In a survey done on 1000 white collar professionals it was found that communication tops the list of the things employees want from their bosses.
Possessing good communication skills is however only half the battle. It was found that bosses with good communication skills, like any boos, often fail to be attentive enough to employee performance. Without this attentiveness and deliberateness with regard to seeing how the employees are performing with the aim of making them better at their job and assisting them in maximizing their potential, the value of the skill of good communication cannot be fully realized.
Another way one may say the above is that the intent to care for and grow one’s subordinates is the grounds of the value of the skill of good communication. The skill of good communication is valuable because it enables the boss to be genuinely helpful to his employees, provided that he genuinely cares for them and is genuinely concerned about their growth.
The research also illuminated the importance of bringing staff into long-term planning. This involves, among other things, communicating company values and ideals. The importance of this is to give employees a sense of purpose, to give them a reason to work that is more profound than merely putting bread on the table and a car in the garage.
For the value of the skill of good communication to be realized then there are a couple of important things which the boss needs to get right. Firstly he must concern himself with the excellence of his employees, i.e. he must care for and grow them. Secondly he must provide his subordinates with a reason to work that is bigger than self-interests. He must engage his employees nobility.
There are of course other qualities a good boss should have but if he has these two along with good communication skills, he will be well on his way to leadership excellence.
For more on this topic please read: What Staff Want From Bosses