Encourage leaders to communicate actively and effectively

These days, a significant part of HR's tasks consists of recruitment and selection, as well as handling employees' administrative matters. Beyond this, however, HR organisations also have a strategically important role, namely to continuously ensure employees' development and to support them in active and effective communication, whether it is a matter of colleagues doing manual work or of leaders. 

Part of this is also that they cooperate with leaders in improving internal communication. After all, retaining an outstanding member of staff often depends on how their direct superior communicates with them.

This is why you have to continuously work on developing leaders' communication

The goal of communication - which is at the same time the essence of leadership work - is to have an effect on others, to bring about the realisation of our intentions. This is impossible without conscious and well-prepared communication.

According to a Gallup survey, the leader could prevent about 75% of resignations. Of course, only if they notice in time and can effectively handle the situations that lead to resignation. And if the leader is able to communicate effectively, calmly and empathetically. According to another Gallup survey, close to 50% of employees name their direct manager as the reason for their resignation. This can of course cover many things, from pointless tasks, through disrespect and violation of human dignity, to religious, political, ethnic and other discrimination. The stressful and unpleasant work environment caused by an incompetent leader is not relieved in the long run even by a higher salary and other fringe benefits. Sooner or later employees resign. 

To quote the words of Jim Clifton:

"The single most important decision you make in your job - more important than all of the rest - is who you name as your leader. When you name the wrong person as leader, nothing fixes that bad decision. Not compensation, not benefits - nothing."

A leader's improper behaviour and crude communication can destroy the company's employer image in the eyes of new colleagues in a matter of moments. That is why leaders must definitely be supported in effective communication, whether it is a matter of providing the right communication channel, or of leadership training.

Leaders have different backgrounds

Companies often forget that not only those who are members of management qualify as leaders. Everyone is to be considered a leader who leads even a small group, or who may not even have direct subordinates but delegates tasks to others, influences and motivates, and to whom others are accountable regarding a particular topic or project. This means that at large companies there are numerous employees filling a leadership role who do not have communication, HR or management training, and who EQ-wise also differ. That is exactly why it is important to regularly devote time and energy to the continuous development of all this knowledge and these skills.

Here is how you can help leaders

Regardless of whether the leader comes from outside the organisation, or a colleague is promoted because of their performance and abilities, supporting leaders in their individual development is indispensable. Several tools are available for this.

According to the traditional method

Companies organise offline training and workshops for leaders, where they can acquire theoretical knowledge and practise the acquired knowledge in a safe environment. Once the training is over, however, there is usually no follow-up and support. The leaders "go back" to their old environment and are left on their own. So either they manage to behave according to what they heard at the training, or they do not. 

The trainers cannot offer any guarantee of success. They cannot take responsibility for whether, for example, leaders who took part in an assertive communication training can still communicate with colleagues according to the methods learned - and, in a good case, practised - there 2-4 weeks later. Or whether they even still remember the communication technique they learned. This is especially true if the others do not yet have such knowledge, and so, because of the initial failures and difficulties, they are not persistent in practising.

According to the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, people forget about 50% of what they learned/heard that same day, and 90% of it within a month. 

It also happens that although they try to apply the patterns received during the training, for some reason it still does not work in their case. This is mostly because they concentrate on applying the learned patterns (what and how they want to say) and not on the needs of colleagues that appear in a given situation.

During training we receive knowledge, but changing our behaviour, and especially our habits, can only be achieved through conscious and regular practice. And for this, time, patience and persistence are needed on the individual's part. In addition, one should not forget about the supportive environment either, which not only provides the opportunity to practise but also helps it.

According to the modern method

Companies call on digitalisation in order to develop the skills of leaders and colleagues. This can happen by sending leaders to online courses or workshops lasting several hours/days, held by specialists. This is the virtual version of traditional training, which is only better than offline workshops in that these training materials can be watched back afterwards. 

The other, increasingly popular and more effective digital method of developing leaders and colleagues is microlearning. In this case too, the learning materials can be created by external specialists, by HR or by expert colleagues. Their great advantage is that they share knowledge that can be quickly processed and immediately put into practice. What is more, the information can be searched in a topic- and situation-specific way, unlike in the case of larger courses. 

In addition, through gamification we can create a virtual environment that supports practice in a safe setting. This way leaders can apply their new skills much more confidently and routinely in the real, live environment.

According to research, a large part of the Hungarian adult population aged 18-69, 6.2 million people, owned a smartphone in 2022. In other words, almost all of us have in our pocket or in our hand the tool to develop our skills. Digitalisation and leadership communication apps that also work on smartphones, like CHEQ, make it possible to continuously support leaders. Through the digitalised system they

• can access learning materials that develop communication skills (active listening, attention, deduction, argumentation, motivation, etc.) at any time, in order to refresh their knowledge.
• can receive tips and templates on how to handle difficult and unexpected situations.
• can even develop their EQ through special games.

Choosing the digital method is more advantageous from the employer's point of view too

This solution is, compared to offline training, more cost-effective and also measurable. Through it we can monitor not only whether

• the leaders completed the training recommended to them, 
• where they stand in processing the learning materials
• whether they read the leadership tips sent to them
• what level they are at regarding the EQ-developing game

but we can also get immediate feedback on how the leaders' direct subordinates think about their leader, and what change they experience regarding the leaders' communication and functioning. From this it also becomes clear in which area a leader's development needs to be supported individually, so that they can become an even better leader.

It is important that we request this feedback anonymously (if we have the opportunity), in order to reduce the chances of distorted answers stemming from fear. This also means that the results obtained must be handled confidentially later too. 

With CHEQ, all of this is easy to achieve. 

However, one should not forget about the important factor that the leader themselves also has to be committed to their own development. This commitment mostly stems from the leader understanding how important it is to communicate properly and effectively. HR has a huge role in highlighting the importance of effective and empathetic communication, and in being ready to give every kind of support to leaders so that they can develop.

Here is how to prepare the joint work with leaders, so that you can support them in effective communication

1. Together, define what it actually means to be a good leader, and how a good leader communicates.

Clarify that a leader's tasks do not end with their team finishing every project and task on time. They also have to be approachable, someone who is able to inspire their colleagues and get the most out of them. This  requires high EQ and excellent communication skills, which need to be continuously developed.

2. Discuss what exactly HR/the company expects from the leader, and how you measure whether the expectations have been met.

If the expectations include, for example, that they should 

• reduce staff turnover by 5%, 
• increase the team's performance by 10%
• convince 80% of the team to actively take part in an optional event regularly organised by the company (e.g. a charity fair)

then the leader themselves will also come to see that it may indeed be worth polishing their communication. And as a result of this realisation, you will run into less resistance during the development. In fact, it may even happen that, on their own decision, the leader also starts training themselves independently.

Books can also positively shape leaders' communication. What is more, in an earlier article we even collected 9 useful reads that provide support in effective communication and can thereby improve internal corporate communication. Feel free to recommend these books to your leaders.