Leadership Mindset Shift #4: Respond To What You See, Not What You Know

Leading from assumptions often results in negative outcomes. Not only does it perpetuate bias and invite defensiveness, it also blinds leaders to the real behaviors that are right in front of them. 

If you surveyed the leaders in your organization, how would they answer these questions?

Have you ever;

• Felt out of sync with someone when attempting to communicate?
• Struggled to establish a connection with someone you were trying to lead?
• Felt energized after interactions with certain people, but drained after interactions with other people?
• Wished for better insight on someone so you’d know how to communicate properly?
• Made an assumption about someone that turned out to be false?

People want to be seen and heard for who they are, not based on assumptions or generalizations. How well do your leaders interpret others’ behaviors? Do they communicate the same with everyone, or can they adapt based on who they are communicating with? Can they anticipate what style of communication different people need by observing behavior? 

Shifting your leadership mindset about communication can make all the difference. Here is the fourth of eight mindset shifts that can transform a leader’s effectiveness.

Leadership Mindset Shift #4

Respond to what you see, not what you know.

The Process Communication Model® identifies differences in how different people communicate that are observable through words, tones, postures, gestures and facial expressions. By recognizing these behavioral cues, leaders can make a better connection and avoid a one-size-fits-all approach that leaves most people feeling unheard and “summarized.” Furthermore, a person’s response to us will let us know if we are truly communicating and in sync, or not.

Four Channels of Communication: How To Know If You Are In Sync

Effective communication is a two-way street. Being “in-sync” with another person means that they are receiving your message as intended, and responding in a way that lets you know they understand what you mean. How many of your daily interactions meet this criteria? What would be different if you could increase that number? 

Just as a radio or TV needs to be on the right channel to tune in our favorite broadcast, people need to be on the same channel to communicate with each other. Each Person has a preferred Channel of Communication.

Nurturative: Some people will communicate most effectively if we nurture them first, showing them that we appreciate and care about them personally.

Requestive: Some people respond best when we ask them for information, requesting them to think and respond with facts and opinions, like two computers exchanging data.

Emotive: Others like us to be spontaneous and humorous in our communication with them, keeping the conversation light, lively, energetic, and fun.

Directive: Still others will communicate best when we are direct with them, using few words and telling them specifically what we want from them.

Respond To What You See, Improve Interpersonal Communication

Imagine the possibilities if you applied the PCM tool of Channels to tailor your interpersonal communication efforts: daily interactions, emails, texts, even difficult conversations. Imagine the improvements in rapport, engagement, and communication effectiveness if adapted your Channel depending on who you were communicating with. The benefits are:

• Keeping the focus on behaviors, not unspoken assumptions.
• Avoiding awkward mistakes and lowering defensiveness.
• Reminding us that we are responsible for how we communicate with each other.
• Helping identify healthy communication, and unhealthy miscommunication.

Shift Your Mindset To Become A Better Leader

Learning how to recognize and adapt communication with different Personality types based on observable behaviors, not assumptions, is the focus of one of the modules in the PCM Leadership Program.

In this module, leaders will learn how to:

• Be more self-aware of their own communication styles.
• Be more aware of different communication styles.
• Improve the quality and impact of their email, social media, and other virtual communications.
• Avoid energy wasted on dead-end conversations.
• Invite others to feel heard and included.

Contact us today to find out more about how PCM helps leaders recognize and maximize the critical intersection between communication and personality.

Why Choose the PCM Leadership Program?

People skills are the primary leadership differentiator: being able to connect, engage, resolve conflict with and motivate anyone are essential leadership skills. Today’s leaders must cultivate their self-awareness and agility to be successful in a highly diverse, global and virtual environment. 

The PCM Leadership Program is a collection of learning & application modules that apply the Process Communication Model to solve the most common and important leadership challenges. 

Senior leaders will gain a greater understanding of how their own personality impacts their role and performance as a leader, how to adapt communication and motivation strategies to maximize the contribution of all personality types in the workplace, and how personality differences are best managed from a strategic level. 

Newly promoted and mid-level leaders will learn and apply critical social-emotional and communication competencies to improve their effectiveness in a wide range of leadership challenges such as communicating for greater impact, managing and motivating performance, dealing with miscommunication and conflict, building trust and engagement, and self-care.

We can help you assess your leadership development needs and design just the right program for your goals. Contact us today.

Copyright Next Element Consulting, LLC 2023