Leadership and Manager Communication image

Five Reasons to Care about Leader and Manager Communication

August 13, 2015

In our fast paced world, where emerging technologies constantly bring us new channels of communication that reach every employee directly, we as communication professionals may ask ourselves: has leader and manager communication become irrelevant in today’s workforce?

We say absolutely not. In fact, managers and senior leaders continue to play a critical role in building trust and engagement across organizations.

Here are five compelling reasons to care about Leader and Manager Communication:

  1. Leaders at all levels set the tone for the culture of the organization, and it is that tone that attracts and retains employees (or not)
  2. Effective leader and manager communication is the single most critical communication factor for improving financial performance
  3. When leaders and managers communicate openly, collaborate and promote teamwork, they are positive role models and influence better communication and collaboration at all levels of the organization
  4. Communication is the most important aspect of leadership, and the most important lever for engagement, change management and cultural transformation
  5. In a society dominated by high tech, high touch and personal connection is more important than ever

Historically, in the second half of the 20th century (1950s – 1990s) organizations put more resources towards training leaders and managers, with communication skills central to that training. As new communication technologies have emerged, and budgets have tightened, this training, and skill, has gone to the wayside in many companies. Our challenge as communication professionals is to resurrect the art of leader and manager communication by clearly defining communication roles and expectations, and ensuring there are systems, training, tools and incentives in place to enable them. As the channels of communication continue to evolve, leader and manager communication not only remains core, it’s even more essential.