Here's how you can enhance leadership through creative communication and collaboration.

We can no longer rely on big boardroom meetings to get the best out of people. That doesn’t recognise diversity. Ask the team how they prefer to communicate and share ideas, whether it’s in meetings, one-to-ones, Zoom, Slack, email etc. It takes longer to acknowledge individual differences but you get a richer output and more varied ideas and perspectives in the long run.

Open dialogue. When we encourage open communication and actively listen to team members' ideas and concerns, it cultivates an environment where everyone feels valued, motivated, and empowered to contribute. Collaborative leadership encourages cooperation and synergy, leading to more effective decision-making and goal achievement.

Lead by example. Be open to learning and appreciate the diverse perspectives your team brings in. Encourage candour and create a collaborative environment.

One thing I found out from experience is that people from distinct levels of society, education history and job occupations can provide remarkably interesting insights on problems you and your team eventually get stuck on! Listen to everybody, talk to the people at the reception desk about how they would approach an issue, exchange ideas with the trainee from the financial department about the production of a different kind of gift at a corporate party... In my experience I´ve had great suggestions and even solutions given to me and my team that way. To think outside the box may be your own team-box - think about this!

Encourage Open Communication: Create a culture where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas, feedback, and concerns openly. Encourage two-way communication channels, such as regular team meetings, suggestion boxes, or anonymous feedback platforms.

There is no secret that having the trust of the team is the most important quality of great leaders and this is easy to acquire: delegate. I´ve practiced this all my life to impressive results! But there is a catch: if you delegate, you must value their contribution! If it is not up to your expectations, you have two paths: either work WITH them to improve project outcome or state clearly what you expect from the next iteration. You build trust when you actively listen, give feedback, and work together. They will grow, you will grow, the company will thrive

One time at work I was chatting with the girl at the reception desk about a plaster figurine we were going to present to 300 employees at a sales convention as a fun memento, but I was worried about breakage during transportation. She then said she knew a neighbor who was producing objects in resin (this was way before 3D printing, mind you) - I hadn´t seen this before, so I asked her to intermediate the production of the material with him. The product was a success, the souvenir was greatly appreciated, and the girl went on to become an event producer herself. From an unexpected collaboration, a problem was solved, a career began and the outcome was the best possible for everyone involved.

Passive listening involves merely hearing words without full engagement, while active listening entails attentive focus on the speaker's message, body language, and emotions to foster deeper understanding and effective communication. Active listening involves maintaining eye contact, providing nonverbal feedback, avoiding interruptions, paraphrasing, asking open-ended questions, empathising, avoiding judgment, and reflective listening to demonstrate full engagement and understanding of the speaker's message and emotions. The benefits of active listening include fostering deeper understanding, improving communication, building trust, and strengthening relationships.

Flexibility in leadership fosters an environment where ideas are freely exchanged, diverse perspectives are valued, and innovative solutions are encouraged. This adaptable approach enables leaders to effectively navigate dynamic challenges, promote open dialogue, and empower team members to contribute their unique insights, ultimately leading to increased engagement, synergy, and collective problem-solving within the team. By embracing flexibility, leaders can cultivate a culture of creativity, trust, and collaboration, driving organisational success and growth in an ever-changing landscape.

The owner of the company I worked at as an event director was the best when giving feedback - he applied the easiest and most effective technique, which I find brilliant: begin by assessing the victories of that person, their achievement, their growth. And be sincere in this praise - we all know when the other person is not being honest, isn´t it? And only then can you approach things that need to get better. But please be careful to give only constructive feedback - to criticize without offering ways to improve is fruitless, frustrating, and demotivating

Here's how: Active listening: Understand your team's needs by actively listening to their emotions and perspectives. Empathy: Validate team members' experiences, fostering trust and support. Clear communication: Use transparent language to keep everyone aligned. Encourage creativity: Inspire innovation by allowing ideas to flow freely. Interdisciplinary collaboration: Foster collaboration among different team disciplines. Prototyping: Use design thinking to quickly test and improve ideas. Constructive feedback: Provide growth-focused feedback. Learning culture: Encourage continuous learning and growth. By integrating these practices, you'll enhance creativity, collaboration, and team performance.

When doing a follow-up on all projects "in the house", if your company is small, please include EVERYONE! Leaving people or departments behind makes them feel excluded and demotivated. And if your company is too big to do that, make sure your managers forward everything that was discussed, planned, and recognized at the meeting - all levels contribute to the company´s growth and getting them onboard is to enhance everybody´s commitment to your vision.