How Communication Impact

Employees are ever alert for signs of competence, vision, and trustworthiness in their leaders.
When they see these positive signs, they work harder, contribute better ideas, and stay with the
company longer. When they pick up unsettling signals, their performance and loyalty deteriorate.

Because the scrutiny and interpretation are relentless, even trivial things that you say or do
have an impact. For a leader, there’s “no such thing as a casual conversation.”

You can’t totally manage the signals you send. Even if your intentions are pure and your performance flawless, the authors say, don’t be surprised when your most innocuous statements are assigned deep, sinister meaning – or are assigned very different meanings by different people.

But if you communicate consistently and clearly, especially in times of crisis, and don’t shy away from the tough issues, you’ll engender the trust and confidence that you need to succeed.