Communications Is One of the Keys to Leadership
January 1, 2008 by Eric Eggertson
Filed under Marketing
Great leaders must not only hold strong beliefs and exercise willpower, they must also communicate with their allies, their opponents and the public.
Historian Paul Johnson recently gave a speech describing the characteristics of great political leaders. He says:
"[The] ability to see the world clearly, and to draw the right conclusions from what is seen, is the foremost lesson which great men and women of state have to teach us.
He lists the other five leadership qualities:
- Clear ideas and beliefs - the fewer the better so as not to confuse or dilute.
- Willpower - “the most decisive of all qualities in public life”.
- Pertinacity - “a determination to see the cause through at all costs”.
- The ability to communicate - a few simple, true and workable ideas “are enormously enhanced if put across with equal simplicity”.
- Magnanimity - “greatness of soul”.
(Thanks to Bob Turek of the Project Management 411 blog.)
Notice that having clear ideas is the precursor to clear communications. Being effective at getting your point across is only valuable if you have a point to make in the first place.
He makes some good points about the need for clear aims and a minimum of political interference in wartime.
"What successful statesmanship in the past teaches us, again and again, is that clarity of aim is paramount, above all in the deadly serious business of war-making," he says. Johnson points to the Second World War and the Falklands War as wars that had clear objectives. The Suez conflict, the Vietnam War and the second Gulf War are examples of military actions with poorly articulated aims and ongoing political interference in military decisions.
A good lesson for business leaders, as well. Set clear direction, and get out of the way of your troops.
Hillsdale College releases the texts of speeches from its seminars and lecture programs. Visit their website to subscribe to the Imprimis newsletter.
Tags: business, communications, leadership, war, falklands, suez, gulf war, vietnam, leaders, military
Eric- I appreciate the link and your “get out of the way of your troops” comment. Are you an Imprimis fan?
Timely topic, Eric. Some useful views of leadership communication are in December’s IABC Cafe2Go podcast, posted at the weekend - interview with Jay Coleman who’s the 2008 chair of IABC’s EXCEL Award.
http://tinyurl.com/39emwd
I agree totally with this post. I think effective communication is VITAL for effective leadership. So much so, I think this has sparked another blog post for me. I’ll link back to yours, if you don’t mind that is. Thanks!