3 keys to effective leadership by Pilar Ortiz

Communication is one of the fundamentals of leadership. Nothing to do! A good leader must develop communication skills to maintain team cohesion, inspire authority, and project confidence. 

But what communication skills are necessary for leadership? Let me list some very effective keys that I have found, applied, and taught in the professional development of many executives I have worked with through coaching. 

Active listening: We listen to understand, to learn, to have enough information to enable us to act and make assertive decisions. Unfortunately, however, this is one of the qualities that we limit the most in the exercise of our leadership because it tends to be mistaken as a weakness when we want to project authority. 

Active listening allows us to get to know our work team. It helps us to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the team, and broadens our vision of the circumstances. It is not the same to make a decision considering the possibilities and risks that we identify in our loneliness, instead of having more eyes seeing from different perspectives. 

Learning to listen is valuable. But, learning to listen attentively! It shows interest in our interlocutor and his ideas, which motivates, inspires, and encourages. There is nothing better than feeling important!

Empathy: Empathy is the ability to put yourself in the shoes of others and is as necessary for leadership as it is in our daily lives. 

An empathetic leader demonstrates concern for the team and their needs, and I mean their needs in carrying out their responsibilities. 

It is not about becoming "best friends" and getting involved beyond the professional, but about being those leaders who recognize the limitations of their people and offer resources to help them scale and improve. 

Clarity: The success of communication is clarity. Being clear, punctual, and concrete with what you say facilitates the communication process and ensures easy reception of the message. Effective leadership has this component as well, not only in the structure of the message itself but also in the expectations and the assignment of roles within the work team. 

What experience has taught me is that clarity is connected to the projection of security and authority. When it exists, we give the perception of order and balance, which positions us as the person who gives direction and guidance.