“The art of communication is the language of leadership.”
– James Humes
The posts in this category will help you improve your communications skills, whether it’s making a presentation, listening to a teammate, or building a powerful network. If you want to get connected with others, this is a good place to start.
“What do we have to do to make sure our message gets through?” When it comes to leadership acoustics, there are three key things to be aware of if we want others to hear what we are trying to say. Last week I visited the world-famous Red Rocks Amphitheater near …
Leadership Acoustics – 3 Ways to Send a Message That Gets Heard Read More »
No one likes to hear that they are not doing well, have weaknesses, or are not measuring up in some way. As leaders it often falls to us to give this kind of feedback to others, and those can be difficult, uncomfortable conversations. But what about receiving critical feedback? Most …
Seeking Discomfort: 7 Ways to Embrace Uncomfortable Feedback Read More »
How can asking questions be more powerful than answering them? In the effort to demonstrate our worthiness to lead, often we find ourselves in a hurry to provide answers. People want guidance, direction, and need to understand priorities. But if we’re playing the Shell Answer Man all day, we miss …
The Power of Asking Questions: 7 Ways Questions are More Powerful Than Answers Read More »
Why should anyone listen to you? If you’re trying to lead people, one of the first challenges you face might be just getting them to listen. This can be doubly challenging if you happen to be newer to the team or younger than the others. When it comes to getting …
Getting Them to Listen: How to Get People to Hear What You are Saying Read More »
How do you improve your team with an After Action Review? The After Action Review (AAR) is a deceptively simple yet powerful way to stimulate the growth and performance of any group of people. As an organizational learning tool it has been used to transform small teams and entire armies into …
What kind of virtual team building can I do with my distributed team? We all know that teamwork is critical to getting things done through people. Building cohesive teams is already a challenge when everybody is face to face. But developing trust, communicating well, collaborating readily, and problem-solving effectively become …
“Do you ever really ‘win’ an argument?” When someone says something that we don’t agree with, our first impulse is often to contradict or correct them. They are wrong. We are right. Then they argue back. The debate becomes heated, personal, and ultimately counterproductive. No minds are changed. If anything, …
The Ransberger Pivot: How to Win an Argument By Not Arguing Read More »
How do you lead a team that’s not there? It’s hard enough to be a good leader when your teammates are in the same room. But what about when they aren’t even in the same time zone? When you can’t look someone directly in the eye, things get much more …
Leading Virtual Teams: 12 Powerful Ways to Lead a Team You Can’t See Read More »
Have you ever been in a situation where you had something to say, but people didn’t seem to be listening? How did that make you feel? I’m guessing your response would not include words like “understood,” or “respected.” Listening skills are are often overlooked in leaders and yet are so …
Listening Skills for Leaders: 8 Ways to be Sure You Get the Message Read More »
As leaders we are responsible for getting things done through people. But in our rush to see results, we risk becoming our own worst enemy. If we are not careful, our well-meaning actions can breed frustration, cause discontent, and undermine trust. Today we’ll talk about leader patience and when to …
Stop Yourself! 4 Ways to Grow Your Team by Shutting Your Mouth Read More »
We are not alone… …but sometimes it can feel that way. Leadership can bring with it a sense of isolation. You seem to be the only one bearing the burden of responsibility, setting the standard, and trying to balance the demands of your boss with the realities on the ground. …
Leader Isolation: 6 Ways to Conquer Loneliness at the Top Read More »
Success doesn’t come easy, and the more complex the challenge, the harder it can be to communicate effectively with your team. Sometimes, the more you talk, the more words can get in the way. One way to cut through the noise is modeling success. If you can show them what success …
Modeling Success: Three Ways to Communicate Effectively Without Words Read More »