Why Communication is Important in Business Leadership

Several traits make up a great leader, including being a strong communicator. Communication is vital in business. Leaders must be able to translate ideas and information quickly, accurately, and to a variety of groups, including employees, stakeholders, and customers. And they must do so with confidence.

Without communication skills, progress lags, and employees flounder. Challenges become emergencies instead of growth opportunities. Indeed, we can’t understate the importance of communication in business.

Why Is Communication Important In Leadership?

Leaders, like all people, are each unique. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. Some of us are naturally gifted communicators, while others of us still have work to do. If you fall into the latter category, don’t wait. You can’t hone all of your leadership skills at once, but communication should be a top priority for the following reasons.

Inspiration

A leader must have a vision for the future. Even more important, they must translate that vision to the masses — to their organization, if they’re going to make progress, and to the public, if they’re going to make sales.

Great communication is how you inspire your people into action instead of ordering them to complete tasks. This distinction is the difference between working with purpose and working for a paycheck.

And, inspiring communication is how you share your company’s “why” with the world, enabling them to connect on a deeper level. Connection is becoming more and more important to the modern consumer.

Some aspects of communication are about sharing straightforward facts. But others, like inspiration, are a bit harder to define. It’s about sharing a feeling more than a fact. The good news is, it takes authenticity and passion above all. You don’t have to be a natural “people person” to be an inspiring communicator. You simply have to believe in what you’re communicating.

Workflow

If the emotional side of communication doesn’t naturally resonate with you, the workflow side will. The importance of communication in business is seen in tangible results — the numbers. Leaders must be able to convey strategies and workflow expectations for their teams to make progress.

Without top-down communication, employees make moves based on guesswork. Processes, decisions, and results may lead to success — or they may miss the mark completely. Without a clear plan in place, there’s no telling how much time and energy will be wasted.

Most of us have experienced both sides of the communication coin during our careers. We’ve had managers who communicated well — and managers who didn’t. The former results in a smooth workflow with a clear path to success. But the latter creates chaos and stress.

Keep your operation running seamlessly by communicating clearly, frequently, and honestly.

Engagement

Is there anything more frustrating than poor communication? When employees never know what they should be doing, who to ask for support, and why projects are happening in the first place, they eventually start to disengage. It’s simply too exhausting to keep up with the chaos.

You see, engagement is rooted in trust. And if your people can’t trust you to translate the vision or share vital information for workflow, they have no reason to engage. Instead, they’ll coast along. They may continue to work hard, but their heart won’t be in it. Eventually, some of them may look for a new role at another company.

But when you offer clarity and share your vision consistently, engagement soars. Employees work with confidence knowing they have all the necessary information, and they eagerly await updates so they can continue to make progress. Being engaged is being tuned-in — to your colleagues and your leaders.

Satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is the level of contentment team members feel with their work, colleagues, and leaders. Satisfied workers are happy to contribute each day and eager to make progress with their teammates. But satisfaction is nearly impossible if top-down communication is weak.

When team members have to fight tooth and nail to get the information they need, there’s no time for contentment. Instead, work is a constant uphill battle. Misinformation, or lack of information, leads to mistakes and wasted time, which increases stress and resentment.

You’re in charge. You make the calls. If you don’t communicate well, your people cannot be at their best.

But proper communication opens doors and guides workflow. Armed with knowledge, your team members can focus on bringing passion and creativity to their jobs. This enables a positive employee experience — and job satisfaction.

Make Communication a Leadership Priority

As you can see, communication has significant effects on your employees and your organization. Knowing why communication is important in leadership, it’s clear that fostering strong communication skills should be your top priority.

Yes, other traits make a big difference in leadership. But none have consequences as far-reading as communication. If you’re eager to learn more about being a great communicator at your company, be sure to check out our previous articles on the topic, including:

My 6 Rules of Great Team Communication for best practices when you’re just starting out.

Distributed Teams: Clarity through Better Communication for success in remote environments.

How To Be A Better Communicator in the Workplace for tackling those tough conversations.

Plus, check out our podcast episode, Become a Better Listener with Kymberly Dakin, to improve your listening skills — a key ingredient in communication.