Communication and Leadership Skills

Introduction

Effective leaders understand the importance of strong communication skills. It is imperative for employees to understand the vision of the department or the company, and how they are accountable to the goals, which must be communicated by leadership. It is equally important that leaders ensure the accuracy of the communication they are providing. Leaders must also take into account how their employees receive information and the quality of the message they are sending.

In this essay I will share my experiences of ineffective or infrequent communication from my boss. I will analyze how poor communication can be viewed negatively and Finally, I will recommend how leadership can strengthen their communication skills.

My Experience

My boss is located at our corporate office in Richmond, VA; I live in southern California. We are separated by geography and time zones, which unfortunately affects our communication with one another. We often communicate asynchronously through e-mail, and occasionally through Office Communicator which is an instant messaging tool. We have scheduled one on one time together twice per month, but unfortunately our meetings are often cancelled due to competing priorities. Although I am clear about what my goals are and I do like my boss, I sometimes find myself frustrated, due to her lack of communication. There have been times that she assumes I know something when I do not. She sometimes holds information or deals with situations by avoiding the topic altogether. Sometimes she over communicates about things she would be better off keeping to herself until the time is appropriate to share the information and the due diligence has been done.

Last November, my boss reached ou...

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...lity to influence their teams to do great things, and communication is an important tool. Effective communicators understand the need to be understood, but most importantly they understand the needs of their employees and how they receive information.

Works Cited

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Effectiveness and Leader Performance. Group Decision and Negotiation, 19(3), 227-246. Retrieved September 1, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1987353871).

Rammage, J. D., & Bean, J. C. (1998). Writing arguments (4th ed.). Retrieved from http://courses.durhamtech.edu/perkins/aris.html.

Sanborn, M. (n.d.). How leaders communicate; part I. Retrieved from http://www.marksanborn.com/blog/how-leaders-communicate-part-1

Sanborn, M. (n.d.). Why leaders fail. Retrieved from http://www.leadershipnow.com/sanborn.html