Your preferred future is clear to you. So are you communicating it? Enough?

Are you communicating enough? John Kotter found that most leaders under communicate their vision by a factor of 10! I have stepped away from John Kotter’s principles to focus on drill down on communication. Without good communication, your Vision is like a piece of paper that has been thrown into the river. #LeadershipDevelopment #Coaching #Training #WorkingGenius

• Transcript

  In John Kotter’s research, he found that most leaders under communicate their vision by a factor of 10. To paint a picture, that’s like if I was to tell you, I went for a 10 hour hike the other day. I got an hour in, sat down, poured water on my head and congratulated myself for a job well done and walked back to the car! Does that make you think about your communication?

  Last week on my podcast, I talked about Kotter’s 3rd Principal of change in which we must form a strategic vision. Once it is formed, we can’t expect that the communication piece is going to be a one time town hall or leadership meeting. We need to communicate the vision daily, at every chance we get.

  ‘We are going to work on this project, because it is going to help us achieve our vision of, dot dot dot.’

  ‘Yes, I love that you are going back to that client with that solution, it reflects our vision to become, dot dot dot.’

  The more that the vision is fresh in your mind and the minds of your team, the more that we will remember it, respond to it and act according to it.

  Further, communication isn’t just about what we say. In fact, what we say is going to mean nothing if we don’t walk the talk. Communicating our vision by re-ordering our own priorities and goals will get noticed. Continuing to do something which may not have immediate financial reward, but does have tangible links to your vision is going to help your team see that you are passionate about where your team is going. It will encourage greater engagement and productivity. And at the end of the day, it will create greater financial reward as well. Walking your talk is the greatest way to communicate your vision and excite people that they are a part of something that matters.

  Remember:

  Talk about your change vision as much as you can. It might not inspire someone today, but perhaps it will sink in tomorrow.

  Address people’s concerns and anxieties. And don’t be dismissive. The issues our team are facing are real in their mind and when we show empathy, they are going to respond with loyalty and that extra push you’re hoping for.

  Apply your vision everywhere you can. Tie every situation back to your vision. Make sure you clearly understand the answer to the question, ‘How does this project, this new hire, this staff reduction, this building programme help us to achieve our vision?

  And most importantly, Communicate your vision by your actions. A leader who leads by example will see far greater engagement and buy in than someone who lives in their ivory tower.

  I’m cheering for you! As you communicate your vision this week, May you find yourself well on the way to the peak of that hike!