The best managers earn trust, cooperation, and ultimately, team performance through effective communication. These managers drive business objectives by serving as mentors who guide their subordinates to reach their unique levels of potential.
Effective managerial communication covers a broad spectrum of abilities, encompassing a range of challenges. The challenges are even greater for managers with mixed teams of full time employees and contractors, especially when remote contractors are involved. In this circumstance, it’s even more important to build strong alliances between employees to promote unity and collaboration. To do that, focus on these communication objectives:
Establish Your Credibility
Before you can gain the buy-in of your team, you must first establish your trustworthiness. Are you accomplished, do you have a track record of success, and do you have a solid reputation among your peers? LinkedIn is not only effective for networking, but it also enables you to establish your credibility and answer these questions. Connect with your team on LinkedIn, and let your subordinates research your background.
Credibility is about more than prior success; it’s also about character. Show employees that you are honest, straight-forward, and always true to your word. Be consistent in your dealings with subordinates and superiors and gain a reputation for galvanizing teams within the organization.
Provide Structure
On a daily basis, employees—especially remote contractors—need structure. Weekly team meetings (preferably on Monday mornings) establish the schedule and priorities for the week, and promote accountability. They also provide a sense of structure and team unity. As a matter of protocol, request that your team prepare questions for each meeting, particularly about communication channels. Ensure that each employee or contractor knows who to approach for information or approvals on each project. You know you are effectively providing structure when you can answer the question “What is each team member working on today?”
Promote Collaboration
Effective managers preside over productive teams. These teams enjoy working together and are able to solve problems by recognizing individual roles within the team framework. As a manager, you can foster the individual talents of your team members with respect to collaborative success. If one person excels at extemporaneous problem solving, another at organizing heavy workloads, and another at representing the team’s accomplishments in group speaking environments, it’s your job to nurture these abilities and promote appreciation for them within the group. One of the greatest outcomes of promoting collaboration is that your team will support you in your objectives. When you’re faced with managerial challenges, use your team for support. Hold brainstorming sessions to address challenges and seek input from your team members. Give everyone a sense that they are vested in the team’s success.
Use All Communication Forms and Channels Effectively
Good verbal communicators speak concisely, in simple, but powerful language. They avoid flowery phrases and anecdotes without a clear purpose, and they complete every thought before moving on. Stick to the facts and prove assertions with research. Often, the best way to present ideas is visually, through graphs, charts, and tables. When using visual tools of communication, be clear and communicate only the most pertinent information. Email and written communication are also vital to your managerial abilities. Written communications should be well-organized, concise, and free from errors in spelling or grammar.
Every successful manager is on a never-ending quest to improve their communication skills. The more you strive to accomplish these objectives, the better you will be able to lead teams of FTEs and contractors—and leading mixed teams is becoming increasingly necessary.