Leadership Voice: The backbone of Large scale change

How can one communicate more powerfully, in order to build trust as well as increase impact? How one can communicate in a way that the change that the organization is undergoing, is a cake walk for the people who will be subject to changing environment?

In order to tap ones full potential, one need to develop a unique yet appropriate voice. Ideally, it should resonate strongly with their personal values and leadership style. While the core beliefs governing communication must be consistent, one can tailor the specifics to different situations. The voice is a crucial aspect of individual’s professional brand – it can make or break careers.

Leading with a strong, clear voice fosters loyalty and high performance. On the other hand, inconsistent and unclear communication fractures trust and hurts morale and creates hindrances for the change.

To develop ones leadership voice, he/she need to be deliberate about it. Some of the ways in which one can cultivate a more strategic and influential communication:

1. Envisioning the future

Great leaders are visionary. They go beyond the narrow focus on their own role/team and embrace a broader viewpoint. Not only do they have a vision for the future, but they are also able to communicate it meaningfully. Ones voice as a leader must be compelling and motivating, connecting the dots between day-to-day tasks and long-term goals, between individual functions and the bigger enterprise picture. Whether they are implementing a new strategy or making recommendations, explain how these steps will help ones team as well as the organisation achieve their objectives.

2. Being the anchor in a storm

One of the defining traits of leadership is remaining calm in the midst of chaos. In moments of crisis, ones voice should act as a grounding presence and bring clarity to those around one – rather than fuelling panic. Dispel rumours, stick with facts, and be transparent as far as possible. Don’t play the blame game or dwell endlessly on the problem – instead, use ones communication to move the group into problem-solving mode. Make doubly sure that ones message is clearly understood, because there’s a lot more scope for confusion in such circumstances. Don’t assume – check for understanding.

Before one walk into a meeting that’s likely to become tense or upsetting, holding a key motto in mind, such as “listen, absorb, then respond” or “don’t take it personally” or even simply “stay cool”. Also one should be aware about inherent biases – these tend to come out in the form of knee-jerk responses or “us versus them” narratives when things go wrong, which can damage ones trustworthiness and reputation as a leader.

3. Finding ways to connect

As one climb the leadership ladder, small talk or telling stories can seem unnecessarily time-consuming. However, if ones voice loses the human touch, it becomes very difficult for people to connect meaningfully with one. If one really want to inspire ones colleagues and teams, one’ll need to invest some time and effort in staying connected as one work together.

In the Harvard Business Review article, One Don’t Just Need One Leadership Voice – One Need Many, Amy Jen Su highlights the value of enhancing ones storytelling skills. A compelling story can help one drive home a point, close a deal and create an excellent rapport with their team. Leaders who can tell a good story are memorable and impactful.

4. Be the speaker for the unspokens

As a leader, voice carries weight and authority, putting one in the ideal position to facilitate fairer, more inclusive team interactions. Pay attention to the dynamics of team: Are some people taking up all the airtime? Are other, more reserved team members being silenced, even when they have something to contribute? Is the discussion around an issue becoming one-sided?

Use ones leadership voice to correct this imbalance by creating the opportunity for every team member’s opinions to be heard. This will allow valuable information and ideas to surface, which might otherwise be lost. It will also benefit ones team members themselves: the dominant ones will develop the art of listening, while the timid ones will learn to speak up.