Grow the Strongest Managers by Investing in Communication Skills

Interpersonal skills are critical for managers, so it pays to hire and promote for these natural talents as well as invest in training and resources to help cultivate these abilities.

Managers shape how workers spend their days — what they work on and how they feel about that work. Gallup’s extensive research confirms that, “managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores across business units.” And when workers are engaged, profits are significantly higher. Productivity, turnover, sales and customer satisfaction are often strong indicators of both employee engagement and management effectiveness.

Despite their obvious impact to the bottom line, organizations sometimes unintentionally miss the management mark. This is in large part because the skills needed to be an excellent manager are rare. The same Gallup poll says that only 10% of workers possess a “natural” talent for managing. Two in 10 people can function at a high level “if their company invests in coaching and developmental plans for them.” Because businesses often promote workers based on merit or longevity rather than management potential, training is needed to boost skills and desired managerial outcomes.

Communication tops the management skills list

While the skills needed to be a good manager are complex and involve many subtleties, communication tops the list. It’s estimated that the average manager spends roughly 80% of their day communicating. According to research by George Bucata and Marius Alexandru Rizescu, managerial communication plays a triple role in an organization achieving its objectives: Interpersonal, informational and decision-making.

1. Managers' interactions with employees affect their motivation, job satisfaction, conflict resolution and how well a team works together. 

2. Managers gather information and make sure the right people have it. This information flow includes explaining the objectives of a project so workers know exactly what to do — helping ensure the best use of resources and time. For the head of a group, it also involves creating conditions so that everyone feels free to express themselves, making the best use of diverse knowledge.

3. Managers make decisions based on information and interactions. When this communication flow isn’t working well, decisions are based on incomplete information.

Google reached this same conclusion about the importance of soft skills and communication through their own management research. They found that “among the eight most important qualities of Google’s top managers, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) expertise comes in dead last,” according to Lou Glazer for Michigan Future, Inc. The top seven characteristics were all soft skills, with “being a good coach” and “communicating and listening well” as first and second. Because top performing front line employees are often the ones promoted, it’s technical expertise that earns them the management title. But these skills won’t necessarily help them succeed in this new role.

Boosting communication skills ensures managers’ success

Strong communication is critical for managers, ensuring positive relationships between people and the vital flow of information. It’s hard to accurately measure these skills in individuals but we see them in various workplace gains or losses. High turnover and declining productivity are two big ones. But there are plenty of indicators of falling engagement: missed deadlines, increased absenteeism, poor work quality, to name a few.

“Managers must be aware that perseverance in learning how to communicate should be a top priority for them,” Bucata and Rizescu conclude.  To achieve their companys’ objectives, it’s the primary skill they must acquire or refine.