Leaders spend 70% to 90% of their time in group or team interactions every day.¹ Thus, it should come as no surprise that when people are asked, “What is your biggest challenge at work?” communication is usually at the top of the list. Communication and leadership are inextricably linked.

If you see communication as just sending messages, then you're just seeing the tip of the iceberg. It's so much more. It's a skill and an art. It includes knowing how to provide appropriate context. It's reading an individual or a group. It's adapting messaging on the fly. Effective communication can inform, persuade, assure, and inspire.

In Part III, you'll learn how to grow your skill as communicator. You'll understand what it is, how it works, and the biggest obstacles to communicating well. You'll explore the multiple dimensions of communication through stories of leaders who communicated well under pressure and those who failed and why. You'll get keys that, when applied, will raise your communication skill (and your leadership ability) to a whole new level.

Communication is the next step on the leadership path after connection. Empathy and credibility create a strong bond of trust between you and those you lead. They're willing and eager to have a dialogue with you. The skills taught in Part III will help you figure out what to say, how to say it best, and how to create Shared Understanding.