Communication is our only leadership tool… We lead with words, voice, tone modulation and body language.  That’s it!  Leaders get people connected to an idea and excited about building something, or doing something. 

Leaders need to have vision, clarity and the ability to crisply and energetically communicate that vision.  Great leaders understand that communication isn’t just a leadership tool, it’s also a “followership tool”.

When a leader delivers instructions, receives acceptance and watches their followership march off on a mission, they won’t know if they succeeded as a leader until they measure the outcome. This is a lag measure.

Great leaders measure their “leadership effectiveness” in the moment, without having to wait for the outcome.  The most effective leadership is a two-way conversation.  The leader shares their vision and their follower communicates what they heard and how they feel about it.  In this exchange the leader has the opportunity to adjust until both the leader and the follower share the same vision. This is a lead measure…  The feedback you receive from the follower is predictive of the outcome.

So… when someone says “follow me”, they mean listen to me.  When someone says “I don’t understand”, they mean… I’m not following you.

In summary, leadership looks a lot like a two-way conversation.