Leadership Communication Red Flags

Once upon a time, when my son was young, he had a girlfriend who, when offered an omelette, looked at me blankly and squealed, “What’s an omelette?” Glad to say she didn’t last. 

 

Let’s face this kind of knowledge gap is a red flag. 

 

So, this week, I had a few cultural red flags that made my week less than perfect. 

 

I tried to catch a taxi home from a keynote and the taxi driver refused to take me as the fare was not large enough. When I told him that was illegal, he sped off at pace. I checked. It is illegal. 

 

I went to Safeway to buy capers. But I couldn’t find one single staff member who knew what ‘capers’ were. I suggested that without help, I would stand at their counter for the rest of the day looking like an annoyed blob, which was possibly not the best outcome (which might just be a red flag about me!). 

 

Then, the hinge on my folding cupboard door fell off. The maintenance guy said he would charge $300 to come and ‘look’ at the problem. 

 

The issue is, industries are morphing, areas of education are shifting, and professions are evolving. Whether it is for the better or not is the question. Personally, when I am queen, I am making it compulsory to study a second language to enter university (and yes, that used to be the rule before you were born). I might even make it Latin! 

 

Back in my swimming lane (as they say in strategic planning workshops), I see the tragic consequences of diminished/lost/ignored knowledge about leadership communication. 

 

Let me assure you that, by the time someone says “I think I am losing confidence” they are often at crisis point. But there is so much shame of failure, that by the time they admit it to themselves or others, it is a red flag.

 

Unfortunately, knowledge in this area seems rarer than hen’s teeth. As a coach, you need three sets of skills to combat the red flags in leadership communication: 

1. The ability to diagnose faulty habitual patterns. 
2. The depth of study and experience to know and teach the new skills. 
3. And, most important, the ability to facilitate change. It draws on a lot of different areas of knowledge and abilities, but the rewards are astounding. 

If you are struggling. . . don’t. Help is at hand. If I can’t help, I am sure to know someone who can elevate you to deliver the winning pitch, make a motivational presentation, excel at an interview or lead a whole organisation. Just ask. 

 

Here are my 5 most USELESS communication advice/statements/actions: 

1. Take a deep breath 
2. Think positive 
3. Believe in yourself 
4. Relax 
5. Put yourself in a glass box 

And here are the 5 most USEFUL tips: 

• Learn about your diaphragm 
• Develop personal mantras 
• Have a ritual of practice 
• Practise – but practise the right things 
• Don’t practise until you get it right. Practise until you can’t get it wrong.

Let me know your thoughts.