Stop Wasting Words

Book excerpt: When executives in any industry are asked about the most important skill they look for in a leader, the answer is almost always the ability to communicate effectively. Unfortunately, schools and organizations spend almost no time helping otherwise intelligent people develop as communicators. This book begins to fill that gap. With Stop Wasting Words, coauthors Sean Mahar and Eric Eisenberg give you the tools you need to communicate with your teams and ultimately improve your performance as a leader--whether you're a low-level manager or a C-suite executive. In this book, Sean and Eric provide you with a comprehensive way of thinking about your own development as a leader focused on three major processes: - Conducting an honest self-assessment focused on your level of self-awareness; - Clarifying the choices/decisions you make regarding your communication and your relationships; and - Designing and applying a continuous improvement process for your leadership and for those you lead. Communicating is not just talking and listening; it requires complex message displays and engaging the listener followed by an assessment to check for understanding. It is not just throwing words back and forth. Without these efforts, the result could sound more like noise than meaningful dialogue. It's about making the most out of the words you do say. It's time to stop wasting words and learn how to truly communicate effectively.