Inspiring your team with effective communication
As a Founder with ambitions to scale your business and become CEO, it is hard to overstate the importance of effective communication on that journey.
As a Founder, you will have had a small knit team who could turn their hand to almost anything to get your product to market. In the early stages of finding the product, market fit in your early beachhead markets, communication just worked. You knew each other well and, in some cases, will have almost felt that you could communicate by osmosis with that small, well-knit team.
As the business proves its validity, attracts investment and grows the team, you need to become more structured as a business, and the need for a CEO becomes real.
Either one of the Founders needs to upskill and step into the CEO role for growth and scale, or you need to consider hiring a qualified CEO to guide your growth, and the Founders can take an Exec role in their technical area of expertise and value.
If you choose to take on the CEO role with backing from your team and investors, with all of the things you have to think about, communication is often one of those things taken for granted.
Your team are the number one asset your business has. Investors are putting their money and faith behind you and your team, but no team will perform to their potential without good effective communication.
So here are a few thoughts on why it's important and how you can improve the effectiveness of your communication.
Why Is Communication Important?
There are many different audiences you will need to address as CEO. While each tends to require a different approach, their impact and importance to your business are no less critical.
The different stakeholder groups that make up a successful business, your team, your customers, your board, investors, suppliers, and support agencies all have a part to play. They may all need slightly different forms of and approaches to communication; however, they need to understand your vision, and their role and have regular engagement to make the business a success.
So clear communication, generally from one source, the business leader, is crucial to keep everyone on track to the end goal.
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