It is incredible how much more impact you can have as a leader if you simply sharpen your communication skills.
The estimated cost of miscommunication for the US economy is a staggering $1.2 trillion! My guess is you read that statistic and, instead of being surprised, were like, "Yeah - that makes sense." 46% of employees rarely leave a meeting knowing what to do next, so poor communication is expected as part of corporate America.
I'd like you to know it doesn't have to be this way.
You can be better. You can be a leader who guides with clarity. To start making that change today, focus on being a better writer.
The Power of Writing
According to the National Commission on Writing, 67% of employees in major American companies spend a lot of their time writing. Tech leaders write a lot - presentations, code documentation, strategy documents, and performance reviews- all of which require writing. Yet, it is rare to find anyone who spends time actively trying to improve their writing. You will read dozens of books on the latest technology or leadership principles yet neglect enhancing your critical writing skills.
Okay. So what? You can write well enough, right? Wrong. Think about how often people in your company complain about needing help understanding, feeling out of the loop, or needing to be connected to the company's mission. Those are breakdowns in communication. Fortunately, better and more frequent writing can help.
First, if you don't write much as a form of communication, start making that change today. Start writing down critical information such as your vision, strategy, and key decisions in a centralized document storage for your company - like a Notion. Writing something down quickly exposes its weaknesses. Seeing your words on a page makes it painfully clear where things could be more precise, shorter, and compelling. The truth is that most documents lack clarity, not because of a lack of skill but due to a lack of effort. I love this example from Jeff Bezos.
"Often when a memo isn't great, it's not the writer's inability to recognize the high standard," Bezos explains. Instead, the problem is "a wrong expectation on scope: they mistakenly believe a high-standards, six-page memo can be written in one or two days or even a few hours, when really it might take a week or more." The best memos are written and rewritten before multiple colleagues offer comments. Generally, you then set them aside for a few days before returning to incorporate all this feedback with a fresh mind.
This is a time-consuming process, but it is incredibly high-leverage! One person or a small group is taking time to enable the entire company to have more straightforward and motivating communication. Not surprisingly, improved communication will allow you to lead less confused teams and (win more).
Okay - you are convinced that writing is essential. How can you improve?
Improve Your Process
The best advice is to write more. But don't just write more with little thought. Write more to write well. This will feel awkward at first. If you usually stream the information on a page and then send it to your team, start taking the time to have a process.
The three most vital pieces to include in your process are:
Start with a clear goal in mind
Write for your audience
Develop multiple drafts
Your writing has to have a goal. An incredible amount of poor writing is due to the need to be more precise about the document's purpose. Before writing anything, consider why you are putting words on the page. Use this goal as your North Star. Ensure every word you write helps accomplish this goal as effectively as possible.
The audience is super critical - everything you write is for your audience. They should be able to see themselves in your writing and see the value they will get. If you are writing a strategy document for your team, write it to them! This sounds obvious, but many leaders fall into the trap of writing the document more for themselves than their team, leading to a ton of confusion. After writing a few drafts, read the document from the perspective of someone in your audience and be thoughtful about how you can improve it for them.
Writing multiple drafts should allow you to get external feedback first. And make each iteration better. Your team has a ton on their plate, you need to write in a way that is engaging, clear, concise, and packs a ton of value. That isn't easy. In each draft, you should cut out fluff, get straight to the point, and add your own unique voice to keep people engaged.
The Benefit of AI and Feedback
Another newer and interesting benefit to writing is the ability to leverage LLMs. If your team is great at documenting things in writing, you now have an incredible ability to search, summarize, and even build on top of that information with AI. Notion already supports unstructured question asking of your workspace and while it's not perfect yet, it's getting better all the time. Onboarding a new team member now essentially has an AI companion to help them find and summarize information. That's insane!
As you work to improve your writing, seek feedback from your audience. Ask them how you can improve, and what can be clearer. You can even look at the statistics in most applications these days. How many people actually read the document? If not many, why not? Take this information to help you improve.
Block out time for writing. Writing, like anything else, takes time to do well - for anyone - even great writers. Put time on your calendar to sit down and write. This will not only make it a priority for you, but it will also give you the time you need to do it well.
While this might feel scary if you don't consider yourself a writer, my best advice is to just get started. At first, start putting words on the page without worrying about form or function. Then take a break, come back, and clean it up. Just the act of revising a first draft will go a long way. Then as you start publishing more, revise and learn based on feedback. Develop systems that help you write well and continue to improve. I promise your team will deeply appreciate the effort you put into making sure things are well communicated.
Writing is an essential skill for any leader who wants to excel in today's dynamic and fast-paced business environment. By improving your writing skills, you can create clear and persuasive artifacts that are easy to share, understand, and incorporate into AI-powered experiences. Moreover, you can save your company from the staggering cost of miscommunication and become a leader who guides with clarity and impactful communication. So, start writing today, focus on the quality of your writing, and watch your communication skills become renowned in your company.
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