LMA INSIGHTS: COMMUNICATING WITH THE TEAM

Great leaders have the ability to inspire outstanding performances in others by what they say and how they say it. This comes through experience and by taking on board some key principles.

Words: Dominic Irvine

Advertising guru David Ogilvy was once quoted as saying, “Set exorbitant standards. There is nothing so demoralising as a boss who tolerates second rate work.” What was once exceptional performance in time becomes the norm. I can think of no example in business or sport where the inexorable improvement in performance demands an expectation of unreasonable standards from people today. Don’t, therefore, be afraid to set the bar high in your expectations of the team. Provide them with a vision that makes the effort required worthwhile.

However, when setting standards don’t make the mistake of aiming to be something vague like ‘the best’ or ‘the greatest’, aiming to be at the top of the division or the industry leader by the end of the year is much clearer. John F. Kennedy did not talk about being the best in space exploration; his goal was unambiguous and very difficult – put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

PAINT THE PICTURE

A beautiful landscape painting doesn’t show you every blade of grass and leaf on every tree. There is enough detail that you know what it is, leaving your mind to fill in the gaps. Great team talks do the same, painting enough of a picture of how the future could be that everyone understands the message, but each person fills in the missing blanks as it best relates to them, their motivations, desires and goals.

For example, I once worked with an HR director of a major multinational about to be taken over by its largest rival. She needed everyone in her team to perform at the top of their game right up until they turned the lights out in the office for the last time. The challenge was that her team would be impacted by the takeover as much as everyone else. She chose to paint the picture of creating a legacy about which they could all be proud and have a great story to tell. For each individual that story mattered, whether because it could go on their CV to get a new job, to establish a career as a consultant or simply to be able to hold their head up high, knowing they had ‘done right’ by their colleagues.

Creating the space in the message that allows each individual to connect with their personal values helps to drive motivation and commitment. This depends on you, as the leader, being empathic to the position of each person in your team and creating a picture that works for them.

TELL STORIES

Story-telling is also an important tool when trying to illustrate what you mean or hammer a point home, as it creates a memorable frame of reference. Think about any great evening with friends; it’s the stories that people recount that make them so memorable. People love a good story.

When working with a railway company that was seeking to raise its standards significantly, we got people to tell stories of where they had seen people in the business demonstrating the required standards of behaviour and quality of work. These stories helped people to understand what the board wanted to achieve.

More importantly, it demonstrated to those in the room that it was not a question of whether the business could do what was required – they’d already demonstrated examples of where it had been done – but how to make that the standard delivered everywhere. Had the board just presented a set of metrics that had to be achieved the reaction might have been more along the lines of why such a goal was impossible to achieve. It was the stories that swung it for them.

COUNTER THE FLOW 

In any project or piece of work there will be times when you and your team get frustrated, when things are happening more slowly than you’d hoped and morale is low. As a leader you will probably feel it more than most, but this is your moment to shine. It’s at times like this that you must, more than ever, rise to the challenge of energising and inspiring the team to carry on.

When things are going well, that’s your time to step back and recharge. Every dip in energy requires a corresponding peak in your efforts to keep people going. Look around at your people – are they engaged in what they are doing? Are their heads up? Are they energised? If so, sit back, provide guidance and steer their performance onwards. If on the other hand their shoulders are slumped, heads are down and there is little or no energy, that’s the time to focus more keenly on your communication and deploy all the team tactics at your disposal to lift morale and give them a boost.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER 

Communicating to teams is more than just a presentation. It’s about understanding people and what makes them tick. It’s about creating the experience that has them talking to others about the inspirational message you delivered and the way you delivered it. And, above all, it’s about motivating them to respond and perform.