The ability to communicate is arguably the most important trait of leaders. Communicate to provide direction, to inspire action, to persuade, to develop your team, to gain buy-in, and to drive organizational change. The ability to communicate separates mediocre leaders from great ones. Below is an overview of the communication mindsets that will support you on the path to becoming a great communicator.

Authenticity is a big, bold, ambitious word and goal for leaders. It’s also a destination without a clear path to get there. There is no roadmap that can be “copy and pasted” as it’s unique for each one of us. Or at least it should be. Authenticity means staying true to your values, playing to your strengths, being vulnerable, blazing your own path, and also allowing others to be authentic. I was interviewed recently on the How We Solve Podcast with Sean Li and he asked me for a 3-step process to be more authentic. I thought I would share those 3 steps here along with a bonus step to help you become more authentic.

Vision. It’s a word often connected to business leaders, luminaries, and community change agents. The ability to develop, and more importantly to project vision, underpins the success of leaders at all levels and all sectors. Given its importance, it’s a skill we provide intentional effort to in all of the communication coaching work we do with leaders. But what does it mean to project vision? Is it to be a visionary like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, or Jeff Bezos? Or is it to solely have a vision for the future? Keep reading to learn why leaders should learn to project vision.

Authenticity. It’s a word we hear all the time. But what does it really mean to be an authentic leader? The term is thrown around loosely in leadership and professional development circles and often becomes a nebulous concept in peoples’ minds. Rather than provide a purely academic definition of authenticity, I have included examples of authenticity in action below based on my own experience.

WARNING: This post will require reflection and vulnerability.

“I’m not ready”, “I don’t have enough experience”, and “I’m not good enough” are examples of self-limiting beliefs that are toxic. Self-limiting beliefs prevent us from achieving success in our careers and lives. But what are self-limiting beliefs? Simply, they are negative self-perceptions that live in our conscious and subconscious rooted in past experiences, comments by others, values and beliefs of our family and friends, and even messages from the media (or social media).