In a recent survey by The Business Source, 94.7% of the 1044 respondents said their primary leadership challenge was to communicate better, especially in tough situations.  A close second (92%) was keeping their teams motivated and focused.  The two are closely connected and both rely on the quality of conversations leaders initiate with their colleagues. 
 
We too often think of communicating as a monologue.  We want to communicate something that we are convinced someone "needs" to know.  We want to make sure our "spin" is heard and accepted.  And we want our way of doing things to "win" in the discussion or debate.  (The latter was my most toxic behaviour and remains a temptation to manage carefully.)  We tell and command, at times even yell and coerce.  So, as many of my coaching colleagues ask at some point in a conversation, "How's it working for you?"  Probably not terribly well, eh?
 
If we look at the richness of meaning that communicate holds, a more positive and productive picture of motivating and focusing teams through communication emerges.  The roots of the word have to do with things held in common, things that are shared, things that are exchanged, participation with each other, and being joined or connected.  To recover these root meanings of communicate, we would show up better thinking dialogue rather than monologue.  The purpose of great communication is to surface, align, and mobilize the wisdom and passion of the whole group involved.  That will get you through tough situations and keep your team motivated.  That will keep your team focused on what you value in common.  That will generate the innovation to move beyond the problems to realize positive possibilities.
 
There are three core attitudes to practice deliberately in these kinds of conversations:

 

 
More caring and thoughtful conversations hold the greatest potential in meeting the leadership challenges identified in The Business Source survey.

Cheers,