Communication is one of the most important parts of a leader’s job, and yet 66% of leaders report feeling uncomfortable communicating with their employees.
In this episode, BELAY Vice President of Operations Matt Seaton joins me to unpack four necessities for communicating effectively with your team.
He also shares practical tips for implementing those strategies and explains how leaders of remote and hybrid teams can build connections even without physical proximity.
Here are some takeaways he shared:
1. 66% of managers feel uncomfortable communicating with their employees.
And as a result, 80% of employees feel stressed because of poor communication.
There are so many other things in a business that can cause stress, and being stressed because of communication is something that leaders must address quickly and turn around.
Clear communication is a two-way street and, in a post-pandemic world especially, leaders need to be able to have those courageous, transparent conversations.
2. To build connection, leaders need to practice transparency and vulnerability.
And these traits are even more important if you’re leading a remote or hybrid team.
Connection, expectations, context, and courage are the four most important things leaders need to communicate well with their teams.
Building a connection allows you to follow up by setting clear expectations and having the appropriate context around conversations.
In order to build a connection, you have to come to the table palms up. One of the resources we provide our leaders at BELAY with is Patrick Lencioni’s book, Getting Naked. Patrick lays out the model that relationships are built on vulnerability, transparency and humility.
3. Set clear expectations by overcommunicating.
People don’t show up to work to do a bad job. But, as a leader, you have to give them the tools in order to succeed.
Set clear expectations upfront so that you have no frustration or miscommunication.
And when your employee makes a mistake, have a positive intent mindset. Don’t assume the worst of them. Consider what circumstances led to this less desirable result and work from there.
This episode’s resource is BELAY’s eBook, Lead Anyone From Anywhere — a guide to learning more about building a great culture and leading a hybrid team.