Becoming a Better Leader through Communicating
As a leader, I make it a goal to relate to those around me whom I lead in order to get them to trust me and foster a better relationship with them. I do communicate with structure, but I overall favor currently communicating with warmth over competence in order to foster this relationship. For example, during meetings for club organizations or for work, I’ll always ask for an update on how everyone is doing and talk a bit about updates in our lives before diving into the specific agenda. When I communicate, I am good at using the appropriate tone. Most times, I am communicating enthusiastically, but there have been times a more serious tone is required, such as in certain professional presentations.
My main weakness in communication tends to focus on being direct on agenda items. I tend to dwell on a certain point, occasionally using too many filler words, before moving on to the next point. Ultimately, my goal of being more direct in communication is something I will strive to do as a leader going forward. I will stop spending too much time on certain aspects and be more direct so we can move faster. Sometimes I’ve found that I also need to work on being more confident and assertive. When collaborating with people in groups, this actually tends to be more of a strength for me, but is more of a weakness when I’m giving a presentation. Usually the more I know what I’m talking about, the better my communication is to whom I am presenting to. For both weaknesses of being assertive and direct, I’ve realized that when I would rehearse a couple times before presenting to a group, it would improve my communication markedly. The amount of time to rehearse may be a bit off putting, but it’s ultimately key to having better communication. So rehearsing a couple times before meetings will be something I start. I will also continue to communicate warmly, and use the appropriate tone, to help foster the relationships with the people I am working with so we can have a better dynamic and perform well as a team.
