The CEO of a firm with four hundred employees and $430 million in revenue confided to me, “It would be nice to be invisible once in a while.” Unfortunately, you cannot wish the spotlight away. When you’re the CEO, you are in it 24-7. Somebody is always watching. “It’s not just public speaking,” the CEO explained. “It is body language, every minute of every day. If I walk around moping, they don’t think something is wrong with me; they think something is wrong with the company.” He continued, “I have learned not to mope. It doesn’t mean you’re not real with people. You have to be real. But you have to remember it’s not just about you.”
Nationwide Survey: Leaders and Communication
Bates Communications wanted to understand more about the authentic leader, so, in 2004, we conducted a study on how bosses communicate. The online survey of 293 professionals revealed that people were disappointed. Most participants said their bosses didn’t communicate well, even though they indicated that communication is one of the most important skills a boss can have.
We asked participants to rate their bosses on ten dimensions of leadership and to discuss their communication styles. We also asked about authenticity and leadership. We gave them an opportunity to answer both multiple-choice and open-ended questions. The results show how important communication is in the workplace. Only 29 percent of participants working in professional services firms, corporations, and private companies said there were enough articulate voices of leadership in their organizations. Yet, more than 90 percent said communication is a critical dimension of leadership. There is What It Means to Speak like a CEO (the Ones You Really Admire) • 5 a disconnect between the kind of leadership that organizations have and what they need. The bottom line for bosses: it’s time to learn to communicate more effectively.
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