Finally, it serves as a substitute for upward and downward communications in some situations. Traditional administrators tend to focus only on the development of interpersonal skills since most of their communication occurs in interpersonal settings, whether they are communicating upward, downward or horizontally in the organization. From time to time, they may have to manage a meeting that includes only their subordinates to make a presentation to upper management. Consequently, traditional administrators understand that they can improve their communication skills by being knowledgeable about the human behavior and are sensitive to the feelings and attitudes of others. Effective administrators are adept at establishing effective, relationships and gain cooperation by practicing diplomacy.
Transformational leaders exhibit strong interpersonal skills, however.
They realize that if they are going to be effective at empowering others, they must be skillful in communicating in a multitude of setting. Nearly everything associated with empowerment systems has to do with facilitating effective communication. Although transformational leaders spend some of their time sending messages to convince upper management, their peers and their subordinates that they have the solution to a problem, most of their time is spent using their communication skills to facilitate change and to solve problems. Rather than looking to themselves for all of the answers to problems in the organization, they look to other for answers. Therefore, transformational leaders must develop a wide range of communication skills.