There’s a foundational mistake behind any and every communications failure: not taking communication seriously. Know this – it’s the soft skills that will elevate or sink you.
Stephen Covey says, “Communication is the most important skill in life.” Why on earth would you skip over mastering the most important skill in life? If you’re serious about yourself, your innovation and your company, why would you just wing an interview, a speech or even an all hands meeting? Hopefully, you’ll only need to stumble badly once to realize you never want to do it again!
Lots of people with exceptional minds don’t know what it feels like to not be great at something. And they sure don’t want to find out! You’re brilliant as long as you stay in your wheelhouse so you do anything to avoid stepping out of it. Speaking is hard. Media interviews are uncomfortable. So instead of mastering these vital skills, you avoid every opportunity to communicate. You never get better, which only reinforces the discomfort.
Look. Communication can be incredibly hard and scary – especially in public. You hate feeling dumb and less competent. Who doesn’t? So what do you do? Suck it up. Commit yourself to learning. If you respect this vital skill, you will not fail. Get help. Practice. Practice some more. Note and celebrate your progress – even in tiny increments. And most importantly, be gentle and good-humored with yourself as you climb up the learning curve!
Your business must scale, and you must scale with it. You need to hire a great team, forge strong customer relationships and lead your market with a powerful point of view. You can do none of these things without exceptional communication skills. Click here to receive pragmatic communications advice in your inbox every month.
