Find (and Own) your leadership voice
Develop your leadership voice by being authentic, clear, and adaptive to inspire trust and drive results within your team.
Your leadership voice is how you communicate, connect, and inspire action. It’s about being genuine, clear, and open - qualities that build trust and drive results. Here’s how to develop and refine your leadership voice:
- Be authentic: Stay true to yourself in all interactions.
- Show vulnerability: Admit mistakes, ask for input, and embrace openness.
- Communicate clearly: Use simple, purposeful language to ensure understanding.
Key Steps to Strengthen Your Leadership Voice:
- Assess your current style: Track your habits, gather feedback, and identify areas for improvement.
- Define core values: Build your communication around honesty, clarity, and adaptability.
- Tailor messages: Adjust your approach for different audiences while staying consistent.
- Test and refine: Apply your new style in daily interactions and seek regular feedback.
- Evolve with your role: Continuously adapt your communication as responsibilities grow.
Your leadership voice isn’t about perfection - it’s about creating connections, fostering trust, and aligning your team towards shared goals.
How To Find Your Authentic Leadership Voice
Step 1: Map Your Current Communication Style
Take a closer look at how you communicate in different situations to develop a leadership voice that feels natural and effective.
Recognise Your Habits
Your habits often show themselves when you're under pressure. Observe how you respond in challenging situations:
- Do you tend to over-explain when someone resists your ideas?
- How do you manage disagreements during meetings?
- What’s your usual way of delivering tough news?
Spend two weeks tracking your reactions. This helps you pinpoint what enhances or hinders clarity in your communication. Then, ask your team for their perspective to get a fuller picture.
Gather Team Feedback
For honest feedback, your team needs to feel safe sharing their thoughts. Instead of vague questions, focus on specific areas of your communication style.
"Show and employ one's self without fear of negative consequences of self-image, status, or career." - Google
Here’s a structured way to ask for feedback:
| Feedback Area | Example Questions | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting Effectiveness | "How could we change our team meetings to be more effective?" | Understand how you manage meetings. |
| Idea Reception | "Do you feel your ideas are heard by the team and me?" | Check how inclusive your communication is. |
| Communicating Decisions | "How clear are the reasons behind our team decisions?" | Assess how transparent your decision-making is. |
Show appreciation for their feedback and explain how you plan to act on it. This builds trust and encourages an open dialogue.
Find Areas to Improve
Compare your current communication style with your leadership goals by focusing on these three areas:
-
Clarity and Impact
Are your messages clear and reaching the audience with the right tone and level of detail? -
Authenticity Balance
How well does your natural communication style fit with the needs of different situations and audiences? -
Team Engagement
Does your style encourage open discussions and contributions from your team?
Add communication-related questions to team surveys and performance reviews. For sensitive topics, anonymous feedback channels can uncover insights people might not share openly.
This process helps you align your communication with your leadership goals. Use these findings to refine your approach and create a style that resonates with your vision.
Step 2: Build Your Target Communication Style
Define Your Core Values
Establishing core values is key to shaping how you communicate. These values act as a compass, ensuring consistency and clarity, even in challenging situations.
Focus on these three areas:
-
Being Genuine
Credibility comes from honesty. Acknowledge gaps, share relevant personal experiences, and be open about challenges. -
Clarity with Purpose
Every message should have a clear goal. Use simple, jargon-free language, outline next steps, and focus on specific outcomes. -
Flexibility Without Compromise
Adjust your style based on the situation, but always stay aligned with your core principles.
Once you've set these values, you can fine-tune your communication to connect with different audiences effectively.
Tailor Your Message to the Audience
Use your core values as a foundation to customise your messages for various groups.
| Audience Type | Communication Focus | Key Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Leadership | Strategic goals and results | Highlight business value and long-term goals |
| Direct Reports | Clarity and support | Provide guidance while encouraging ownership |
| Cross-functional Teams | Collaboration and alignment | Stress shared objectives and mutual benefits |
To adjust your messages effectively:
- Learn about your audience's context, priorities, and decision-making factors.
- Focus on solutions and advantages that address their specific concerns.
- Keep your core messages consistent across all platforms and interactions.
Adapting your communication isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about fine-tuning your natural style to connect with each audience while staying true to your values. Think of it as adjusting the volume rather than changing the tune.
Step 3: Develop Your New Approach
Now that you’ve assessed your current style and set clear goals, it’s time to craft a new approach to your communication.
Write Your Key Messages
Create messages that reflect your leadership voice while driving results. Use the "Five Cs" framework to keep your communication on track:
| Element | Purpose | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Clarity | Eliminate confusion | Use plain language, avoid jargon |
| Conciseness | Save time | Stick to the essentials |
| Credibility | Build trust | Support claims with evidence |
| Compelling | Motivate action | Use active voice and strong verbs |
| Consistency | Reinforce meaning | Stick to core themes across messages |
When shaping your key messages, focus on addressing these critical questions for your team:
- What outcome are we aiming for?
- Why is this important for the organisation?
- How will we measure success?
- What is expected from each team member?
