Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and goalachieving. This
Speaker 1: is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul
Speaker 1: Fello Aledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode two seventeen. In today's episode deals with a
Speaker 2: common problem when leaders say too much. Leadership is as
Speaker 2: much about what we say as how we say it.
Speaker 2: But have you ever found yourself saying too much, overloading
Speaker 2: your team with information or losing focus during critical moments?
Speaker 2: That's what I'm talking about. So picture this. You're in
Speaker 2: a meeting and the leader spends twenty minutes trying to
Speaker 2: explain a new initiative, and by the end, no one
Speaker 2: is sure what's being asked of them sound familiar. Over communication,
Speaker 2: or more precisely, unfocused communication can lead to confusion, wasted time,
Speaker 2: and even frustration within a team. A Harvard Business Review
Speaker 2: study found that teams perform best when leaders communicate clearly
Speaker 2: and concisely. Saying too much can dilute the message, leaving
Speaker 2: employees uncertain about priorities or next steps. More words don't
Speaker 2: equal more clarity. In fact, they often have the opposite effect.
Speaker 2: And let me give you two examples to make this point.
Speaker 2: A CEO rolled out a major organizational change in a
Speaker 2: company wide email that was six pages long. Employees were
Speaker 2: left overwhelmed and unsure what to focus on, and this
Speaker 2: misstep created weeks of unnecessary back and forth clarifications. And
Speaker 2: on the flip side, when Elon Musk announced Tesla's goals
Speaker 2: for the next decade, he communicated it in one tweet
Speaker 2: accele r the world's transition to sustainable energy. It was simple, clear,
Speaker 2: and rallied his team and investors all over the world.
Speaker 2: If you can't explain your vision or directive in a
Speaker 2: sentence or two, it's time to refine it. So why
Speaker 2: do we as leaders sometimes say too much? It's the
Speaker 2: fear of being misunderstood. We over explain because we think
Speaker 2: more words will prevent confusion. It's also the uncertainty about
Speaker 2: the message. Sometimes we aren't clear on what we want
Speaker 2: to communicate ourselves, and it's the desire to sound knowledgeable.
Speaker 2: Let's be honest. Sometimes we try to prove we know everything,
Speaker 2: but it often backfires. Saying too much often reflects a
Speaker 2: lack of preparation or focus on what truly matters. Great
Speaker 2: communication starts with clarity in your own mind. So now
Speaker 2: that we've identified the problem, let's talk solutions. Define the
Speaker 2: purpose of your communication. Before speaking or writing, ask yourself,
Speaker 2: what's the goal? What's the one thing I want my
Speaker 2: audience to take away? Write it down in one sentence
Speaker 2: and build your communication around that. Use the rule of three.
Speaker 2: People retain information better in groups of three. For example,
Speaker 2: instead of listing ten priorities, focus on your top three.
Speaker 2: This keeps your team focused and aligned. And this is
Speaker 2: why on this show I often present points or make
Speaker 2: statements in groups of three. And finally, ask for feedback.
Speaker 2: After sharing your message, ask someone to summarize it back
Speaker 2: to you. If they can't explain it simply, you may
Speaker 2: need to revise how you communicate it. And here are
Speaker 2: two pro tips for you. Keep your emails under two
Speaker 2: hundred words and limit meetings to actionable topics only. Simplicity
Speaker 2: saves time and drives results. So here is your challenge
Speaker 2: for this, and challenge you to audit your communications. Review
Speaker 2: the last three emails or team meetings you led. Did
Speaker 2: you focus on the key message or did you include
Speaker 2: unnecessary details? Then for your next team meeting, use the
Speaker 2: rule of three and see how it impacts clarity and engagement. Remember,
Speaker 2: less is more. You have to remember that clarity is
Speaker 2: your superpower. Don't overwhelm your team with words. Drive them
Speaker 2: with simple, precise points, because when you focus on what
Speaker 2: truly matters and communicate it clearly, you empower your team
Speaker 2: to act with clarity and confidence to get right to
Speaker 2: the point of your objective. Remember, rate leaders don't say more,
Speaker 2: they say what matters. This has been the seven Minute
Speaker 2: Leadership Podcast and as always, I thank you for listening.
Speaker 1: For more Paul Fellovolito podcast, visit Paul fellowalito dot com.