4 Communication Considerations for Today’s Leaders

Rarely, if ever, have I heard someone complain about being over-communicated to. On the other hand, I almost daily hear of complaints for a lack of communication from others. Over-communication doesn’t exist, under-communication is prevalent – and it seems like it always has been.

Communication is tricky today as anyone can communicate anything to anyone at anytime from anywhere. Fierce competition and finicky consumers have forced successful organizations to prioritize agility and nimbleness in their organizations. No one can deny the extreme challenges of our marketplace.

These challenges call us to shift our thinking as it relates to how we communicate. Here are 4 principles to consider:

1. Communicate Early: The speed of business forces us to get the word out fast. No longer do we have the luxury of full analysis. Today, agile businesses have agile leaders who can form assumptions based on limited data. These leaders don’t wait for complete investigations before they communicate issues or opportunities. They may hold back their judgment for the final analysis, but they aren’t holding back the discussion.
2. Communicate Often: The speed of business forces us to communicate in shorter segments today. Exhaustive, “fully-baked” conversations are a rarity these days as our pace doesn’t allow for the communication emersions. Because of this, the best leaders are sharing information with more people more often. More is better when communications are forced to be brief.
3. Be Concise: Speaking of brief, few things are more burdensome today than a rambler. I want to be fully present in conversations, but sometimes it can be difficult in a conversation that drags. Don’t burden others with your communications. Know your points, communicate them efficiently, make sure they are understood, and then get out of there.
4. Be Precise: The danger in communicating early is that you communicate misinformation. Since we don’t always have the luxury of full analysis, we must prioritize accuracy in our communications. Be careful not to grandiose your ideas. Stick to the points you’re confident in and don’t allow your communications to stray to the irrelevant or unimportant points.

Hope this helps. Onward!

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