Leadership & Communication
Both leadership and communication are what we call “complex capabilities”.
They are complex because they depend on the right mix of a wider range of capabilities.
Research has found, for example, that high-performing leadership depends for 80+% on
Emotional Intelligence,
but more specifically on reaching or surpassing a 'tipping point' in a combination of EI competencies1.
It is also known that to effectively lead technical teams (e.g. IT people and engineers),
an established technical authority is necessary.
Looking at job ads for Enterprise Architects, leadership capabilities are a requirement.
That makes sense: architects typically need to lead a team, some larger than others,
and have to be able to interact with the executives of the enterprise on equal footing.
Being a future-visionary and strategist as part of their role description, thought-leadership and guardianship of the vision,
strategy and architecture in often turbulent political arenas are a prerequisite for success in their work.
From the fact that communication is one of the capabilities necessary for effective leadership,
we can infer that communication in itself is a less complex capability than leadership.
It does involve, however, bringing together a few different capabilities, including, for example, clear expression,
the ability to 'read' others and active listening. Effective communication also involves being able to order one's thoughts,
to explain complex concepts in a language appropriate for the audience,
and being able to do all the above in writing as well.
Looking at George Bernard Shaw's remark that “the single biggest problem in communication is the illusion
that it has taken place”, the ability to accurately assess inter-personal exchanges under a range of circumstances is definitely
a catalyst in the communication capabilities mix.