Test in Daily Work
Apply your new communication style in everyday scenarios to build confidence. Start small with these examples:
- Team meetings: Begin with a clear purpose to set the tone.
- One-to-one conversations: Practise active listening and give focused feedback.
- Email updates: Structure messages with clear actions and desired outcomes.
- Project briefs: Emphasise the “why” before diving into the “what.”
These low-pressure opportunities allow you to fine-tune your approach based on real-world interactions.
Get Direct Feedback
Feedback is essential to ensure your communication style aligns with your goals and values. Create a structured feedback loop with trusted colleagues:
1. Weekly reflection
After key interactions, take 15 minutes to jot down what worked well and what didn’t.
2. Monthly peer review
Collaborate with a colleague to observe and critique your communication style in various settings.
3. Quarterly assessment
Gather feedback from your team using specific criteria, such as:
- Clarity of objectives
- Understanding of expectations
- Confidence in the direction provided
- Actions taken following communication
"A message crafted with clarity, concision, and passion is a message that inspires." - Lolly Daskal
Step 4: Keep Your Style Current
Your leadership voice should grow as your role evolves. Making thoughtful tweaks while staying genuine helps your communication remain effective.
Make It Part of Your Routine
Set aside time regularly to review and refine how you communicate. Use these checkpoints to evaluate and adjust your style:
| Timeframe | Activity | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | Read your communications aloud | Check for clarity and authenticity |
| Weekly | Review key interactions | Spot patterns and areas for improvement |
| Monthly | Gather informal team feedback | Understand how your messages are received |
| Quarterly | Conduct structured assessment | Measure impact and plan for adjustments |
These consistent reviews help you stay prepared for any necessary changes.
Adjust for New Roles
As your responsibilities grow, your communication style needs to shift too. The approach that worked for leading a small team may not suit addressing a large audience or presenting to the board.
1. Show strategic vulnerability
Research from Harvard Business School highlights that showing vulnerability - like sharing uncertainties or challenges - can build trust. Let your team see moments of growth and learning to foster stronger connections.
2. Tailor your detail and delivery
Different situations call for different communication strategies:
- Strategic discussions: Focus on goals and the bigger picture.
- Team guidance: Be clear and give actionable instructions.
- Stakeholder engagement: Provide enough detail but keep the broader context in view.
Avoid hiding behind jargon or vague statements. If you feel unclear, take a moment to reset and aim for straightforward communication.
"Why do we feel more comfortable around someone who is authentic and vulnerable? Because we are particularly sensitive to signs of trustworthiness in our leaders." - Harvard Business School
Conclusion: Strong Communication Drives Results
Your leadership voice isn't just about starting conversations - it shapes outcomes. Poor communication can cost large organisations £51.3 million annually, while smaller ones lose around £336,000.
It achieves:
Clarity Amid Complexity
A clear leadership voice cuts through the noise and provides direction. Without proper context, teams often rely on assumptions. Thoughtful, precise messaging avoids this, ensuring everyone stays aligned on common goals.
Trust Built on Transparency
Open, honest communication fosters trust. Interestingly, 93% of communication impact comes from nonverbal cues. When your words match your actions, you create a solid foundation for trust.
Alignment That Fuels Momentum
Good communication brings individual efforts together, turning them into coordinated action. Teams can engage in constructive discussions, support each other effectively, and stay focused on key priorities. This reduces inefficiencies and strengthens collaboration across departments.
Use your leadership voice to achieve these results and elevate your team's performance.
FAQs
How can I use feedback to strengthen my leadership voice?
Improving your leadership voice starts with actively seeking and using feedback. Ask clear, open-ended questions to understand how your style supports or hinders your team, and how effectively you communicate goals. Focus on specifics - what works, what doesn’t, and why.
Be intentional about creating feedback loops, where team members feel comfortable sharing their honest experiences. Tools like the SBI model (Situation, Behaviour, Impact) can help structure these conversations, making feedback clearer and more actionable.
Most importantly, approach feedback with curiosity, not defensiveness. See it as a tool for growth, asking follow-up questions to deepen your understanding and refine your approach. True leadership evolves through listening and adapting.
How can I adapt my communication style for different audiences without losing authenticity?
Adapting your communication style starts with understanding who you're speaking to. Think about their priorities, challenges, and what they value most. This helps you craft messages that resonate while staying true to your own voice.
Use clear, straightforward language - jargon or overly complex terms can alienate your audience. When appropriate, include relatable examples or stories that connect with their experiences. Most importantly, stay consistent with your natural tone and approach. Authenticity doesn’t mean saying the same thing to everyone; it means being genuine in how you communicate, no matter who’s listening.
How can I adapt my leadership voice as my role and responsibilities change?
Your leadership voice should grow with you. It’s not about having just one voice - it’s about developing a range of voices to suit different situations. Think about how you communicate verbally, vocally, and visually, and ensure these elements work together to build trust and authority.
Be receptive to feedback. Actively seek input from those around you to understand how your message is landing. Adjust and refine as needed - leadership is a continuous evolution, not a static skill.