You Need to Listen More to Lead Better — 5 Tactics for Leaders to Bridge the Communication Gap With Their Team

All leaders know that communication is critical to an organization’s success. But often we fail to bridge the gap between senior executives and our front-line team members to truly get a pulse of what is happening across an organization. This disconnection is heightened in hospitality and healthcare, where we work in direct contact with customers or care for patients’ health and wellness. As a result, it causes issues like:

• Leaders without a clear or accurate understanding of their front-line teams’ challenges.
• Decisions being made by the C-suite that do not effectively address those challenges.
• A lack of trust between leaders and teams.
• Disconnection between culture and action.

The solution is simple. As the president and CEO of AtlantiCare Health System, I’ve learned that stepping outside my office, the boardroom or senior leadership meeting and engaging directly with team members across the organization is what matters most. I spend time in our hospitals and at our practice locations, without an agenda or formal itinerary, to learn about their work and their challenges.

Leadership axiom: Business moves at the speed of relationships.

Here are my five leadership tenets to build relationships with a lasting and positive impact.

Related: Why Executives Need to Roll Up Their Sleeves and Work ‘in the Trenches’ of Their Companies

1. Always be present

When I first started walking the hospital floors after my appointment, one senior nurse remained elusive, regardless of the hour. It was clear she was avoiding me.

When I would go left to talk to her, she would go right. When I would go right, she would go left. So, I just kept returning during her shifts. Eleven at night on a Saturday or 2 a.m. on a weekday — it didn’t matter. She is a well-liked and highly respected nurse, and I knew her insights would offer tremendous value. Then, finally, one night, she walked over and shook my hand. She said: “Okay, I appreciate you being here. Especially during the overnight shift. Let’s talk.”

Leadership axiom: Presence is the foundation of influence.

It can take time and persistence to establish connections, but the commitment is worthwhile. So, make the effort, have skip-level meetings and walk the floors. What you hear will be eye-opening.

2. Fostering trust and leading with emotional intelligence

My purpose in establishing a connection with the senior nurse was about making positive change and easing the pain points the team was experiencing, but I needed her help to understand those opportunities. Building trust through a transparent leadership style allows for mutual understanding of the realities the team faces and, in turn, what leadership is trying to accomplish.

Leadership axiom: Transparency builds trust, and trust forms great relationships.

Relying on outside consultants to tell leaders what team members are thinking is counter-intuitive to building relationships. I pride myself on being open about what is driving the decision-making process and engaging people to co-create solutions. Yet trust can still be broken if transparency reveals problems that don’t get fixed, which is why the next point is so important.

Related: I Invited My Employees to ‘Ask Me Anything.’ Here’s What I Learned.

3. Reducing administrative burdens to empower teams

In healthcare, human connection is mission critical. However, team members’ responsibilities also include adhering to procedures and managing paperwork, which can occasionally be challenging — and many other industries have similar challenges.

Leadership axiom: A leader’s responsibility includes the unburdening of unnecessary tasks.

Leaders must remove barriers that prevent team members from focusing on their core roles. So, consider implementing these operational efficiencies:

• Investing in technology to simplify daily tasks and activities.
• Removing box-ticking tasks such as generating reports that are completed simply because “that’s how it has always been done.”
• Removing training modules unrelated to team members’ roles.
• Eliminating the culture of including everyone in meetings; only involve those who need to be present. If the information can be shared via email, a meeting isn’t necessary.

4. Building forums for stakeholder feedback

At AtlantiCare, active listening is key to our success. Along with my leadership team, we seek out opportunities to bring team members together, building forums and councils for them to share feedback and engage in honest dialogue.

Leadership axiom: The only capital a leader has is the willingness of their team members to contribute.

So, encourage your leadership team to conduct skip-level meetings to gain broader insights and strengthen organizational connections. But for these forums to be successful, we must:

• Ensure that team members have a stake in the process when implementing new programs or policies.
• Encourage team members to suggest what they would do differently or how they would improve things.
• Incorporate front-line insights into decision-making.

5. Creating a culture of problem-solving by always asking ‘why’

Active listening is a cornerstone of developing a culture of problem-solving and continuous improvement. We need to challenge legacy thinking and processes by asking “why” — and then asking “why” again to empower acute curiosity.

Leadership axiom: The solutions often lie within the team, not above it.

My job isn’t just to hear the challenges my team faces — it’s to empower them with the resources and support they need to solve those problems. So, I suggest:

• Exemplifying the qualities and behaviors you expect from your team in achieving their goals.
• Providing unwavering support and resources to team members seeking knowledge and information.
• Encouraging team members to plan for change like they are its architects.
• Creating a pipeline of future leaders that makes problem-solving part of their mindset.

When leaders truly listen, they understand the emotions, concerns and ideas behind the words. This deep level of engagement makes team members feel valued and heard, which in turn boosts morale and productivity.

Related: Engage and Inspire Your Team by Talking to Them Outside of Formal Settings

An ongoing conversation

The moment the senior nurse acknowledged my presence, I felt like I had made a connection. And it is only because of this connection that we can now be transparent and honest with each other, even if it means calling out issues and challenges directly, to drive necessary changes. If business moves at the speed of relationships, the first step is to be present. But you must be consistent and lead by example. This will be the foundation of how to successfully bridge the C-suite and front-line divide.