Recognition: Best Leadership Communication Posts

Communication skills within an organization are vitally important to their success. Marci Reynolds of The Operations Blog recently published a list of the 10 Best Leadership Communication Posts from 2016.  A Lean Journey's post Communication is the Glue made the top of the list. 

Leadership Communication: Image by by Stuart Miles, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

From Marci:

I believe that top notch communication skills are THE most important set of skills that any leader, at any level needs to possess and consistently hone. This includes verbal, written and virtual communication, across multiple mediums.

I recently pulled together 10 of the better leadership communication articles from the first half of 2016. Please add any that I may have missed to the comments section. I hope that you find them helpful and thought provoking.

1. Communication is the glue by Tim McMahon, A Lean Journey blog
2. 5 tips for improving leadership communication by Brent Gleeson, Forbes.com
3. Communication, the most important key to leadership success by Steve Hashem, Thayer Leader Development
4. 4 do’s and don’ts of speaking to senior executives by Annet Grant, BizJournals
5. Making changes? Communicate first by Chad Brook
6. Employee communications & digital integrations, By Daniel Hebert, PostBeyonds
7. Millennials are shaking up workplace communication, By Sarah White, CIO.com
8. 4 ways to make workplace email a thing of the past, By Heather Human, Entrepreneur.com
9. 10 smart questions that challenge the drift toward irrelevance, By Dan Rockwell, Leadership Freak Blog
10. How words affect your work, By Dianne Booher, Booher Research

Here is a bit from that post:

On Fridays I post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Ninety percent of leadership is the ability to communicate something people want." — Dianne Feinstein

Communication is the glue that binds an organization together but do not assume that several announcements and a note on the notice board is sufficient to get the story out. Some say to communicate seven times and seven ways but that does not mean seven months apart. Develop and implement a robust communication plan and check to see if the total target audience has received the unfiltered message. If you want to know if your message is getting out clearly why not ask the most obscure person on the night shift if he or she heard the message? The day shift is easy but how about the rest of the folks?

Open communication is at the center of Lean and Respect for People. Employees need to know what is expected of them and how they’re performing. Visual displays such as scoreboards, scheduling charts, team communication boards, and recognition displays all help to keep information flowing between employees, departments and upper management.

Communication is a key ingredient for empowerment. Give every employee equal and direct access to information. Many companies have developed a trickle-down style of communication that alienates those employees who may not be "in the loop." The more informed employees are and the more communication is open, honest, direct and complete, the more likely employees are to feel empowered and connected to the daily operations and overall goals of their company.


I am humbled and honored that Marci recognized my post on communication in her top 10 list. Communication makes all the difference in this world which is why I do this, blog.  I find great joy in sharing my thoughts and experiences with others. In return I have learned more than I could have imagined and me some of the most amazing people.