The title of today’s post may seem obvious: Leaders communicate. After all, it’s impossible to lead anyone unless we communicate expectations, goals, and an understanding of what it would look like to “win” or succeed. The truth is communicating effectively isn’t easy. That’s why it’s an essential part of leadership. I once heard John Maxwell say that the difference between educators and communicators is that educators make simple things complex, while communicators make complicated things simple. With apologies to educators I have experienced the truth of Maxwell’s statement all too often in my many years of formal education. While not all communicators are leaders, unless we communicate effectively we will never be great leaders. That means we must make complicated matters as simple as possible.
I’m not saying we must “dumb things down,” making matters simplistic. I’m saying we must make matters as clear and simple as possible. Let me give you an example of what I mean through the use of a single word: utilize. Back in 1984 when I bought my first “portable” computer (It weighed 27 pounds!), a Kaypro IV+88, the word processing program had a feature, which would automatically make a document more “scholarly.” When you applied the feature it always changed the word “use” into “utilize.” There were dozens of other words this feature changed (transformed?), but have always remembered the use/utilize pair. To this day any time I hear someone say “utilize” I automatically think, “You mean ‘use.'” (There’s nothing wrong with the word utilize, but in my mind I always think of it as attempting to make something more complicated than it needs to be, so why utilize it?) What’s my point? My point is why say, “Unless we utilize our cognitive skills in order to overcome the plethora of provocations from our antagonists our endeavor will experience its demise,” when you could say, “Unless we use our minds, our competitors are going to destroy us.”? Or even, “Unless we think we’re going to lose!”
During my last year of seminary in one of my final theology classes, the professor told us that during our three years at Princeton we had learned a whole new vocabulary, one that we could use (utilize?) to ensure that no one in the churches we served would ever understand a thing we said. After all, we had paid for and studied to attain a Master of Divinity degree from one of the most prestigious seminaries in the world. Then he said, “I have always believed that if one is always speaking over everyone’s head when he or she communicates, it isn’t necessarily a sign of intelligence. You may just be a poor marksman.”
I have always remembered that statement. Our goal as leaders is to make sure that our listeners, learners, or followers are clear about what we have said. We ought not to care about how intelligent they think we are, because if they can’t understand what we’re saying it shows we’re not as smart as we think we are. When we communicate to others, the best way for them to follow us is for us to make it clear where we’re going! Our effectiveness as leaders rests in large part on our effectiveness as communicators. In order for everyone to head in the same direction, everyone needs to know that direction. As Michael Lukaszewski points out in his new book Streamline in order for everyone to be on the same page, there needs to be an actual page that communicates clearly what is expected.
Another important thing I’ve learned about communicating over the years is the less time I have to say something, the longer it takes me to prepare to say it. Anyone can be fairly clear given half an hour to say something. But if you have to say the same thing in fifteen minutes or five, it becomes much more difficult. Clarity is vital in communication and leadership, and yet we have often been led to believe that people will listen to us simply because we are leaders. Leaders can never take it for granted that others are following us. We must never assume that just because we hold a particular position that makes us leaders. We can’t assume that just because we are speaking our listeners are understanding. Particularly in American culture leadership must be earned. If we can make complicated matters as simple as possible when we communicate people will be more inclined to follow our leadership. That is as it ought to be. After all, if our business or church or organization has a mission to carry out and a vision worth pursuing, we must communicate both as clearly and effectively as possible. Otherwise, people will have to figure it out for themselves, which leads to division as they come up with their own interpretation of the mission and vision, or they will go somewhere else where the mission and vision are clear.
Here’s to leading better by communicating effectively–today!