Leadership Communication

Leadership Communication

Leadership is very important for every organization. Leaders determine the direction to be taken for the organization to achieve its goals and objectives. Individuals in leadership positions in every organization must-have skills that set them apart from others. An important skill is communication skills. It is important for leaders to have better communication skills that suit their positions (Lussie & Achua, 2016). Leaders, especially entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Harvey Weinstein, have communication skills that they use to address issues facing the present and the future of the company to employees of the organization. Good communication skills influence the role of a leader in every organization. Leadership communication is of many aspects and dimensions, and it requires a leader to master the psychological side of employees, understanding culture, mastery of language and, the choice of communication channels (Lussie & Achua, 2016). Elon musk and Harvey Weinstein are leaders with different distinct communication skills. This research paper aims to learn the contributions that leadership communication employed by Elon Musk and Harvey Weinstein has made on their businesses.

Communication from leaders of the organization reflects the values of the organization. Entrepreneurs who have the desire to excel in their respective businesses need to possess good skills in communication. Leadership is more than managing employees, communication skills like listening, speaking, and writing skills is what makes an individual a desirable leader. Leaders need to utilize the knowledge they possess for the benefit of others (Lussie & Achua, 2016). leaders with poor communication skills will have difficulty in implementing management functions in the organization like planning and organizing. When making decisions in the organization, leaders have to work with employees. Therefore, leaders have to know how to communicate with them in ways that are effective and persuasive since leadership communication is one of the pillars of management.

The communication process involves exchanging ideas between one individual and the other. Maintain healthy communication in organizations improves the productivity of the organization. Any person that holds leadership positions needs to ensure that proper communication channels are adhered to for effective communication in the organization. In business, leaders need to ensure open communication channels at all times. Communication channels range from Emails, phones to memos, and face to face meetings. Leaders need to ensure that no matter what channel they use to communicate, communication needs to be effective. Leaders with effective communication skills possess certain skills that make their leadership unique. Many leaders do not understand the traits that make them good communicators (Lussie & Achua, 2016). The ability to make public speeches, not all leaders can make public speeches. Some leaders lack the motivation for persuading the audience on why they should use their products. Admirable communication traits define a good leader. In the paper, the leadership communication of Elon Musk and Harvey Weinstein will be discussed on personal levels.

Elon Musk

Elon has been successful in creating a remarkable brand for himself and his companies. Any individual who has access to the internet or familiar with the industry has heard of his company and him (Sharma, 2016). Any major event announced by the company is viewed live by millions of people from all over the world as they expect something groundbreaking to happen. Thus, people see that beliefs and perceptions held by members of an organization as a result of leadership actions. As an example, when the failure of the rocket ship to take off when it hit the news channels, Elon was quick to address the incident on his end so that the story can be controlled, and he can address the failure first hand. Musk understands the climate of the markets and addresses them accordingly. Open, candid communication in the organization ensures that there is a positive climate in the organization.

In discussing leadership communication of Elon Musk, it is important to remember that effective communication from leaders lies in the intentions of their messages. Musk is doing right when it comes to communication. Musk has communication styles that have enabled him to excel in his communication roles. One trait that sets Musk apart from many leaders is his ability to speak in the present tense when delivering his speeches. Elon portrays the future as something that is currently, and that cheers people up when discussing new technologies. Elon possesses the motivation trait, and he is motivated by what he is doing, which makes him a good fit for Tesla. Elon Musk is a great communicator, he communicates his visions with people in a manner that looks so simple, and that is why many people are following him. Effective communication skills have contributed to his success as a leader.

Elon Musk is certain about the role that he wants his messages to play to his audience. He is a type of leader that ensures that nothing that is likely to harm the company is posted on the internet; everything that is posted about his companies is the truth. He takes control of the communication channels that the messages will be delivered. Most of the time, Musk maintains open communication channels with his employees and investors.

Elon Musk is opposed to the style of leadership that leaders create unnecessary barriers between employees and managers of the organization. Musk explains that following the chain of command has many flaws in the organization. Musk believes that employees should whatever it takes to solve the issue that exists in the organization, even if it means going directly to the manager. “You can talk to me, and you can talk to anyone without anyone else’s permission,” Musk explains. The purpose of this is not to encourage unnecessary conversations but a means of ensuring that solutions are acted on fast. It is the fastest means of communication, and the strategy ensures that there is no misinterpretation of information. Such communication strategies are what sets Elon Musk apart from other leaders like Harvey Weinstein.

