If we had to choose one skill that would be the most critical to producing outstanding leadership and impacting your team, customers, or larger organization, it would be Communication. It sits at the heart of every other leadership skill; with it, you will succeed. You need better communication skills to do it effectively, whether closing Knowledge Gaps, Importance Gaps, or Action Gaps. There is no way to train, teach, or hire talent without them effectively. It is only possible to set expectations or deliver priorities with them. Creating accountability, commitment, or any impactful culture will be nearly impossible.
Gapology provides critical tools and methods to build into your Leadership Rhythm to create an impact on your communication.
Define and embed your crucial discussion points into your verbal or written communication.
What does your team need to know? Close the Knowledge Gap.
Why does it matter? Close the Importance Gap.
What do they need to do? Close the Action Gap.
In addition, look at your communication cadence as it flows throughout a typical week’s timeframe:
Determine for each day what needs to be communicated and its best delivery method. Block adequate time on your calendar for preparing your communication so you set yourself up for success.
Determine methods to validate understanding and agreement around critical messages.
Determine the best methods to follow up and provide feedback.
In Gapology, we show a “Communication Funnel,” a simple diagram that illustrates the importance of providing crystal clear messages from the leader and how it impacts each layer below them. As messages trickle through the layers of an organization, pieces of information get lost based on what each person deems important to share with the team below them. That is why creating excellence in the downstream impact on the bottom layer relies on the effectiveness of the communication skills of the person above them.