Leadership skills can be both inbuilt and educated, however the actual ability to lead is hugely dependent on clear communication. You could be the most innovative, forward thinking strategist in the business, yet if you cannot communicate your vision for the company you will always be fighting a losing battle. Here are four ways in which management consultants will help you communicate more effectively with your team.
It’s good to talk
‘Teamwork makes the dream work’ as the old adage says, and this is never truer than in a business environment. You need to have each member of your team on board, united in vision while bringing their own individual talents and strengths to the table, and the best way to do this it to talk openly and regularly with them. Teams are built on trust and by investing time in team communication, you will build rapport and this in turn will strengthen their trust in your vision and expertise, even if it differs from previous protocol.
New team, new dream
Starting afresh in a new role or department can be the perfect opportunity to bring about change, however if you are a leader inheriting a troubled team then you will need to deal with the existing issues before you can move forward together. This is where investing in the expertise of a management consultant can be hugely beneficial, because they can bring impartial advice and recommendation that will not be taken personally by your employees. Consultants can identify problem relationships from the outset and work with you to resolve them quickly, while protecting the new rapport you are working to build with each individual. Challenging conversations like these can be better accepted from an ‘outsider’ while your team learns to trust that you are in their corner.
Make the change
For a team to work more effectively, sometimes changes need to be made to the structure, and there are many reasons for this. Whether you are bringing in new talent to boost the team or making redundancies due to budget cuts or poor performance, team changes need to be communicated carefully. Management consultants can analyse your current processes and identify improvements to increase productivity and profit margin. In addition to this insight, consultants are adept at dealing with challenging conversations and can facilitate effective communication to help you to reassure your team, particularly in the event of letting people go. Such changes must be made quickly and considerately, so that individuals fully understand the reasons and can leave positively, minimising the fallout for the rest of the team.
Don’t drip feed
One of the most common frustrations for employees is not being kept in the loop, and senior leaders can have a habit of drip feeding titbits of information to their team as and when they need to. Last minute communications put your workforce under unnecessary pressure, and can result in confusion and poor performance, so make 2017 the year that you invest in management consultant training to improve the communication in your team.