Elon Musk is a communication master. Musk believes that communication is a skill that only works when leaders do what they say. Musk poses a vast understanding of the importance of communication, a tool that he has mastered to make his team work effectively. It gives subordinates the reason to act in order to achieve the desired outcome. Leaders should provide a clear purpose for the Team (Lussie & Achua, 2016). Communicating how to accomplish a mission of the company by prioritizing tasks, assigning responsibility, and ensuring project team members understand standards (Lussie & Achua, 2016). A leader’s role in motivation is to understand the needs and desires of others, to align and elevate individual drives into project team goals, and to influence others. Learn as much as possible about followers’ capabilities and limitations, then give over as much responsibility as can be handled. There is a strong culture of teamwork and community.

Harvey Weinstein

Weinstein is an aristocratic leader. Weinstein cannot be compared to Musk when it comes to leadership communication, and Musk is way far ahead of him. Weinstein, for many years, abused women in his company, and nobody had the courage to report him or confront him on the issue. Because of his authoritarian leadership style, employees feared to face him. It is difficult to hold meaningful conversations with aristocratic leaders (Farrow, 2017). Aristocratic leaders do not have close relationships with employees, and Weinstein would make decisions regarding the welfare of employees without consulting them (Hadayati, 2018). he does believe that other individuals cannot make decisions that can better his companies. During his leadership tenure, Weinstein intimidated employees, and he used his power to ensure that the women he abused do not get the justice they deserved.

Charismatic vs. Transformational Leadership

Transformational and charismatic characters are important aspects of every leader’s success. Charismatic leadership is a form of cheering certain behaviors in others through persuasion, personality force, and articulate communication. Charismatic leaders are leaders who are extremely skilled communicators ((Lussie & Achua, 2016). Charismatic leaders motivate their followers to do things in a certain way or improve on how they do some things. For a charismatic leader to be able to persuade his followers, he must have a strong personal attraction. Transformational leaders work in hand with his Team to ensure the goals and vision of the organization.  Elon, as a leader, possesses the two attributes, transformation, and charisma, and has applied them in the management of Tesla and SpaceX (Schoemaker, Heaton & Teece, 2019). His achievements in the companies are evidence of this.

In leadership communication, Weinstein is less charismatic compared to Musk. Weinstein is a transformational leader (Arenas, 2019). His authoritarian leadership style enabled him to build his company Miramax into achieving immeasurable success. Weinstein was firm when it came to the leadership of the company. He never asked for opinions from others. Weinstein understood what it took to be successful in the entrepreneurship industry. Under the tutelage of Weinstein, Miramax was very successful before it was eventually sold. Weinstein’s transformation leadership style ensured that the Weinstein company that was founded in 2005 became a success.

In conclusion, leadership communication is a vital skill that leaders need to iron to achieve success. Good communication skills influence the role of a leader in every organization. Leadership communication is of many aspects and dimensions, and it requires a leader to master the psychological side of employees, understanding culture, mastery of language, and the choice of communication channels. Communication determines the kind of relationship that both leaders and employees will have at the organization. Leadership communication gives subordinates the reason to act in order to achieve the desired outcome. Leaders should provide a clear purpose for the Team. Communicating how to accomplish a mission of the company by prioritizing tasks, assigning responsibility, and ensuring project team members understand standards. Leaders possess different communication skills, and that is what makes them unique. Communication skills are what differentiates the leadership styles of both Elon Musk and Harvey Weinstein. The level of success that the two leaders have achieved in their leadership careers depends entirely on the skills they employed

References

Arenas, F. J. (2019). A casebook of transformational and transactional leadership. Routledge. Retrieved from https://content.taylorfrancis.com/books/download?dac=C2016-0-40872-X&isbn=9781351714167&format=googlePreviewPdf

Farrow, R. (Producer). (2017). Harvey Weinstein’s army of spies. The New Yorker. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/harvey-weinsteins-army-of-spies

Hadayati, F. (2018, January 26). Leadership deficits of Harvey Weinstein. Center For Work             Life. Retrieved from https://www.centerforworklife.com/leadership-deficits-harvey-weinstein/

Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2016). Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development.         Nelson Education. Retrieved from https://www.cengage.com/c/leadership-theory-application-skill-development-6e-lussier/9781285866352PF

Schoemaker, P. J., Heaton, S., & Teece, D. (2018). Innovation, dynamic capabilities, and leadership. California Management Review, 61(1), 15-42. Retrieved from https://cmr.berkeley.edu/browse/issues/61_1/

Sharma, S. (2016). The Tesla phenomena a business strategy report. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/download/46138397/The_Tesla_Phenomena.pdf