Great leaders are great communicators because they communicate great ideas. Here are 5 things great leaders say when communicating with people they lead.
1. What are your thoughts about __________________?
The best leaders seek input from their team. They realize they don’t have all the answers. Even more, they know 1+1=3, so the more input they get from team members, the better an idea becomes.
2. Thank you for________________________.
Great leaders always build up and never tear down. They appreciate team players and look for specific ways to communicate their gratitude. In fact, a simple “thank you” is not enough because good leaders know a sincere, personalized compliment is the best way to communicate authentic appreciation.
3. You can improve by_________________________.
The best leaders run at challenges and problems instead of running away from them. When an issue needs to be addressed, they don’t avoid it. They address it graciously, but directly.
4. What do you need from me?
Great leaders don’t see leadership as a position. Neither do they equate leadership with power or control. Instead, they understand their role is to serve the vision of the organization and the people in the organization. This is why the best leaders don’t just tell team members what to do, they also ask team members what they need.
5. I believe in you!
Again, great leaders always build up and never tear down. When they see a team member taking positive action, they go out of their way to encourage and praise that team member’s progress. They know the more team members grow and succeed, the more the organization grows and succeeds.
Questions:
- Which of these 5 statements is most powerful to you? Why?
- In addition, what other statements would you add to the list?
The inspiration and verbiage for this post came completely from my friend Kent Julian, the founder of Live It Forward. Please check him out at LiveItForward.com. He also has an excellent book on Goal Getting if you need to set goals for the coming year.
In the words of Starship Troopers, “Would you like to know more?”