The leadership communication skills new leaders need

Step into almost any organisation and you’ll see the same story repeat itself: people are promoted into leadership roles, handed a new title, and then left to figure it out on their own. The assumption is that with the promotion comes instant know-how, like the skills to manage people, communicate effectively, and inspire a team. Would we expect a new title to magically unlock new abilities in any other role? Likely not.

And yet, a trend continues where most new leaders are not provided with any kind of formal training when they step into their new role (source).

So it’s no wonder that we continue to see poor leadership communication across workplaces, and why teams often feel disengaged, unheard, or stuck in cycles of confusion.

When people step into leadership without the right support, they tend to rely on what they’ve seen before. Research shows that many new managers simply mimic the behaviours of their previous leaders, which may not be ideal (source). When communication is poor, the ripple effect is huge. Teams lose trust, misalignment grows, and frustration builds.

Though it’s not all doom and gloom! There’s good news: you don’t need years of leadership training to make a real difference; by focusing on a handful of core communication skills, new leaders can immediately start building trust, clarity, and connection with their people.

Five communication skills every new leader needs

If you’re stepping into leadership for the first time, or you’ve been in the role for a while but want to lift your game, here are five skills to sharpen:

1. Listening with intent
The best leaders don’t rush in with solutions. They spend time listening, really listening, to their team and stakeholders. Asking questions like What’s working well? What needs to change? and then reflecting back what they’ve heard builds trust from day one.

2. Translating complexity into clarity
Strategies, projects, and big change initiatives are often communicated in broad, jargon-filled ways. Your role as a leader is to translate those big messages into something meaningful for your team: what it actually means for their work, and what’s staying the same.

3. Adapting to your audience
Every person on your team absorbs information differently. Some like detail, others want a quick summary. Some need visuals, others want to talk it through. Great leaders notice these preferences and flex their communication style to match.

4. Tackling tough conversations
Difficult conversations are unavoidable, whether you’re giving constructive feedback or receiving it. What matters is how you handle them: with clarity, fairness, and a focus on shared solutions rather than blame.

5. Using stories to connect
Humans remember stories, not bullet points. Sharing experiences, whether it’s a success from the team or a personal lesson you’ve learned, helps inspire, motivate, and bring abstract ideas to life.

The leadership edge

Leadership will always bring challenges, especially in those early months when you’re finding your feet, but communication is the lever that makes everything else possible. When you listen before you act, translate complexity into clarity, adapt your style, tackle the hard conversations, and use stories to connect, you’re not just managing. You’re leading. That’s the difference your team will feel every single day.