ISO: Leaders Who Desire Authentic Communication

Today’s communication landscape is confusing.

Too many inputs.

Too many variables.

Too many “alternative facts” and contradicting theories.

Our technology, our political rhetoric, and a never-ending news stream are driving division for profit and for votes and our employees, our communities, and our families are confused, frustrated, and quite frankly, exhausted.

This is the world we live in, THIS IS 2021. This is where we find ourselves … So what can we do about it? What can you do about it?

For those of us willing to take responsibility and become a part of the solution, there is a simple solution.

Simple … but not easy.

We must focus on what we can control… We must become the change we seek in the world.

Authentic Communication in real time is increasingly becoming a rare and valuable commodity.

Leaders who develop and possess this skill are, and will continue to be, sought out and highly compensated.

The beauty of this is that this skill is available to all of us. Anyone who is willing to accept the responsibility of leadership and then to do the work and put in the time can build skills in this area.

What do we mean by Authentic Communication?

At The Communication Gym, Authentic Communication is the ability to communicate your motivations, your intentions, and your expectations with confidence, courage, clarity, and integrity. This one skill sets effective leaders apart from the pack. By developing our ability to speak clearly and simply within our circle of influence, we can each become a lighthouse in a turbulent ocean of information and miscommunication. With practice, commitment, curiosity, and a willingness to expand we can be a beacon for those who are lost in this sea of inputs and distractions.

A leader’s potential height is limited by the strength of their foundation.

Construction of the Tower of Pisa began in 1173 and the foundation began to tip immediately due to soft clay that could not support the weight of the structure. By the time the first three floors were completed, the tower had already tilted noticeably to the north. After a pause in construction due to war, a new architect continued to build the next levels of the tower. At this time the tower was leaning nearly 6 degrees to the south. The next four floors were built at an angle to compensate for the existing tilt. By the time the tower was completed In 1374 the lean had been permanently cast in stone. The tower continues to be unstable and has required multiple reinforcements to keep it from falling over.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa was not built on bedrock. Its potential height was dramatically limited by its foundation. Because of an unstable foundation, the building's future remains precarious and will likely collapse under its own weight at some point.

What does the Leaning Tower of Pisa have to do with communication and leadership?

Too many leaders start building their leadership foundation on unstable ground. As their growing responsibilities add additional weight, they start to lean to the north or the south. Many will catch themselves and try to align their leadership philosophies and expectations, mid-construction, but from unsteady footing. When their tower starts to lean, they send out misaligned, muddled, and confusing messages. This back and forth and lack of structural integrity and clarity limit their ability to build a taller tower.

It limits their ability to lead.

Without a solid foundation, leadership will tilt, lean, and often fail.

The Communication Gym’s Leadership MVP Program challenges leaders to build their foundation: to dig deep into their principles, their perspectives, and their character and to find the bedrock on which to build their tower.

We ask them to go inside and explore why they are in leadership; what motivates them to succeed in this often difficult role? Leadership is challenging and it requires knowing WHY success is important, so when the hard times come, leaders have a strong foundation to make courageous decisions and take courageous action.
We ask them to create clear messages around their vision and their intentions: “what does it look like, feel like, and sound like when we realize our goals?” The main responsibility as a leader is to define the future and to have the ability to describe that vision to all stakeholders.
We ask them to build a congruent leadership philosophy that clarifies expectations. We ask them to clearly state what they expect from others, and what others can expect from them.

Once the foundation is built, it is a leader's primary responsibility to communicate with their team. Where are we going? Why are we going there? What does success look like? What will it take to get us there? What do you expect of me? A leader is defined not necessarily by their own actions, but by the impact of the actions of those who follow. When those actions are aligned with specific and measurable outcomes, and the team executes on those outcomes, that leader is successful.

Our Leadership MVP program challenges, supports, and inspires leaders to build their skills and their strength so their message has integrity and clarity. We provide leaders with lessons, coaching support, and a practice regimen around effective communication. We support them in developing a variety of ways to communicate messages that others can understand and that translate into action. This practice forces leaders to stretch beyond their current skill set. To add new communication tools that will help them to connect with their teams and to understand how to communicate clearly and effectively with a wide variety of team members.

Our goal is to give them the real-world tools required to express Authentic Communication.

I know this program helps each of them live closer to the core of their character as they continue their leadership journey.