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The math of effective communication

80/20

I strongly believe a good manager or a good leader is a great listener. Listening skills are one of the most important skills someone can have. A manager or leader has to make decisions and they need to hear as many perspectives/the most important ones to guide their decisions. If their listening skills are poor or their team perceives the manager/leader as having poor listening skills then it can have a tremendous impact on the success of the leader/manager, the project, the company etc.

Managers or leaders should spend more time listening than talking. I believe for effective communication one should spend 80% time on listening and 20% time on talking. When you create an environment that encourages people to speak up, you empower them and they are likely to rise up to the opportunity/challenge etc. By listening, you hear new ideas and perspectives. Some ideas might support your own and others might differ from yours. Once the team has provided you their input/insights/suggestions, then the manager/leader has to make decisions accordingly.