During my extensive Army career, I learned several key leadership-oriented communication tools that ensured clarity in describing to my teams what was expected. These tools have been practiced by militaries throughout history using various methods. Further, they contribute to a greater exchange of critical information leading to a higher success rate for goal accomplishment.
Communication fails when the recipient does not receive the message as the sender desired. This can result in project failures, higher costs and lost opportunities. Poor communication erodes team cohesion, even if the problem is perception, because, as the leader, you failed to convey properly what you wanted done, when to complete it, and what the higher goal was.
Benefits of Effective Communication to Improve Your Leadership Ability and Influence
Effective communication tools for leaders:
- Early task notice. In the military, we call these warning orders. When a new mission is about to be sent to subordinate units, commanders push down as much information as possible, so leaders can start to prepare. It usually consists of the situation, the actual task or mission, and general and special instructions. Warning orders serve team leaders by giving them notice with much detail before the task becomes officially assigned, so they can plan out their schedule, prioritize other tasks, and set the conditions properly.
- Intent. This provides purpose and why the task fits into the overall strategy. When you discuss intent with your team, they should walk away with the understanding of why the task is important to the business and important to the long-term strategy.
- End-state. What is the desired outcome of the task? As a leader, you must convey to your team where you are going and what the expectation is. What are we trying to accomplish? What is the goal and the conditions for how we will measure our success? You must communicate in detail where you want the team to be at a specific time in the future.
- Back-brief. To ensure your team understands the task, have the team member say the task details back to you to give you confidence it is understood by everyone involved. This is not a micromanagement technique unless you use it as a belittling exercise. Soon after using this technique several times, your team will know this is the expectation. It is an easy method to clear up confusion and to practice two-way communication.
- Regular one-on-one discussions. Providing and receiving feedback, even with high performers, is essential to team goal accomplishment. I do still believe in the two-way feedback process to eliminate any ambiguity or surprises when it comes to role advancement and project assignments. I recommend conducting these weekly. Constant two-way feedback will grow your relationships and build trust.
Problems in communication can lead to goal failure. As leaders it is our duty to ensure our messaging has been properly received by our team as intended. If our messaging is not received as we intend, then that is our failure as leaders.
When a new task becomes imminent, provide the likely recipient with as much information as possible. Once issued, communicate why it is important, and what the expectation is. What should the final work product look like? Don’t forget to ask for the task details to be said back to you to verify.
“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” Peter Drucker, management consultant and author
What communication tools can you adopt into your own processes for clarity and feedback when issuing tasks and projects?
Please comment or email me at comment@stephenmclain.com.
Copyright 2018 – Stephen McLain
