Leaders are distinguished by being charismatic, visionary, strategists, etc. These elements are robust when leaders have the talent to communicate their ideas. In leadership, there is no greater talent than the ability to communicate ideas in such a way that they are understood by their interlocutors in the way they should be understood.
The leader’s vision does not transcend if he cannot convey his ideas to others. Communication then becomes a common thread to all successful leaders. To achieve this type of communication, we need to start by understanding that communicating is not only an exchange of opinions between people but one to trigger an action or a set of actions. Also, the leader must have the capacity to communicate his ideas and in turn, must understand the ideas of others to address them, that is, to have the ability to combine speaking with listening.
Relationships are often complicated due to communication issues: either because of the inability to share the message adequately or the inability to understand it correctly. Communication is not easy, it is a talent that needs to be developed. It demands much more than just the exchange of ideas described in words; it is also an exchange of moments, feelings, attitudes, and emotions.
Understanding others, being able to read their emotions, perceive and understand their behavior and motivations, is part of the talent that is required to communicate and to capture what the other is meaning, even if they do not agree with it or their views are not fully accepted. When you can surpass emotional, behavioral, motivational barriers, and individual interests, communication becomes possible.
The leader should always try to use adequate vocabulary for each audience, so that he can encompass most of it with language that allows almost to be direct, customizing the process with each individual, that is communicating.
The communication process takes place in two ways: listening becomes a talent itself and plays an important role in the process of communicating. On the other hand, leaders must master the skill of using the right words to express the correct ideas that then evolve into a set of expected actions, but at the same time, they must become skillful in listening and taking the time to hear others. To do this, leaders should seek to be more aware of the background than the form, that is, to be aware of ideas. They always get the best out of what they hear, they end up hearing to capture all the ideas and take the time to reflect, they gather what they hear and use it for the benefit of their vision.
By Francisco Silva Betancourt – INAC Colombia
