Leadership, as we know it today, is more of serving than being served; and critical to the success of any leadership-style is communication. Communication is the adhesive that holds departments in an organization together. The main aim of organizational communications is to ensure that everyone understands both the external and internal issues facing the organization, and what individuals must do to contribute to the organization’s success.
As leaders of various organizations, we must know that communication belongs to everyone in the organization; it is not a functional responsibility restricted or designated to a specific department but rather, a responsibility of everyone within the organization – from the Chief Executive Officer to the lower-grade labourer.
A key element of organizational communication is the messages from the leader known as Leadership Communication (LC). LC consists of those messages from a leader that are rooted in the values and culture of an organization and are relevant to key stakeholders. These messages affect the vision, mission and transformation of an organization. It is grounded in the character of the leader as well as the values of the organization. In fact, we could advance a point, here, that every successful leader is at an effective leadership communicator. Traits peculiar to LC include Values (Message should reflect vision, mission the corporate culture), Relevance (Messages are about significant issues that represents the future of the organization), Consistency (Messages should exemplify code of conduct and behaviours) and Cadence (Messages occur with regularity and frequency).
Different types of LC exists; and each is designed, primarily, to engage the listener, gain commitment, and ultimately create a bond and trust between leader and follower. Importantly, LC drives results, enables a leader and a follower to work together more efficiently. Specifically, LC does one (or more) of the following:
Affirm organizational vision and mission: LC should direct stakeholders to where the organization is headed and what it stands for.
Drive transformational initiatives: LC should drive people to prepare to do things differently in the interest of the organization.
Place everyone on the same page: LC should galvanize people to rally behind an initiative. It should tell people what to do and how to do what to do.
Reinforce organizational capability and create an environment in which motivation can occur: LC should underscore an organization’s strength and make people feel good about the organization for which they work. LC should provide reasons why things are done and create a path of success for people to follow.
Communication, as Peter Drucker has written, is less about information than it is about facilitating kinship within the (corporate) culture. Employees, as internal customers of an organization, must feel that they have a stake in the organization and its outcome. The ownership stake is initiated, nurtured, augmented, tested, and fulfilled through LC. Since communication has become central in any leadership drive, it is absolutely critical for a leader to facilitate two-way communications, specifically allowing feedback in the form of ideas, suggestions and even dissent.
The Chartered Institute of Leadership and Governance (CILG) is an institution that directs leadership-path and seeks to prepare and equip individuals with ideas and innovations that are geared towards proper and effective handling of societal values and problems through the teaching of administrative skills and leadership cues as well promoting effecting communication within an organization for purposes of directing varying behaviours in an organization towards the achievement of an organization’s corporate objectives.
CILG has a mandate of providing monthly magazine to update its members and the general public of the activities of the institute, and to report on relevant information of national concern. We strongly advised that you download and read our monthly magazine and make a conscious effort to make a difference in whatever capacity you find yourself as a leader.
In this month’s magazine, you will read about the message from the Institute’s National Executive Council Member. You will also read about CILG’s personality of the month and the kind of impact he is making. We have also provided the opportunity for the stories of young and upcoming entrepreneurs to be featured in our monthly magazines as a way to showcase their stories to the world.
About the Author:
Mr. Ibrahim Alhassan, FCILG is the Editor of Leadership and Governance Magazine. He is also a Data Analyst at University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, Ghana.
Reprint Policy: You may reprint / publish the above article. All we ask is that you keep all links active, make no changes to article and include the author’s bio. Article Resource: CILG Ghana