Mastering Leadership Communication: Your Key to Success

Welcome to the second installment in a series all about Leadership!

It’s “LIVE2LEAD Season!” Between October 1, 2024, and February 28, 2025, I’m sharing a PREMIER leadership tool that will inspire, encourage, and challenge YOU to be a better leader.

Honing in on LEADERSHIP

In this four-part series, we’re focusing on the core aspects of leadership:

1. ROLE: Understanding Your Role As A Leader
2. RESPONSIBILITY: Communication Basics: The #1 Responsibility of a Leader?
3. RESULTS: Setting You and Your Team Up to Succeed
4. REASON: Leadership Legacy - What Are You Building or Leaving Behind? Intentional Growth

For this series, I’m pulling from my mentor, John C. Maxwell, and a book that I walk 100% of my Executive Leadership coaching clients through: Developing The Leader Within You 2.0.

The Importance of Communication in Leadership

As James C. George states, “Leadership is the ability to obtain followers.” Everyone influences someone, and we don’t always realize how much we influence others. The best investment in tomorrow is to INTENTIONALLY develop your influence today.

When it comes to leadership communication, no matter how smart, charismatic, or strong you are, you will never get others to follow if you do not possess effective communication skills. Effective communication skills for leaders are the foundation of successful leadership and are crucial in motivating and guiding your team.

Why Communication is Key to Leadership Success

Quite frankly, communication can make or break you.

You might think you’ve got this one down, but communication is an incredibly broad and nuanced topic. Today we’ll focus specifically on leadership communication and why understanding and mastering this skill is essential.

The ultimate test for you as a leader is your ability to affect positive change. This is directly tied to your ability to communicate—not just in a “rah-rah” cheerleader way, but by understanding the dynamics of change needed, the time required to accomplish it, how people think, and meeting them where they are.

John C. Maxwell emphasizes, “The essence of successful leadership is getting things done.” He also states, “How far you can travel isn’t the point; it’s how far you are able to take your people.” Alone we can go fast—together, we can go far. That is the goal of a leader: to go far together.

Developing Strong Communication as a Leader

Here are some key leadership communication strategies for success to help you improve your communication skills as a leader:

P-L-A-N A-H-E-A-D
This acrostic reminds you of what to communicate to facilitate change:

• Predetermine the change that is needed. Always look for ways to improve.
• Lay out your steps. Experts might go from A to Z, but beginners need to understand A to E first.
• Adjust your priorities. When communicating, remember you cannot be overly invested in the outcome.
• Notify key people. Identify leaders already at Level 3 or higher, who can influence the process.
• Allow time for acceptance. Effectiveness equals Quality x Acceptance—don’t rush things.
• Head into action. Evaluate your level of leadership and initiate the call to action.
• Expect problems. Remember that motion causes friction; anticipate challenges and communicate effectively.
• Always point to the successes. Positive reinforcement matters.
• Daily review your progress. Adopt an agile process to keep the change progressing.
• Talk about the change clearly, creatively, and continually. Communication should be ongoing and transparent.

The "Extra" in Leadership Communication 

Communication isn’t just about what you say—it’s also about your attitude. You might wonder, “How does attitude fit into communication?” Think about the leaders you admire.  What is it about them that you like? Most often, we admire leaders for their characteristics that relate to attitude.

Albert Mehrabian, a body language expert, notes that 55% of communication is nonverbal, 38% is vocal, and only 7% is words. Therefore, your body language and tone contribute significantly to how your message is received.

Maxwell refers to attitude as the “Extra Plus” in leadership. Good leaders recognize that a positive attitude creates a positive atmosphere, which encourages a positive and productive response from others.

Here are some tips for effective attitude management:

• Adopt a “Whatever It Takes” Attitude: Embrace a proactive mindset.
• Disown your own helplessness: Take charge and cultivate a positive attitude.
• Take the bull by the horns: Decide to take action and follow through.
• Enter the “no whining” zone: Cultivate gratitude in the face of challenges.
• Put on a new pair of shoes: Shift your perspective to better understand your team.
• Nurture your passion: Keep yourself inspired and positive.
• Exceed expectations: Know your gifts, grow them, and seek opportunities.
• Never be satisfied: Always see what’s possible and strive to inspire others.

Improving Team Communication as a Leader

To build a culture of strong communication, consider these questions:

• How well do you communicate with your team?
• Do you trust them to carry the vision to the rest of the organization?
• Are you willing to put in the work to communicate effectively, especially during periods of change?

Conclusion: Stand Tall and Own It

As we embrace our unique values, we inspire and empower others to do the same, fostering diversity and authentic leadership across generations.

I WANT to hear from you! Reach out to me via DM on Instagram and LinkedIn, or email me at [email protected]. Also, don’t forget to check out my newsletter, YouTube channel, and the podcast—rate, review, and follow!

It’s time to Stand Tall & Own It! Own your #1 responsibility as a leader—because the world needs more curious, welcoming, and wise leaders.

In the next episode of our LEADERSHIP Series, we’ll discuss Setting You and Your Team Up for Success! This is where fostering diversity and authentic leadership will come into play.

I can’t wait to share it with you!

If you are local to Central Virginia—especially the greater Charlottesville area—you can take part in a full-day, live, in-person L2L conference in Charlottesville on Friday, October 18, 2024. Keep an eye on my socials and my website, as we’re looking at up to two more live, in-person events in Central Virginia before the end of February. 

If you’re not local or won’t be able to attend in person, you can still access this amazing content through LeaderPass. What is it? You’ll get 5 days of virtual on-demand access to LIVE2LEAD 2024. This features the speakers you’ll hear at LIVE2LEAD Charlottesville, including Michael Jr., Chris Robinson, Brandon Dawson, and many more! Plus, you can access PAST speakers like Marcus Buckingham, Ryan Leak, Ed Mylett, and Tim Elmore (who I mentioned in my podcast episode Leading Across Generations; that link is in the show notes as well, and this is SUCH an amazing value).

👉L2L Charlottesville: https://www.theintentionaloptimist.com/L2L2024registration 
👉LeaderPass:  https://leaderpass.com/pass/live2lead/host?ref=RHYBTBBY