"Powerful Communication Skills: Transitioning from Technical Expert to Senior Manager"

Your technical expertise has made a difference in your organization and you have demonstrated that you are on top of the latest technologies. Your knowledge has gotten you noticed and now it's time to apply all that knowledge and start to expand in a new way. You have been asked to lead a new initiative, manage a team, and become part of the senior management team. Good news, right? Are you ready? Do you even know what's in store for you?

The solid work you have done in the past is no longer the focus of attention. There are 3 areas for your future development:

1. Communication - articulating a new language
2. Listening - an art
3. Self Awareness - expanding your self awareness in order to facilitate these new conversations.

Communication - Articulating a New Language:

You are probably very comfortable with the familiar language to communicate with your technology peers. But the marketing and sales people have a language all their own, as they do in finance and human resources and strategic planning. What are they asking for? What are their expectations of what you can provide to them? And how soon do they want it?

Learning to communicate in these new areas doesn't have to take a long time. But, it does take an awareness of how to communicate in a responsible way. Be curious. Who is asking the question? Why are they asking? Who is their audience? Are they asking on behalf of the customer? Is that customer internal to the company or external?

Do they look puzzled when you answer them? That may mean that you are talking a different language. Consider your audience. Find out how they will be using the information. That will help you describe things with the appropriate amount of detail. A one-word answer may not be enough, but a 15 minute history of the technology platform that supports the application may be more than they care to know.

Listening - An Art

Of course you know how to listen - you can't help but hear the chatter all around you, the incessant emails, IMs and texts demanding your attention. But there is a real difference between Hearing and Listening. Awareness Listening is an art which can be learned through the application of your full awareness.

Lack of attention and respectful listening can lead to costly mistakes, poor customer service, misaligned goals, wasted time and lack of teamwork. All these areas are of greater importance in your new role as manager, since you are most likely responsible for positive results.

You can improve your ability to listen through the application of the following five skills.

1. Being Present: Where is your mind when others are speaking to you? Are you thinking about the 500 emails in your inbox, your upcoming budget meeting or how you are going to respond to the person talking to you? Before you can determine how you are going to respond, you must first turn off your internal monologue. Being present is one of the most difficult actions to achieve, and yet it is the single most important act in communicating with others.
2. Acknowledging: Responses can be both verbal and nonverbal (at least when you are in the same room) to let the other person know you are engaged in what they have to say. This process can be subtle, but it also acts as a reminder to you to focus on what the other person is saying and let them know you are paying attention. This does not mean that you agree with them, but simply that you are listening.
3. Asking questions: You were most likely placed into a new position based on what you already know. But in order to succeed in this new role, you must embark on a process of learning. You will now have a new team of people asking for your input, plus you will have to represent your team. When others on the senior management team ask for your input, make sure you really understand what it is they are asking for. What are their expectations of what you can provide to them? How much do they already know? How will they be using the information? Being curious about these issues helps you to respond in the most beneficial way. When it comes to listening to your team, you may now need to listen for a range of issues outside the realm of technical issues, such as potential scheduling problems, training and development needs or personal issues. The process of inquiry provides you a wealth of information, and it demonstrates your respect for the person speaking. It is also the way you empower yourself to grow into your new role.
4. Empathizing: Being sensitive to the feelings of others seems like something that does not belong in the workplace. By the contrary, the most powerful kinds of communication occur when you can understand the often unspoken needs that lie at the heart of a request. While it may help to try to compare someone's situation to a previous experience of your own, you cannot really understand how someone else is feeling unless you ask.
5. Checking your understanding: Repeating what someone is saying or paraphrasing what you heard is a great feedback loop. It is one of the most useful skills to ensure you have the information you need to move forward. Making assumptions is a sure fire way to make a mistake.

Respond only when you have fully grasped their meaning. Your words may now carry more impact, so choose them carefully.

Expanding your Self Awareness:

Success in a management or leadership role requires increased levels of awareness about what you say, how you say it and not saying anything until you have truly heard what the other person has to say. Countless studies have shown that the most important attribute of a good leader is their communication skills. How good are yours?

The way to improve or enhance your communications skills starts within you. Become more aware of your style of communication. Listen to how others respond to you. Pay attention to the kinds of questions you ask, and the responses that you give. Expand your scope of knowledge beyond the facts to understand the why and how of situations. Understand your strengths and use them to improve your communication skills. Discover what others have come to rely on you for and how you can continue your personal growth and professional development.

Looking within to unfold your self awareness takes patience, tenacity and courage. Having a deeper self awareness is not instant; it requires work and understanding that it is a lifetime process. The good news is you have awareness right now. You have what it takes to make the changes within yourself to be the best you can be.

We learn from our past, but we are not destined to repeat it. The ability to embrace change is the hallmark of an evolving organization. Change often involves some level of unease; however, with increased awareness and continued growth, barriers to change fall away.

Life continually gives us opportunities to make another choice.

Copyright © October 2008
Lisa M. Brazelton