Communication Drives the Value of Our Relationship
In my last post "Relationship is the Currency of Leadership" I began a conversation that invited us to consider our own view of leadership. As I've been on a journey of leadership development, recently I found myself considering the following...
Relationship is the currency of leadership. The more I invest in relationships and develop relationships, the more sizeable my leadership bank account will be. Leadership hinges on the reality that someone has another human or humans who follow them. True leadership is about an individual who is facilitating a group of people toward a cause/mission/purpose. Therefore, every leader must acknowledge two critical relationships that are the foundation of leadership:
The leaders relationship to the cause/mission/purposeThe leaders relationship with the people who are helping realize the cause/mission/purpose
As we progress forward in the conversation, I want to expand our view to see that relationship is all about communication. If relationship is the currency of leadership, we embrace the fact that communication drives the value of our relationship.
Research from Prepare-Enrich, focusing on healthy relationships, informs us that communication is the most important quality contributing to a good relationship. It is through communication that we foster connection, meaning, purpose and a sense of belonging. When we apply this to leadership, we quickly realize it is through our communication we either foster a deeper relationship or we weaken relationship. If leadership is relationship and relationship is communication, vibrant leadership demands vibrant communication.
As you develop your leadership, develop the value of your relationships by prioritizing the following conversation focal points:
Communicate Appreciation
Communicate Worth
Communicate Value
Communicate Participation
Communicate Direction
Communicate Purpose
A final note...in order to experience vibrant communication, you must invest time. It takes time to communicate. It takes time to listen. As leaders, we must prioritize relational time with those we are leading. In order to create a compelling context for connection, we must invest our time. Real presence will cultivate the rhythms of communication that will increase the value of your leadership.