Seven Leadership Communication Tips for Newbies: Get Outstanding Results Faster

Bond with your team and reap the rewards

It can be challenging to talk to your team as a new leader. You want to be approachable, but you also need to set boundaries and enforce rules.

It can be tricky to find the right balance.

You may feel like you don’t want to seem like you are bossing your team around, but at the same time, you need to make sure that they understand what is expected of them.

In particular, it’s essential to be aware of how your words and actions can affect others.

I started leading people in the eighties, and I made many mistakes. I soon learned when I had done something wrong, but a lot of the time, I didn’t know what I’d done or why it was wrong.

Most new leaders receive no leadership training and are expected to become great leaders overnight.

If you are new at leading a team, here are seven tips that might help you:

1. Establish a connection with your team

Your new team needs to know that you care about them and are accessible. An easy way to do this is to have regular one-to-ones with your team.

A one-to-one is a meeting you have with your team member, in private, regularly. The benefits are that you create a safe space to talk about work and personal issues that your team member may be having.

In my article One-to-One Meetings: Your Most Effective Leadership Tool I explain what one-to-ones are and how to conduct them.

2. Explain your vision and goals to the team

Your new team needs to know what is expected of them, and it might be different from what the last manager wanted.

Take some time to go over the goals for the team. This should include who does what, by when, and to what standard. Make sure to ask if anyone needs any training to do what is required.

Ideally everyone in your team should understand SMART goals:

S- Specific

M-Measurable

A-Achievable

R-Relevant

T-Time-bound

3. Show that you care about your team’s development

In your one-to-one meetings, talk about your team member’s career aspirations. Ask your direct reports where they want to be in a year or three years.

Find out if success means doing an excellent job in their current role or promotion. If it is the former, find ways to keep their job enjoyable. If the latter, think about how you can help them develop to their next role.

An essential part of a leader’s job is coaching, training, and developing their team. You need to talk to your team about their development to find out what they need now and what you can do to help them with career goals

4. Be clear and concise

Your team needs to know what you want them to do, so communicate clearly. Include facts. If you ask them to do something, ensure they know who is meant to do it, the details of what is expected, and when you need it.

To get your point across, follow up with an email with bullet points that precisely show what needs to be done, including time-frames.

Make sure you are available in case your team needs clarification. Always answer your phone, check your voicemails and read & reply to your emails. If your team can’t get hold of you, they can’t ask questions.

5. Celebrate success

When your team member does something well, praise them. Most people appreciate a thank you when they have completed a task. Don’t be stingy with your praise.

If you have a team meeting, do some shout-outs about what your team has achieved since you last met.

Email your team or an individual to thank them for their excellent work. Make sure you copy in your boss and other leaders, so they see what your team is achieving.

Company newsletters are a great way to recognize your team. Make sure any wins are sent to whoever compiles the newsletter.

6. Be open to feedback

After a week or so, start asking your team for feedback on your communication style.

• Are they getting enough relevant information from you?
• Are you getting back to them quickly enough when they ask a question?
• Do they want more or fewer team meetings?
• What would be an ideal time frame for one-to-one meetings? Once a week? Once a fortnight?
• Do they understand what is expected of them?
• Are there any ways communication within the team can be improved?

7. Encourage questions

Create a space for the team to ask you questions. This could be in their one-to-one meetings or in a team meeting. Your team may have questions about their role, a particular task, or what is going on within the company.

There may be times when you know the answer to questions but cannot say anything, for example, if you are privy to details of a merger or department restructure. In this case, tell the team that you cannot share the details but an announcement will be made in due course. Give a time if possible.

Summary

Learning to communicate as a new leader does not happen overnight, but it is doable and straightforward if you are willing to learn.

The key point is to remember that everyone is a human being that deserves respect and that we all like to be treated in the same way. If you put yourself in the position of your team members, you can’t go wrong.

Takeaways:

• Establish a connection with your team
• Explain your vision and goals for the team
• Show that you care about their development
• Be clear and concise
• Celebrate success
• Be open to feedback
• Encourage questions

I write about leadership & training, and I’ve designed The New Leader’s Starter Kit to help leaders better communicate with their teams. Get your free copy here.

The New Leader’s Starter Kit takes you through how to run One-to-Ones and Constructive Feedback sessions & develop effective listening skills — a printable one-to-one form, feedback form and listening skills checklist included.