Are you leveraging overcommunication as a leadership skill?
Is this overcommunication or clear communication?
In English, “over____” is usually bad. “Over-estimate” = estimate too much, “over-cook” = you burnt the chicken, “oversleep” = you’re late for work.
Some CEOs in the business world, however, stress that strategy and alignment are best achieved via overcommunicating the message. In this context, it means that people have not only heard the message (=good communication), but have clearly understood the message.
(adapted from here)
1. Be transparent and build a culture of accountability.
2. Keep it simple and use keywords.
Use a simple framework to structure your points and give updates. This will help your team prioritize where to focus energies — and remember, less is more. Consider the use of keywords to help streamline the process and inspire action (i.e., immediate action needed, deadline EOD, requested feedback, FYI, etc.).
3. Personalize your interactions.
Tailor your communication to explain how something specifically impacts your audience, whether it’s your internal leadership team, your system-wide staff, your vendors, customers, etc. Moreover, make sure all communications highlight the relevance to their personal objectives. This will enhance your relationship building and position you as a trusted, authentic leader.
4. Vary your communication medium.
Don’t rely too heavily on email. Overcommunication is best when you vary your mediums. Analyze the message you are seeking to deliver and match it with the appropriate method of communication — face-to-face, small group meetings, video conferences, etc.
5. Reinforce the message with reminders.
Linguistic choice questions:
To what extent do being honest and letting everyone in on the strategic plan cultivate accountability as a result?
Have you built a culture of accountability? What measures could you implement or what tools could you use to further foster a culture of accountability?
Do you use simple frameworks to structure your points? Perhaps you think the frameworks are complicated, sophisticated or something else?
To what extent do you tailor your communication for staff, vendors, and also for customers etc?
How could you better vary mediums and match them to your messages?
Do you agree that a reminder has the power to unlock productivity? On the other hand, would you say it ensures, enhances, fosters productivity or something else?
Further reading from the World Economic Forum on the topic here.