Leadership encompasses the ability of an individual, group, or organization to “lead”, influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. A key element of any leadership role is deciding on the direction of travel, whether of an organization or a team, and then identifying how to get there, and making sure it happens

This is a skill and like all other skills, needs to be practiced to get better. This does NOT come automatically from a position of power which most people assume it would. It comes from day-to-day habits of looking to your fellow teams, peers and leading them by example, empathy, and motivation. Unfortunately, most organizations promote skilled managers up the ladder, expecting them to function as leaders without imparting proper training on how to lead!

Courtesy: A-Z quotes

The MOST important key to great leadership is THE way of communication.

Everything is communication 

Good-crafted emails/presentations along with good oratory skills are NOT the only way to communicate. Every decision a leader makes tells your employees/teams something, for good or for ill. If a leader rewards a toxic high performer against nice team players who make the office environment pleasant but don’t break any records for individual performance, then it signals that no matter what, even if someone lies, cheats, or steals, as long as you make your numbers(budget), you will be rewarded. On the contrary, if the organization lives by the vision of integrity and honesty, then the communication will be, even if you deliver on your numbers, if you do it inappropriately, there is NO place in the organization.

Communicate to create a SAFE culture 

Leaders should be able to make a culture where team/employees, feel safe to express their feelings if they are lost, have made a mistake, or need help with a project. In most organizations, this culture of openly asking for help is considered a weakness, and employees/teams tend to guard it, should it result in any adverse effect on career growth. As leaders, it is very important to communicate in a manner that facilitates an open culture. Only with a safe and open environment, can the team deliver consistently in the long run with their vulnerabilities.

Communicate to the right people

More often than not, leaders need their team to buy into an idea or strategy, even though they know that they have their doubts, or while making a business deal, leaders need to convince the other side it’s worth it.

Language matters in persuasion, as does medium: some people won’t respond to a given message if it’s phrased formally and delivered in writing, but will react if it’s informal or comes during an informal chat. So understanding what type of communication will work, for different types of people is part of the leadership skillset. In situations where there is a larger team to convince, it is important to find a small group of people to convince (~15-18%), who will then influence the balance.

Leadership communication needs to be smart, effective, and empathetic, to bring out the best in the teams. Teams follow very closely all communications, verbal, non-verbal, and organizational to derive their perception of the leadership. It is so important to communicate correctly & consistently so that the team is motivated, focused, and driven to deliver. In the end, they are the ones who are on the ground to execute. When the team and leaders are all aligned, all challenges can be overcome with ease!

As always, please share your comments/feedback on the above!