Want to Be an Effective Leader? Communicate Like One First.

At this month’s Payline Town Hall meeting, members of our executive team shared their leadership communication insights for finishing the year on a strong note. The way leaders communicate is important to a team and can have an impact (positive or negative) on an organization. Here are 7 communication habits of effective leaders that can help to accelerate your business.

7 Leadership Communication Habits of Effective Leaders According to Payline Data

1. They listen to their team. As communicative as leaders need to be, an effective leader allows ample time to listen to their team’s concerns. They appreciate opinions and educational opportunities, and view listening just as important as speaking.
2. They use “I” statements. To avoid stating thoughts at feelings as facts, an effective leader communicates with “I” statements. Rather than saying, “You have not reached a specific metric.” an effective leader will say, “I believe that there is more that we can do to reach that goal this quarter.”
3. They refrain from using sarcasm. Sarcasm, especially when used in an open company meeting, can do more harm than good. This can create barriers among team members and may even be hurtful to the individual on the receiving end.
4. They hold their thoughts until everyone else has spoken. A good leader, who understands what are the qualities of a leader, is not anxious about what they have to communicate with their team. If a leader is truly listening, they wait to speak until a thought is completed from a team member.
5. They have a physical presence in the office. It’s hard to miss any Payline employee on any given day. We work out of an open-concept office space and, since our company is rapidly growing, we sit in very close proximity to one another. Visibility of a company’s leaders allows for team members to get a feel for the leader and interact with them. Sitting behind a computer all day can close you off to others. As Payline continues to grow, our leadership is committed to sharing common spaces with members of the company at a lunch table or even at a group of desks on the sales floor.
6. They maintain eye contact when speaking. A lack of eye contact can feel like a lack of interest in your team. Eye contact can be meaningful to a listener, especially for tailored messages that fit certain individuals on your team. When speaking with an individual, eye contact immediately tells someone that you are intently understanding everything they are saying to you. Pro tip: avoid checking your phone, computer screen or watch if you are trying to demonstrate that you are listening. You might think you’re good at multitasking, but to a team member, you appear distracted and too busy to communicate effectively.
7. They are inspiring and meaningful in their tone. Be sure your tone matches what you are saying. If you are sternly trying to convey missed numbers and poor performance, be careful that your tone is both firm and constructive; otherwise, your team might make the same mistake again next quarter.

Experience Payments Differently

Leadership communication has a way of making or breaking a team’s performance and can help enhance or detract from a customer relationship. At Payline, how we speak to our employees and our customers is of the utmost importance. Work with a processor that communicates clearly and effectively to lead your business toward growth.