Credit: Heather Campbell
Heather Campbell, Founder of Commsmasters, which is an executive coaching and consultancy firm, is using scientifically proven communication methods to enable executive and C-Suite leaders to fulfill their roles.
According to recent findings by Campbell, a prominent figure in the executive coaching and consulting sphere, getting communication right can be a daunting task for leaders occupying top-tier positions in large corporations. The fear factor, as unearthed by Campbell, emerges as a major culprit impeding communication even at executive and C-suite levels.
Research shows that people are more driven by fear than desire, and senior leaders are no exception. The fear of conflict, making situations worse, and criticism or retaliation leads many executives to avoid communicating problems and addressing situations that need resolving. Despite the abundance of leadership coaches in the market, catering to a broad spectrum of professionals, the demand for the advanced-level communication skills specifically tailored for top-tier leadership has remained largely unmet. Campbell is addressing these communication breakdowns with her unique executive coaching toolkit.
Campbell began her career in finance as an underwriter. She then transitioned to human resources. Later she moved into leadership and organizational development roles. It was in these roles that her interest in the power of communication to transform organizations emerged. Her subsequent research found that the best communication is more science than art. Campbell now primarily coaches leaders in the oil and gas, engineering, manufacturing and construction industries where her pragmatic, science-based approach resonates.
Campbell has found that there is a significant amount of waste in organizations due to poor leadership communication. This is completely avoidable when some core principles are consistently applied. It is these principles that Campbell coaches executives on administering. The results are compelling. Changing the way that top-tier leaders communicate results in a more productive, energized, confident workforce.
Typically, coaching leaders on how to improve their communication focuses on developing behaviors and skills. This is too superficial. It does not address the real challenge of communicating effectively in a corporate setting, which is the need to understand and manage fear.
Fear undermines effective communication in many workplaces with over 90% of senior leaders highlighting this as a factor in interactions at work. In practical terms this means that they tend to avoid asking questions that may result in disagreement, challenging the status quo or giving feedback on sensitive topics. Campbell coaches leaders to replace this fear with the confidence they need.
Most executives are surprised that they lack confidence. And Campbell agrees that much of the time they do feel and demonstrate confidence. However, even the most experienced leaders will have moments when their confidence ebbs and fear emerges. This distorts their communication and leads to avoidant or aggressive behaviours.
An example Campbell uses to highlight this is her time spent coaching an embattled CEO.
This particular CEO was seen as an aggressive leader, but when Campbell began coaching him she found that he was aggressive in certain situations. This aggression stemmed from the fact that he didn’t feel as educated as his peers. The CEO hadn’t attained a degree but instead worked his way up from an apprenticeship position. Although he was now in a top level job he worried that his senior peers didn’t respect him because of this. In meetings with these peers his fears translated into aggressive behaviour. By working to build his self-awareness about this and replacing it with confidence, he was able to maintain a far more measured and productive communication style in all settings.
“Time after time in my work with executives and C-suite leaders I have recognized the need to address this fear-confidence balance,” says Campbell. “Of course these highly successful individuals have a solid foundation of self-confidence. However, even a minor setback in terms of this can reverberate across an organization. At the executive level every conversation and every communication counts.”
About
Heather Campbell, Founder and CEO of Commsmasters, is bringing expert and scientifically proven leadership coaching methods to executive and C-suite leaders in large corporations. The communication needs of these executives have largely gone unmet in a market saturated with leadership coaches. Often these leaders are seen as people who already have outstanding communication skills.
Media Contact:
Name: Heather Campbell
E-Mail: heather.campbell@commsmasters.com
Published by: Omar Hamdi