Communication Strategies for Effective Leadership

Successful leaders understand the importance of communicating effectively and authentically, creating a positive impact within their current and future sphere of influence, and setting purpose-driven goals. Philippe Joubert, Fellow and Chair of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) advisory board, explains why leaders who communicate their vision clearly, achieve better results. 

Transcript

I would say that the responsibility of a leader… there are three main responsibilities. First one is to communicate. The second one is to communicate. And I’m sure that you found the third one is to communicate. There is nothing more important than these.

First responsibility is to share your vision. That’s the first communication, to explain clearly and simply how you want to achieve this vision with the group of people you are communicating with. And thirdly, to explain, also very clearly, what is their role in this. You will never, never take people with you, if they don’t know why they are with you. And what is their role and participation in it.

I think we should come back to the origin of the word of communication. Communication comes from, in Latin, communicare, which is: do something in common. We have to do something together. And it means that when you communicate, you are not talking about you; you are listening to the other and you are sharing something in common. You have to use the language of the receiver, if you want that your message goes across. 

Then you have to be a storyteller. Nobody really is interested in seeing a lot of numbers, graphs. You have to relate this to the day-to-day life of the people listening to you. Show them where is their role and show them what is the impact for them. And then they will follow you and your idea. 

If you want to have a really powerful communication, you have to respect a certain number of rules. In this world, where truth is dead and trust is very low, you have to communicate your passion. You have to communicate your belief. You have to communicate your values in a very simple way, always. We always tend to complicate things. 

Don’t explain why you are communicating, but where you want to go and what is the part of the people you are talking with in this common task and quest. They are convinced in the reality, if they trust you, if they can trust your goal, if they can share, that’s why it’s called communication, is they can share what you are saying and trying to achieve.