Three essential leadership communication skills I learned in the Army

My first deployment to Iraq was the experience you would probably imagine it to be. My unit in the U.S. Army took part in the invasion of the country in 2003, and engaged in firefights with the Iraqi Army under its former President Saddam Hussein. Less than two years later, I was back in Iraq in a leadership position as a liaison officer. The experience was different from my previous deployment and required me to develop a different set of skills as I facilitated conversations and activities between my unit and an Iraqi unit of 800 soldiers.

In hindsight, working with the Iraqi Army was a crash course in navigating a fast-paced and complex environment across cultures. I couldn’t speak Arabic at all when I started the role, and few of the Iraqi commanders could have a conversation in English, so we communicated mainly through interpreters. I knew I was going to have to connect in a different way, learning just how important it is to create room for different communication styles.

Eventually, while communicating still required patience and more effort than had we spoken the same language, we all developed enough understanding of each other to connect directly without interpreters. And it was those breakthrough moments of connection that were the most critical to advancing our work together and helped me learn a crucial lesson – how to leverage communication to build trust and an inclusive environment.

Today, several of the lessons learned during my six years of service as an Army officer continue to guide me as I navigate the business world, but three have stuck with me the most:

• Make room for different communication styles. A healthy workplace will have a good balance of the different ways people communicate. Empower each team member to share their ideas at team meetings to foster understanding of different styles, avoid miscommunication and achieve common goals.
• Pay attention to nonverbal cues. Clear communication is crucial to building trust and offering support at the right time. In group and one-on-one conversations, be mindful of body language and voice tone to help overcome verbal barriers but also to pick up on moments when someone may be unhappy or confused but uncomfortable to speak up.
• Show that you care. If you’re going to inspire the hearts and minds of your people, then you have to show them that you respect them as individuals. Dedicate time to being available to the team and be ready to listen, giving them your undivided mental and emotional attention.

These lessons from my military experience are amplified as a leader at PwC and aligned to the firm’s purpose of helping to build trust in society and solve important problems. Leading with empathy and inclusivity are instilled in many of my fellow veterans because of our experiences through our service – and it no doubt has helped me on my path to more inclusive leadership in the workplace.