematize communication at the core of your role
      • Communicate in your audience’s style and colloquialisms
      • Converse with, not at, your audience
      • Make technology your assistant, not your boss or most important tool
        • Anecdotal:  Rarely is a complicated deck needed to deliver your message, keep it simple — make it fun
      • Always bring your message back to purpose — and to your why.  (Informed by Maor, Etc., et al., 2024)
  • Experts emphasize the importance of all five of these imperatives, though addressing some is better than none.
• Though education and exploration closely aligned with one’s strategic vision are to be lauded, we marvel at the number of meetings, events, seminars, and workshops people attend.
  • These are often distractions, sometimes productive, but usually not.
  • Many of them are internal and perhaps unavoidable, but if you are the organizer of them, be sure to triple-check their importance, relevance, and audience.
  • Organize your day, your week, your month, your year in such a way as to increase the chances of achieving your goals.