Can leaders over communicate? The answer’s no.
I attended an event recently where a speaker was asked: ‘Can leaders over communicate?’
I turned to Clare and said: ‘Leaders over communicate? Never seen it!’
It’s like when people tell me they can’t run a survey because their employees have survey fatigue. I don’t believe that either. (They may be tired of you asking for their opinion and then not acting on what they tell you, but that’s entirely different.)
Most employees would say they don’t hear enough from their leaders. But it’s probably not more information that they want — it’s more connection.
It’s not carefully crafted emails or speeches written by your comms team. It’s not formal ‘hostage’ videos where the CEO stares, unblinking, into the camera reading a script as you imagine a just out of sight gun pointed at their head. It’s not 90-minute town halls with death by PowerPoint and no time for questions.
It’s short, sharp, frequent interactions that show people who you are, what you think and why you care.
It doesn’t have to mean oversharing and it doesn’t have to be a burden on your already busy schedule. But with studies consistently showing that good leader communication is linked to stronger business performance, it should be a priority.
So, how can you, as a busy leader, become a better communicator without it feeling like it’s one more thing to add to your workload?
1. Short, informal updates
A 90 second video recorded on your phone, a reply to a Slack post or a quick thankyou voice note can feel far more personal than a long email (and they’re quicker to do too). You can set aside 15 minutes every week in your diary to do this.
2. Show the inner workings
Employees want to know what’s going on. An easy way to do this is to set up a Slack or Teams channel and share a quick three-bullet summary from your leadership meeting. Yes, some of the meeting will be confidential, but there’ll be plenty you can share that employees will be interested to hear about.
3. Drop in on team meetings
Try dropping into one team meeting a week (or month), giving the team the chance to tell you what they’re working on. It’s also a chance for them to ask questions and hear directly from you how their work is contributing to the whole. Not only will you make people feel seen, it’ll give you invaluable insights into how people are feeling.
4. Set up a regular routine
Comms are easier when there’s a regular routine, and there are lots of ways you can be accessible to your employees without a lot of work. For example, monthly online breakfasts with a particular group (e.g. managers, women or interns), open door sessions, or announcing that month’s employee award winners. Your EA or comms team can help set these up — you just need to show up.
5. Get help, but make sure it’s your voice
If there’s news that needs to be shared more formally, it can still be in your voice. Jump on a call with your comms person and have a conversation about what’s happening and why. A good communicator will be able to write you something that’s still authentic, human, and very much you.
6. Lower the production bar
Gone are the days of expensive, highly produced three-minute long videos. No one’s watching those. Today, you can visit, say, a regional office, grab a team member, record a 30-second interview on your phone and share it directly with employees.
If you’d like help shaping a leadership comms strategy that puts you in touch with your team, we’d love to help.
