Why Writing Skills Are Important For Leaders - About Leaders

In a world where so much communication happens through texting with incomplete sentences full of emojis, you can imagine why the importance of writing skills in leadership is being questioned.

Much can be said through videos and podcasts. And tools such as Skype and Google Hangouts are a daily part of many businesses. Many employees are happier and more inspired by these ways of communication in comparison to receiving a printed memo or an e-mail.

However, writing skills still play an important role in leadership. They remain essential for any aspiring manager or director.

Grammar May Be Overrated, But Writing Isn’t

Those who may state that writing skills aren’t that important anymore are probably referring to only grammar and spelling. They are likely tired of grammar police telling them that they won’t get an A just because they placed the apostrophe where it wasn’t needed.

But there are two things here to take into consideration:

Firstly, grammar exists to ensure that we can communicate and understand each other, not to make our lives difficult. So, yes, minor mistakes won’t destroy anybody’s career, not even if you are a professional writer. But you can’t just ignore the rules, as you will be misunderstood frequently.

Secondly, writing is about more than just grammar and spelling. These are important skills, but it is also about style, tone, and punctuation. It is about the correct choice of words so you can influence and engage your audience.

What a leader needs to know isn’t just how to put a bunch of words together but how to make them shine.

Written Communication Still Represents Most of Our Communication

The fact that our mobiles, apps, and social media networks have made it possible to communicate through audio and video more efficiently hasn’t decreased the amount of written communication happening between us.

Actually, it is pretty much the opposite. A decade ago, we relied only on phone calls to talk to our family, friends, and partners. Currently, we tend to text or instant message them instead.

As they say, content is king. Emails, newsletters, e-books, websites, blogs, social media profiles, reports, proposals, applications, and press releases are all about written communication. Your materials will have to stand out from the competition.

Bad Writing Can Damage Your Credibility and Reputation

You are probably aware of all the bad jokes that go around the internet due to misspelling and grammar mistakes published online. And despite the fact that most of it are too silly or rude to be taken seriously, it is possible that you have been put off simply by bad writing before.

It’s not just the fact that there is a mistake but that the mistake itself makes the text hard to read or understand.

In the worst-case scenario, you might hurt your credibility by not being clear. And you could end up offending your audience unwillingly.

If you want to be seen as a leader in your industry, you also know that a certain level of writing skills is expected from you according to your qualifications, experience, and expertise.

Reading articles and pieces from other people in your current position or the one you wish to be in can help you examine your own writing skills, so you can set a more realistic standard for yourself.

In Conclusion

Writing skills are mandatory for any leader. Technology has made it even more essential, increasing the amount of writing required on any given day.

You also want to avoid being misunderstood, as you want to be able to influence your team or clients the way they should be.

You can either join a course, book one-to-one classes, or even try one of the many apps available. Just don’t ignore the importance of writing to your career. And remain optimistic by understanding that this is just one more of the many challenges in your life.

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