7 easy ways to avoid communication mistakes

Be grateful for your critics. They help you grow | Identify, visualize and act to change your behaviors | What is strategy design? Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( January 8, 2020 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE](  [] Leading Edge [] [Be grateful for your critics. They help you grow]( Being criticized helps leaders improve -- if they're vulnerable enough to listen and be thankful, writes Dan Rockwell. "Blame and bravado are escape hatches that protect incompetence," he writes. [Leadership Freak]( (1/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Identify, visualize and act to change your behaviors]( Change unwanted behaviors by identifying the positive value from a new way of thinking or behaving, then visualize yourself acting in that way and map out a strategy, writes Terry Watkins of The Ken Blanchard Cos. Watkins shares how she pushed herself to speak up early and often while continuing to listen carefully to others. [Blanchard LeaderChat]( (1/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Strategic Management [] [What is strategy design?]( Strategy is what's decided and prioritized at the organizational level, but many companies confuse designing strategy with execution, which is about individual actions, writes Graham Kenny. "Unless the doing impulse is switched off, until design is ready, the cart gets put before the horse," he writes. [Harvard Business Review online (tiered subscription model)]( (1/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Smarter Communication [] [7 easy ways to avoid communication mistakes]( Smart leaders will consistently listen deeply, ask clarifying questions, control their emotions and display positivity, all of which helps avoid miscommunication, writes Lolly Daskal. "Whatever you send out as a leader is usually returned to you, so own the power of contagious positivity," she writes. [Lolly Daskal]( (1/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Watch speech and gestures to gauge engagement]( Leaders can discern what matters most to people by paying attention to their word choices and body language, says former Army interrogator and author Greg Hartley. "People open up to things they are interested in, both figuratively and physically, their eyes open wide, chins rise, and they remove barriers from between themselves and things they are attracted to," he says. [Skip Prichard Leadership Insights]( (1/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Traditional Leadership is Dying Your organizations style of leadership dramatically influences workplace culture. Our 2020 research shows the old leadership model is not effective. [Check out these stats]( on how traditional leadership compares with modern and what you can do to help. ADVERTISEMENT [] Customers First A weekly look at serving customers better [] [CEOs need to own the customer experience]( Chief customer officers are not necessary and can unintentionally convey that employees aren't responsible for the customer experience, writes Blake Morgan. "I am a firm believer that customer experience needs a leader and is most successful when owned by the CEO, someone who actually has power and resources to drive change," Morgan writes. [Forbes]( (1/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] In Their Own Words [] [Former CEO: Connect with people before leading them]( Bridget-ann Hart, who recently retired as president and CEO of KPH Healthcare Services, says that employees need to have their fears addressed before the conversation can turn to what the business must do. "When times are good, you can lead people with their minds, but, when times are bad, you have to lead them through their hearts," she says. [The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.)]( (1/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [How did we find our way around without GPS?]( Drivers have been trying to navigate for more than 120 years, with early versions of guided navigation including 1909's Live Map, which used paper discs loaded onto a brass dial that provided turn-by-turn directions. The first electronic map was the Etak Navigator, introduced in 1985, that used data stored on cassettes to deliver directions. [Ars Technica]( (1/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Editor's Note [] Did you vote in this week's poll? Did you vote in this week's poll? (SmartBrief) On Tuesdays, SmartBrief on Leadership's SmartPulse features poll questions and analysis from ThoughtLeaders managing director [Mike Figliuolo](. Did you vote in this week's poll: How often do you move team members around to cross-pollinate skills and culture? If not, check out [Tuesday's email]( and look at the [voting so far](. 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