Communication – The Third Competency
Number three on the list of competencies needed for leaders in the Inside Higher Ed* article is Communication Savvy. In other words the necessary skill is being knowledgeable about one’s communication, thoughtful about what and how one is communicating, and effective in that communication. This takes work, practice, and sadly learning from mistakes as we go.
In 2014, NASPA, published Executive Transitions in Student Affairs: A Guide to Getting Started as the Vice President. Edited by Ainsley Carry, I was one of the authors who contributed a chapter to this useful guide. As it happens my chapter was titled “Communication: The Most Overlooked Skill.” We gave it that title because it is sometimes the case that people who have achieved leadership positions assume they are good communicators. After all, if they weren’t, they wouldn’t have been successful. But the reality is that when changing roles, it is worth reviewing one’s communication strategies to ensure that they are appropriate to the new role. It’s also true, that communication strategies can become stale so regardless of our length of time in a role or the kind of organization we work in, taking time to be thoughtful about our communication styles, methods, and messages is always useful.
Here are the main points from my chapter:
- “You send a message with every word and every action; just doing what you do every day sets a tone. Everyone is paying attention. You are a role model and this is part of the job. You will be surprised at how much people notice and what they read into everything you say and do.”
- “As soon as possible, create venues to share your experiences. Everyone has had different experiences, so you cannot expect everyone to be working from the same assumptions. People want to know what you care about; reflect on it and take every opportunity to share that message.” [This is just as important if you have even in your position for a while. The people in your organization will change and you want them to hear it directly from you, plus a good reminder is helpful for all of us now and again.]
- “Learn as much as possible as quickly as you can. You never know when a critical issue or opportunity will appear on your desk and require a quick decision. One way to ensure that you are being heard in the way you intend is to be sure you understand as much as possible about your … university.”
- As a leader, “ask questions, lots of questions.” Whether you are new or not, continuing to ask questions is one of the ways you communicate that you are interested in learning, that you care about what people have to say, and, depending on the questions, can be an effective way to frame discussions in new and different ways.”
- “Listening may be the most powerful tool (a leader) has. Listen to everyone who wants to talk with you. As you ask questions, show that you are listening in all the ways we know: follow up with questions, add comments, nod your head, lean forward. Listening communicates to people that you want to hear the good and the bad. Find ways to listen to people who rarely get a chance to talk with (senior leaders).”
- “Be thoughtful and strategic about your communications, both formal and informal, online and in person. Use newsletters, e-mail, (social media) and other communication tools to get your message out. Your audience is evolving and you should as well.”
- “Do not be afraid to say, ‘I don’t know.’ While there may be places where that is not a good strategy, it is better not to try to fake an answer when you do not have one. You are not expected to have answers for everything…. There will be numerous issues and challenges you have not had time to think through and for which you have not yet developed a competent response.” There should be fewer and fewer of those occasions as you grow more experienced in your work, but still an honest “I don’t know, but I’ll find out” is an important way to help people see you as an honest, open communicator.
If you haven’t taken time to think about your communication strategies lately, now might be a good time to do so. Are those you are using to communicate with different constituencies still effective or do they need a change? Have you met with people face to face recently to talk about what’s going on in your organizational world or is everyone “too busy”? Taking time to focus on your communication with the people you work with (up, down, and across the organizational chart) is critical. Making time to communicate effectively saves time and hassle in the long run.
Take care,
Gage