What people hear when a leader doesn’t communicate:
You don’t care – You appear apathetic towards the emotional and practical needs of people on your team.
You don’t know -You may not be brave enough to admit it, but don’t worry, others are probably saying it for you.
You can’t decide – Your team thinks you’re incapable of making a decision, either because you’re afraid of people’s reactions or you’re not a strong enough leader to make a decision.
You are holding on to power – Information is power. When a leader controls it – or appears to – it communicates their power hunger. And it is never an attractive quality of a leader.
You don’t value others – Your silence produces perhaps the most dangerous scenario when people believe you don’t think they are worthy of knowing. Put yourself in their shoes and see how that one feels.
What should you do instead?
Communicate through a decision. Keep people informed along the way.
You can never communicate too much, especially during seasons of change.
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This article on how leaders communicate originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
