new era hats

new era hats -

Leaders know that communication is one of their key roles. In fact whenever I have worked with a leadership team or group the subject of communication always comes up. People want to know how to communicate more effectively, and why people don't always seem to hear when they do communicate.


In those very same organizations people wish the leaders would communicate more often and/or more clearly. They often feel "in the dark" about decisions, plans and future direction.

In defense of the new era hats leaders, most often they do communicate, but often not very effectively. In fact, by definition, if the followers are not clear about what they have read or heard, then the communication hasn't been effective.

One of the areas where the gap is widest is in communicating decisions. Decisions are made (or followers think or new era hats assume they have been made), but the communication of those decisions is ineffective or incomplete.

The List

In working with a Management Team recently we examined this challenge and found a document that outlined some things to consider when communicating decisions. What follows are seven questions (with some commentary) to help you successfully communicate new era hats decisions within your organization (and beyond).

What are the key points or major messages you want to share when communicating the decision? Outline these points ahead of time. If each member of a leadership team is communicating individually, creating a common list of key messages is even more important. What do you really need to communicate about this decision?

How is this decision connected to/in alignment with our strategies, vision, mission and values? As leaders you (hopefully) have made decisions taking your strategies, mission, vision and/or values in mind. Since you may have struggled through the decision from these perspectives, or because you understand the strategies so clearly, these connections may seem obvious to you. They won't necessarily be as obvious to your audience. Help them see the connections and the relevance of this decision to the long-term picture of the organization.