The Power of Communication: Why Teams Unravel Without It

Over the past month, I’ve coached three different leaders who’ve all been grappling with the same challenge: not budgets, not behaviour, not strategy, but communication.

Each believed that their workplace issue was rooted in other areas: lack of systems, or time pressures, or an erosion of culture. But in fact, the cause of their problems was in the same area. They were failing to communicate well.

And as we explored together, it became clear that the real problem wasn’t just what they were saying, but how, when, and why they were communicating.

When communication falters, teams lose direction

One leader described her approach as “chaotic”. She mainly relied on telling her team members the team priorities when she remembered to do this. Messages were mostly verbal and often reactive.

Consequently, her team had grown increasingly reliant on her, constantly seeking reassurance or direction. She was really frustrated by being interrupted so frequently to be asked basic questions.

She was exhausted by the questions and firefighting, but hadn’t realised that her own inconsistency was fuelling it.

Following her coaching sessions, she introduced consistent short, daily briefings and clear written follow-ups, both on an office whiteboard and by email. She included priorities for the week, key events, monitoring activities and also identified when she wouldn't be available to the team.

Within days, she noticed that team members were taking more initiative. There were far fewer interruptions, and she was able to get on with her own priorities. Even better, she was able to improve her quality assurance and evaluation by systemising the monitoring of her department's work. She had finally avoided the last-minute cramming of essential tasks.

The communications that had once felt like “extra work” actually saved her time, and built a stronger, more independent team.

When communication lacks consistency, focus drifts

Another leader I worked with laughed and told me that she was “consistently inconsistent”. Sometimes, she remembered to provide clear direction and encouragement to teams. Sometimes she remembered to follow up. Sometimes she didn't.

The leader was relying on an established team that knew their roles and responsibilities well. She was being inconsistent with setting weekly priorities and also inconsistent in following up and holding to account.

As a result of her lack of communication, members of her team had started choosing to spend their time doing the things they enjoyed, such as easier admin tasks, over the more challenging work, which was actually their core function. The leader shared that on one occasion, the whole team had neglected to carry out their core work, not out of laziness, but because direction was vague.

The coaching session enabled her to diagnose this problem accurately so that she could remedy it. She implemented building a rhythm of weekly goal-setting at the start of each week, and planned in time at the end of each week to hold herself (and others) accountable. Using this strategy, she re-established a sense of urgency and collective purpose.

In her words: “Once I started communicating with intention, the team started moving with momentum.”

When communication ignores values, culture erodes

The third leader I coached was an executive leader. He was responsible for mentoring a new headteacher, who had previously been his deputy.

She'd started the term well. But over the last few weeks, some core non-negotiables, such as uniform, prompt attendance, and expected standards of behaviour, began to slip. The executive leader observed that the new head had not really worked on her own vision and values. She hadn't really prioritised what was important to her. Consequently, her communication wasn't targeting the real priorities.

Together, we discussed how the executive leader could help his colleague to identify her own vision and build her own culture. He enabled the head to narrow her focus to the main things that mattered to her, and then to focus her communication around these things.

Rather than reacting to issues, she began communicating proactively about what the school stood for, and what everyone was expected to uphold. In this way, she has begun to create her own culture through her beliefs, actions and words.

It was a powerful reminder that communication isn’t just transactional, it’s cultural.

The theory behind the practice

Leadership and communication theory have long highlighted this link between clarity, alignment, and culture.

Edgar Schein identified that leaders shape and communicate culture primarily through what they consistently pay attention to, measure, and talk about. Communication, both formal and informal, becomes one of the strongest reinforcers (or underminers) of organisational culture. Schein, E. H. (2017). Organizational Culture and Leadership (5th ed.). Wiley.

Kouzes and Posner’s research shows that one of the top five leadership practices that builds credibility and trust is “Model the Way”, which includes communicating and reinforcing shared values. They found that clarity about personal and organisational values is a key driver of trust, commitment, and engagement. Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The Leadership Challenge (6th ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Goleman’s research identified emotional intelligence (EI) as the foundation of effective leadership. Leaders with high EI use empathy, self-regulation, and social awareness to adapt their communication style, ensuring that both message and tone are aligned with the emotional needs of their audience. Goleman, D. (1998). Working with Emotional Intelligence. Bantam Books.

When communication is inconsistent or unclear, it erodes trust, blurs boundaries, and drains energy.

When it’s intentional, it empowers, aligns, and connects.

A simple framework: The 3 Cs of Leadership Communication

If you’re reflecting on your own team, it might help to think about these three principles:

Clarity: Be explicit about what matters most. People can’t meet expectations they don’t understand.

Consistency: Keep the rhythm. Regular check-ins and follow-ups create stability and trust.

Culture: Use communication to reinforce values. Every message, meeting, and memo shapes the culture you’re building.

Final reflection

Even the most experienced leaders can underestimate how crucial communication is, especially when a team feels “established”.

But as I’ve seen time and again, it doesn’t take long for drift, confusion, or complacency to set in when clarity fades.

Effective communication isn’t about volume; it’s about intention.

When leaders communicate clearly, consistently, and consciously, teams don’t just perform better, they feel more connected, confident, and capable.