Many of the qualities required for effective leadership, such as vision, honesty, devotion, and resilience, are inherent. Fortunately, another attribute that is just as important for success as the others may be learned. It is the capacity to elicit a heartfelt effort from employees to assist the leader in achieving lofty goals. This trait may be developed through seeing the actions of leaders who use these abilities, being taught, or progressively by the leader's "stretch" efforts to build the required staff engagement.
The strength of the leader's position alone isn't enough to compel today's staff to be enthusiastic and dedicated. Employees must instead be convinced that the leader's aims are attainable, realize that attaining the goals would result in a personal payout, and be motivated to provide their full effort. To gain the requisite support from everyone in the company, the leader must showcase his leadership: he must be visible, crystal clear about his message, and utilize every chance to express his enthusiasm for his aims, both live and in person. Few people will care until he shows how deeply he cares, and his proposal may be dismissed as another flavor of the month.
Some executives think that communicating their goals to employees through the company's internal media (employee periodicals, intranet, videoconferencing, etc.) is adequate; the more advanced the technology, the better. Many people have grown infatuated with blogging because it allows for quick connection with big groups of people, providing they log on.
All of this is beneficial because it enables the leader's message to be repeated, which is critical for creating an impression. However, using social media does not replace face-to-face interaction with employees. Human interaction is far more effective than media in conveying the degree of feeling the leader has for his goal. The fact that the leader is present, that he has left the luxury of his office to speak with staff, emphasizes the gravity of the message.
Make it as loud, clear, and consistent as possible.
The leader must communicate his argument clearly, often, and loudly. In personal interactions with staff, he should take advantage of every chance to speak from the heart. As a result, the leader can deliver his message with complete clarity and resolve any staff issues. There's another benefit: the workforce's opinions on other corporate matters will be unvarnished. (Bad news should be reported at these sessions since it can be dealt with immediately and does not spiral out of control.)
Personal contact with employees can take a variety of forms. The leader can deliver presentations in front of huge audiences in auditoriums. Smaller, more casual departmental or function-focused meetings are possible, where participants will feel more comfortable asking questions or presenting issues. When the leader attends these sessions without his normal entourage of direct subordinates, it shows that he is approachable and open to dialogue.
The leader can also hold skip-level meetings with a diverse group of employees, go on spontaneous walkabouts to fill in the gaps between scheduled events, eat lunch in the company cafeteria, and visit the back office, the factory floor, or a remote office where employees may have never seen the leader before and will be particularly impressed. When a leader delivers staff honors during a ceremony, the awards take on a whole new meaning. Praise from a direct supervisor is a powerful motivator; praise from the organization's head is much more powerful. Effective leaders lavish praise on their subordinates whenever it is due.
Powerful Presentations
Some leaders, particularly those who have traditionally led by giving commands, find it difficult to put their leadership on display. However, giving a powerful presentation is a simple talent to master. It becomes a habit after a while, and each presentation gets more successful. In every meeting, big or small, a good leader grabs the attention of the audience right away, retains it for the duration of the presentation, and produces the type of energy that motivates others to take action.
The message should be organized such that it is clear and persuasive. He appeals to the heart as much as the mind. He narrates stories that engage the audience while also revealing his humanity, which is crucial for building trust. Characters, places, and actions are all depicted in the stories. Wording, voice, posture, movement, and timing are all used deliberately by the leader. His eyes are his most effective communication instruments.
Consistent, pleasant eye contact promotes trustworthiness. Unease, defensiveness, or a lack of sincerity can all be signs of failure to initiate eye contact. When speaking with one person, the leader stares into the eyes of the other person before moving away to avoid generating pain. When speaking to a big gathering, he makes everyone feel included by making eye contact with one individual in the audience for as long as it takes to explain a thought, then shifting his gaze to another person in the room.
When a leader makes direct eye contact with one audience member, the rest of the audience benefits as well; studies have shown that everyone in the area around the individual being addressed feels like they're being talked to directly. Because communicating one-on-one to an individual comes easily, using the eyes this way also relieves whatever nervousness the presenter may be experiencing. Nervous presenters, on the other hand, scan the crowd, never settling on a single focus point, which increases their nervousness since the brain is overloaded with information.
According to research undertaken by academics at the University of Akron's School of Communication, using the eyes correctly is the single most critical aspect of communicating effectively. The study looked at the relative impact of ten key presentation skills variables in presentations given by Communispond's presentation training course participants.
Take a Step Away from the Lectern
Effective presenters avoid using a lectern, which acts as a barrier between the speaker and the audience. Because they do not read from printed material, they do not require lecterns. They recognize that read presentations are regarded as old news and, as a result, subtract from the spontaneity that energizes the audience. When the presentation's goal is to inspire rather than inform the audience, going without graphics can be especially successful.
By throwing their entire body into the presentation, effective leaders demonstrate their passion. They use huge body motions to emphasize essential points and back each speech with suitable gestures. They emphasize these ideas even more by using dramatic pauses or raising or lowering their voice. Because they eschew euphemisms, jargon, and office jargon, their choice of language reveals that they are genuine.
Even though the presentation appears to be spontaneous, it has been meticulously prepared. Unnecessary stuff has been removed. Questions that could be asked have been identified, and brief, convincing responses have been prepared. As previously said, while an initial presentation like this may need extensive preparation, the process becomes easier as the leader seeks out further opportunities to deliver. A seasoned speaker who derives great joy from speaking might be persuaded to share his thoughts on important subjects on a national level. This helps to solidify the leadership position even further.
Self-awareness and Organizational Awareness
The "leadership on parade" approach must begin with an honest evaluation of how the workforce perceives the leader and how the leader perceives the employees. Mistaken perceptions can stymie communication and, as a result, the efficacy of the leader.
If a leader is new, he may misinterpret the values of the workforce. He may have come from a corporation where producing a lot of money is important, but his new culture promotes concepts like "do no evil." Because even a little adjustment that goes against the culture might have huge ramifications, judgments from trustworthy direct reports will be required.
It's possible that the workforce doesn't have a strong comprehension of the boss. Although the leader has been in office for a long time, he has not been very prominent. The leader may be putting out contradictory messages unknowingly. Is the leader wearing a single-breasted suit or a double-breasted suit? Do you work in a corner office with walnut panels or in the heart of the floor? Each of them is expressing their values. Leaders must project their actual selves via these and other decisions.
This isn't a suggestion that the leader works on his "image." Image is a ruse. Authenticity is required for honest and successful communication.
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