Communications and successful leadership

Scott Edinger, Founder, Edinger Consulting Group, in his Harvard Business Review blog, offers tips on effective communication for successful leaders.

Edinger prescribes that, to be good communicators, one can rely on Aristotle’s time-tested formula revolving around three critical elements -- ethos, pathos, and logos.

 

·        Ethos is essentially one’s credibility. Credibility depends on one’s credentials, position held within an organization, technical expertise, strong levels of integrity and character.

·        Pathos is making an emotional connection — giving people one’s undivided attention, taking an active interest in the team members' career development and being enthusiastic about both the organization's progress and the individuals who enable it are ways that leaders do this well

·         Logos is the mode for appealing to others' sense of reason. Employing strengths in strategic thinking, problem solving and analytical skills are how today's leaders express logical ideas in clear and compelling enough terms to influence outcomes.... Facts do not speak for themselves, which is sad, since it would save so much time if they did. Effective leaders know the effort and time spent making explicit the connections they're drawing from the data to the analysis to their conclusion are well worth it.

 “These three elements of communication reinforce one another,” Edinger had written in his article. “You may rely heavily on data and analysis (logos) to make a point and in so doing create a perception of expertise and authority on a topic (ethos). And while all three are necessary to excellent communication, improving your ability to do any one of them will help you become a better communicator and so a better leader. Combining them is the path to achieving the greatest success.”