Leaders as Communicators

LEADERS AS COMMUNICATORS
Leaders as senders of information:
In order to reach new benchmarks of achievement for the company, a leader shall master the art of clear communication. This means the message’s purpose and intention need to be clearly transmitted and understood by the receiver. Therefore, it involves two challenges: firstly, to be clear of the purpose of the message; and secondly, transmitting the message clearly.
The best way for establishing and maintaining clarity of purpose is to use the 5 W’s: 1. What is the purpose of the message? 2. Who needs to hear it? Who needs to transmit it? 3. Why do we need to transmit this message? 4. When does it need to happen? 5. Which stakeholders will be affected by the message?
A leader shall spend sufficient time to plan effective communication. To achieve successful transmittal of the messages the leader shall select the most appropriate communication channel, try to keep the messages simple, avoid languages that could lead to misinterpretation and be honest.
The best way to communicate a message is to do so assertively. Assertive communication involves expressing messages (negative or positive) in an open, honest and direct manner. The objective of assertive communication is to transmit the message in a way that is constructive, minimizes the negative effects of the conflict and fosters a mutually beneficial outcome.

Leaders as receivers of information:
Leaders can employ the following there techniques to ensure receipt of clear messages: 1. Effective listening 2. Effective questioning 3. Emotional intelligence
Communication Channels: Verbal Communication | Nonverbal communication | Face to Face: 1. Individual face – to- face 2. Meetings 3. Presentation 4. Video- conferencing | Written: 1. Reports 2. Memos 3. Letters 4. Emails 5. SMS 6. Internet and intranet web pages | Telephone: 1. Telephone calls 2. Conference calls 3. Voicemail | Physical: 1. Actions 2. Behaviors 3. Body languages |
Table No. 1
Table No. 1
Communication channels refer to the media used to transmit messages with in the organization. Such as:
To achieve organizational goals, it is necessary that internal communication should be both smooth and direct. Following table illustrates the impact of leadership styles have on communication within organizations:
Table No. 2
Table No. 2

In order to get in-touch with organizations outside the organization following channels are used: 1. Public Relations a) TV Advertisements b) Talk show appearances (radio, internet or TV) c) Media conferences & media releases d) Corporate sponsorship of events etc. 2. Customer Relations
Leader adopts methods to ensure communication with an organization’s internal & external customers. The following upside down pyramid approach to leadership explains the role a leader play in customer relationship (community):

Barriers to Communication:
Table No. 3
Table No. 3
Following can be the types of barriers:

Conflict Management:
Conflict occurs when 2 or more parties have incompatible goals & interests

Importance of Communication in KTG region.
Now, having covered the concepts of communication mentioned further are the methods to overcome communication barriers at KTG region.
As per KTG’S CEO following were the operational reviews of the company: 6. A lack of staff awareness of KTG business goals, values and policies
In order to create awareness of the company’s business goals, values and policies the leader shall adopt the following communication approaches:
While informing the staff the leader shall first focus on clearly establishing the intention of the message before transmitting it, i.e. the intention is to communicate the business goals, values and policies. Develop a written official document for the same to aid clarity. Prepare a communication plan that allows the message to be communicated verbally and non-verbally. Finally, check whether the message was understood.
To achieve effective communication of the message the leader should encourage dialogue to promote understanding and prevent misinterpretation.
The leader should employ assertive communication technique as it will benefit in achieving better relations with subordinates, increased responsiveness from others to leader requests and diffusion of conflict situations.
He should follow up verbal communication sessions with a written summary. This serves to document what was discussed and ensures all participants in the communication process are following the same goals, values and policies.
He can adopt the channel of face to face communication and written communication (Table No.1) for this purpose.
Especially in communicating goals, values and policies, which are essential for the company’s success, the leader should strictly ensure that the barriers in communication (Table No. 3) are overcome through developing communications skills such as presentation, effective questioning, effective listening, conducting strategic conversations, etc.
Considering Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y, the KTG’S leader can decide his leadership style according to the nature of his staff. Where, Theory X leaders assume that followers have inherent dislike of work and will avoid it whenever possible, and theory y leaders assume that people are intrinsically motivated by their work.

7. A lack of engagement with the community and regional government
A key priority for a socially responsible leader is to develop and maintain strong and mutually beneficial relationships with its community and government. Leader that takes an active interest in community well-being can generate community support, loyalty and good will for the company. Therefore, KTG’s leader should communicate with them using channels of communication such as TV advertisement, talk show appearances, media conferences and media releases, newspaper articles, public speeches and meetings, exhibitions, mail or email campaigns, corporate sponsorship of sports, arts or cultural events.
KTG’s leader would play an important role in this scenario because he may be required to be the public face of the organization and leaders are typically held responsible for the overall public image of the organization, as such, he may need to use government relation opportunity to influence public perception.

In conclusion : 1. A solution to aforementioned situation would be the the leader should utilize the following communication skills to make its staff aware of the company’s business goals, values and policies. 2. presentation 3. asking effective questions 4. listening 5. conducting high impact conversations 6. coaching and mentoring skills (one-on-one communication)