Poor Communication Yields Poor Team Results

Cathie Leimbach • June 10, 2020

Celeste Headlee, a communications expert and media personality, believes that a leader is only as strong as the team around them. She believes that leaders need to communicate effectively with their team members to position the individuals and the team for success.

Headlee shares that the time a person spends in face-to-face communication with another human being is directly correlated to their lifespan. She points out that true conversation involves listening to what another person has to say and responding to their comments. Synergy, when two heads are better than one, is the result of people taking the time to understand each other’s perspective and finding the aspects of someone else’s thinking that enrich their knowledge. For us to effectively work with other people we have to have empathy for others, believing that everyone has ideas that can add value to a team’s work.

Not taking time to listen deeply and ask questions so we understand where others are coming from results in miscommunication. And miscommunication among team members is the number one reason for project failure. Research shows that the primary cause of miscommunication is email and texting. These electronic verbal messages do not send body language and tone of voice cues to improve understanding. Neither do they permit emotional connection. They are effective for facts, lists, discussion summaries, and praise but they aren’t good methods for trouble-shooting and collaborative decision making.

Leaders of effective teams take time for face-to-face conversations realizing that the results of quality dialogue yield a high return on the time invested. What is one thing you will do to increase the conversations in your life which will improve understanding and team results?

#communication #celesteheadlee

What’s Really Driving Employee Detachment?

By Cathie Leimbach • April 21, 2026
Most leaders don’t struggle because they don’t care. They struggle because the root causes of disengagement are easy to miss. Right now, many employees are emotionally detached from their workplaces—and a majority are still watching for their next opportunity. But this isn’t about perks or pay. It’s about something more foundational. Less than half of employees clearly know what’s expected of them. Even fewer feel encouraged to grow, connected to purpose, or heard at work. Those aren’t surface issues. They’re leadership gaps. And they show up in everyday conversations. Engagement is built—or broken—through how leaders communicate expectations, opportunities, purpose, and voice. For example: When expectations aren’t clear, people guess and stay busy—and performance suffers. When employees don’t see how their work matters, connection fades. When leaders don’t ask for employees’ perspectives, people disengage—even if they stay. These aren’t big system failures. They’re missed conversations. The good news? What causes detachment is also what fixes it. Where could clearer, more intentional leadership conversations reconnect your team? Look at your last two workplace culture or employee engagement surveys. What do they show about how well your leaders meet employee needs? Where are leaders falling short? How do these strengths and gaps affect your bottom line? How long are you willing to accept the underperformance that follows?  Your Next Step: Click here to book a free conversation with Cathie Leimbach about discovering and/or closing leadership gaps in your organization.

What Problems Disappear When Leadership Gets Stronger?

By Cathie Leimbach • April 14, 2026
Most workplace issues don’t start big. They build slowly—through missed conversations, unclear expectations, and more people leave. That’s where disengagement shows up. And when it does, the cost is real: 78% higher absenteeism 51% higher turnover 63% more safety incidents These differences come from comparing the 25% of organizations with the strongest employee engagement to those in the bottom 25% (Gallup). And across the U.S., the bigger picture is hard to ignore— disengaged employees cost organizations nearly $2 trillion annually in lost productivity (Gallup). These aren’t just HR problems. They’re leadership problems. When people don’t feel connected, clear, or supported: They call off more More people quit Mistakes and risks increase The good news? These patterns are preventable. Strong leaders reduce these issues by: Addressing problems early Creating clarity instead of assumptions Having consistent, direct conversations Reinforcing expectations before things drift It’s not about doing more. It’s about leading differently—every day. A question to consider: Which of these challenges is quietly costing your organization the most right now? 👉 Join our upcoming Leadership Conversation on April 27th, 3:00 PM—this is not a webinar . This is a candid conversation with leaders comparing their employee engagement challenges and successes.  Most organizations are tolerating more of this than they realize. The question is—are you?