There’s a Dilbert cartoon where the boss says he only hires people smarter than him. Dilbert points out that that means the person at the top of the organization is the least intelligent. Organizations that hire for diversity will look for complements to fill knowledge gaps.
A consultative communication and leadership style honors the validity of all ideas. Especially effective with developing leaders, it can be done by leaders at all levels, even those with little authority. Employees who support their consultative leader improve morale.
What Is Consultative Communication?
Consultative communication is a leadership approach that seeks input before making decisions. It uses open-ended questions and active listening to gather different perspectives, uncover issues, and tap into the knowledge of the people closest to the work.
The leader makes it clear that input is welcome and encourages employees to share their perspectives before making a decision. The leader may still make the final call, but people have a meaningful opportunity to contribute.
Consultative communication seeks a win-win. Employees build confidence and buy-in to decisions more readily. Leaders often make better decisions when they draw on the knowledge and perspectives of the people around them.
Why Consultative?
Consultative communication takes time. Do you have the time required? Can you share ownership?
Consultative communication builds trust, defines goals and objectives, and sets specific expectations. It increases employee participation and balances power. It increases buy-in during times of change and reassures employees who doubt their ability to complete a task.
When Consultative?
Leaders should use consultative communication when they are not fully aware of the situation. Are your front-line employees the real experts? If your audience is informed, or you want to build ownership and groom future leaders, consultative communication may be the right approach.
Do you need to shift an employee’s thinking away from a particular idea? Consultative communication can redirect to a more productive outlet.
Sometimes subordinates dominate or cause disruptions. Consultative communication with the company Devil’s Advocate can be challenging.
How to Be a Consultative Communicator
Be patient with yourself; if you’ve been a directive leader, your transition to consultative communication will take time. Let your employees know it is safe to speak up. Lead by example. Be transparent.
If you’ve already been working on incoming and outgoing feedback and have employed the formula for an honest workplace, consultative communication will come in time.
Create an Open Culture
- Help people feel safe.
- Start with more low-risk, open conversations. Check in regularly.
- Say the hard things yourself. If something isn’t working, say so.
- Validate the concerns of others.
- Don’t treat civil disagreement as insubordination.
- Sacrifice your ego to show how much you value candor and openness. Ask for a critique of yourself.
Facilitate Effectively
Take enough time to hear all sides. If you’re looking for ideas, but will still make the final call, be upfront about it.
Follow these facilitation steps suggested by Seeds for Change:
- Design a good agenda.
- Be aware of both content and process.
- Keep the group moving toward its aims.
- Use a variety of facilitation tools to keep everyone interested.
- Create a safe and empowering atmosphere to get the best contributions from everyone.
- Stop domineering, interrupting, put-downs, and guilt trips.
Recommended Reading
https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/facilitationmeeting
Ready to Flex Your Communication?
Knowing the three types of communication is a good start. Using them well—especially when the conversation is difficult, the stakes are high, or the person you’re talking to communicates very differently than you do—is where things get interesting.
That’s why I wrote Flex Your Communication: 47 Tips for Every Day Success at Work. It’s a practical, no-nonsense guide to communicating more effectively at work, with short, stand-alone chapters you can use when you need them.
You’ll learn how to read and use nonverbal communication, flex your communication style, give and receive feedback, say no, communicate across generations and cultures, persuade without pressure, manage conflict, and more.
