One of the cornerstones of true leadership is the ability to communicate effectively with your team. A great leader can build consensus by understanding each person’s individual drivers and positioning the message accordingly.
In fact, strong communication skills were revealed in our research to be a top 5 positive predictor of professional success.
Here are 3 ways that better communication can benefit your finance team.
Buy-In
For your team to be successful there must be buy-in to the organization’s vision and your strategy for achieving it. But how do you create buy-in? It’s critical that you sit down with each member of your team and explain how their role connects to the larger picture. You want each person to feel a sense of purpose and contribution. The result: personal accountability.
Innovation
If you establish an environment of collaboration, where people share insights from client or company interactions then you encourage innovation. A company culture that is founded on a spirit of open, solutions-focused communication facilitates a problem solving mentality and increased efficiency in its processes.
Misunderstandings
An open door policy helps leadership nip potential problems in the bud. It also means that employees who are feeling dissatisfaction can come to you and talk about it. It pays, therefore, to connect with each of your team members once a month and ask about their job satisfaction. Take action if you can to address the concern and if you can’t explain why. This will help you to retain your team.
To build successful relationships with your team members, encourage a dialogue of sharing, collaborative problem solving. Lead by example. Listen more than speak and know that your investment in doing so will result in fewer misunderstandings, higher employee retention and a culture of innovation and improvement.
