My mission is to get every leader to think differently about communication. To realise it’s more than words in a newsletter or a speech at an event. It’s not clever words to manipulate or ‘spin’ as some call it , but instead it’s a powerful leadership skill that can open up the way for executive problem solving. It enables a higher level of engagement which will lead to better productivity and advocacy; and enable lowered stress levels.

There is a lot said about what and who leaders need to be right now. When we put that together with the operational, technical and economic demands of the job, it’s no wonder that some feel that softer skills, like communication, is less important to focus on. 

But what if these very skills could enable us to tackle everything else?

I definitely don’t consider them to be ‘softer skills’, I’d say they are critical skills, if you are in leadership. And I recently saw a quote somewhere that called them ‘power skills’, which is perfect when you think of what they can achieve.

To take this forward we need to consider how well we are communicating, connecting and engaging others. Are we able to be ourselves and command attention? Can we get our point across, be heard and noticed or is it all too challenging?

I think the first step is bravery! To improve, we have to take a look at ourselves and our performance. We need to ask some hard questions and face up to what might be holding us back from truly showing up. 

The important thing is to not stress about it, there is a demand on all of us to be more, but where these skills don’t come naturally they can always be learned and developed. 

First published on LinkedIn