Real Communication

How To Be You and Lead True

Gabrielle Dolan

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9780730369721
• eBook ISBN: 9780730370536
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business General
• Index: Business

Effective communication through authentic leadership

A rapidly evolving workplace and disruptive technologies have created a growing demand for transparency and authenticity in communication from business leaders. Yet many decision-makers find themselves far behind the curve when it comes to understanding and meeting the evolving expectations of employees and customers.

Real Communication: How to Be You and Lead True reveals how to guide and communicate in a way that is authentic and will help business leaders truly connect and engage with their teams, customers, and coworkers.

• Communicate more effectively

• Improve employee engagement

• Manage organisational changes

• Help teams cope with change

When employees trust their leaders, businesses thrive. In Real Communication you will find everything you need to implement new strategies, instill core values, and cultivate engagement.

Introduction

This is just what the world needs, isn't it? Another bloody book on communication and leadership.

Well, I might not be the best salesperson in the world, but let me explain why I wrote this book and why you need to read it.

I have worked in business for over 35 years (which does make me feel a tad old …). For a big chunk of that time, I have helped leaders communicate more effectively and be the absolute best that they can be: authentic, insightful, impactful, influential … just plain real.

I know from personal experience how hard it is to work for, and work with, leaders who talk rubbish and never do what they say they do. (I don't think I am on my own here.) We are crying out for leaders who are authentic and speak in a way that is real.

This kind of authentic leadership and real communication is needed now, more than ever.

Why? Times have changed, and continue to change at a rapid rate (it's not slowing down!). With this change comes a whole new set of phrases, acronyms and jargon that is confusing and, at times, overwhelming. We are also more cynical of the world at large and, hence, more demanding of what we expect from the companies and leaders we work for.

So in part I of this book, we will explore the decline of trust in today's world and our confusion about knowing what or whom to trust. We'll also look at the evolving expectations of employees and customers, and why they are crying out for us to communicate to them in a more transparent and genuine way. And we'll examine the increasing amount of corporate jargon that we use and how that can be disengaging and isolating. Finally, we will look at our addiction to acronyms and how that can lead to inefficient communication and, in many cases, miscommunication.

In part II, you'll discover some practical ways to ensure you communicate concisely by putting your audience first. We will look at the need to include emotion and stories in your communication if you want to form a genuine connection with employees and customers. You'll also learn how to prepare your content so it's more engaging and visual, helping you deliver messages with impact — no matter if you're writing an email, talking one-to-one, holding a team meeting, pitching to a client or speaking on stage to a large audience.

Then in part III, we'll dive into what it really means to be an authentic leader. Through case studies and stories, you will experience what it looks like to have the clarity to use real words, and the courage to deal with what is real and admit when you have stuffed up. We will look in depth at leaders who have congruence in their values and actions, and who show what is real to them and the people they lead.

Throughout the book I've included real-life examples, stories and case studies from my clients as well as high-profile companies. And at the end of all chapters in parts II and III, I've included ‘Get REAL now' pointers and tips to help you apply the information provided to your communication and leadership. These examples and pointers will help you to see what real leadership looks like in practice and, ultimately, how you can get real with your employees, customers and colleagues.

We are all crying out for real communication and authentic leadership.

This book will show you why and how.

PART I
Why you need to get REAL now

It is more important than ever that we communicate in a way that is genuine, authentic and real. This is because of four worldwide trends that are influencing how effective we are when we communicate to others.

The four trends are:

• Decline in trust: We're surrounded by alternative facts, fake news and cover-ups. Royal commissions and inquiries have revealed years of systematic deceit, lies and betrayals of trust. It's no surprise that we are sceptical. Leaders need to be mindful of this cynicism when they are communicating to employees, customers and peers, especially in times of change.
• Evolution of expectations: Over the past decade, our expectations of how we work, how we lead and how we are communicated to has changed. The challenge is how we respond to this. Leaders need a new mindset and new skills to communicate and lead differently, while companies need updated processes and structures that encourage everyone to get and feel involved, regardless of their age or background.
• Rise of jargon: We use jargon as a default in business to help us fit in, to make us sound smarter than we are or to avoid saying what we really mean. The overall result? Miscommunication and the feeling of isolation as we struggle to understand what is being said by the people we work for, the companies we buy from, the peers we work with and even the kids we parent.
• Addiction to acronyms: Every acronym has a multiple meaning or interpretation. So if everyone has the same understanding and is clear on what a particular acronym stands for and means, great! However, if they are not (and the vast majority of the time they are not), using the acronym can lead to inefficiency, miscommunication and, in some cases, very embarrassing situations.

We'll explore each of these trends in detail in part I.

Chapter 1
Decline in trust

Here's how the Oxford Dictionary defines trust:

1. Firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something.
2. Acceptance of the truth of a statement without evidence or investigation.
3. The state of being responsible for someone or something.
4. A person or duty for which one has responsibility.

And here's how trust works in practice. I give my house key to my cleaners because I trust them to come in and clean my home when I'm not there and not damage or steal anything. My parents have a key to my place as a legacy from when they used to babysit the kids. My friend has a key in case I lock myself out and I can't get in, so too does my executive manager ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Epigraph
• Title Page
• Copyright
• The real Ral
• Really big thanks
• Introduction
• End User License Agreement