Have you ever stopped to think about what history’s great leaders have in common? We could talk about vision, charisma or resilience, and we’d be right, but there’s a common thread, an extraordinarily common skill among great leaders: COMMUNICATION. Without it, the best visions remain a mere dream.
And to enhance your leadership by improving your communication skills, I’m going to focus on the teachings of one of the world’s greatest leaders, John C. Maxwell. Maxwell says that, LEADERSHIP IS NOT A POSITION, IT’S INFLUENCE. And influence is built with words, gestures, and, above all, connection. Communicating to lead isn’t simply about talking; it’s about connecting.
MAXWELL’S 4 PILLARS OF COMMUNICATION
John C. Maxwell, in his vast work, leaves us a clear roadmap so that our communication not only transmits information, but also transforms people. It’s based on four principles that, if applied, will radically change the way you influence your team, your clients, and your environment.
1. SIMPLIFY YOUR MESSAGE.
Do you know the curse of knowledge? Sometimes, the more we know about a topic, the worse we explain it. We think everyone understands our jargon, our acronyms, and our abstract concepts. A serious mistake. Maxwell insists: “Intelligence isn’t speaking in a complex way, it’s making the complex seem simple.” Connecting leaders are translators of complexity. They take a complex idea or strategy and turn it into a clear and memorable one that anyone can understand and, most importantly, execute.
In this sense, do you think your team really understands what you expect of them? Next time, before you speak, ask yourself: how would I explain this to a 10-year-old? If the child can understand it, your team probably can too.
2. VISUALIZE YOUR MESSAGE.
People think in pictures. A good communicator doesn’t just talk; they paint pictures in their audience’s minds. When you share a vision, don’t just describe the end goal. Describe how they’ll feel when they achieve it, what they’ll see, what they’ll hear. Use metaphors, stories, anecdotes.
A leader says, “We need to increase sales by 20%.” A leader-communicator says, “Imagine the entire team’s faces when, at the next annual meeting, we celebrate that we not only reached our goal, but surpassed it thanks to everyone’s efforts. Imagine that satisfaction.”
Therefore, I pose the following challenge to you: the next time you have to present an idea, find a story to illustrate it. Stories connect with emotion, and emotion moves action.
3. LIVE YOUR MESSAGE.
This is where communication merges with integrity. You can have the most inspiring and simplified message in the world, but if your actions contradict it, you’ve lost all credibility. People may doubt what you say, but they will always believe what you do.
Maxwell sums it up brilliantly: “You cannot give what you don’t have.” If you want to inspire passion, be the first to show it. If you demand commitment, let your commitment be unwavering. Your life is the most powerful message you will ever communicate. As Gandhi said: “My life is my message.”
I recommend you ask yourself: Are you being a living example of what you preach? Are your words aligned with your actions? Your coherence is the cornerstone of your influence, and therefore, of your leadership.
4. FOCUS ON YOUR AUDIENCE.
This is perhaps the most common mistake. We go out to communicate thinking about ourselves: about what I want to say, what seems important to me, about demonstrating how much I know.
A leader-communicator reverses the focus. Before opening their mouth, they ask themselves:
• Who will listen to me?
• What do they need? What are their fears and aspirations?
• How can I add value to them?
Communicating to lead isn’t about you, it’s about them. It’s about listening first, understanding their needs, and adapting your message to serve them. When people feel that you care, that you understand them, and that you’re looking out for their well-being, their willingness to follow you increases.
LEADERSHIP IS A CONVERSATION.
Leading is a constant dialogue. A good leader is a master of conversation, someone who knows when to speak and when to remain silent, when to inspire with a grand vision and when to land with a simple plan, when to tell a story and when to experience it firsthand.
Improving your communication isn’t an option; it’s the foundation for enhancing your leadership. Start today. Simplify, visualize, live, and, above all, connect. Because as Maxwell would say, leadership begins and ends with people.
