To many executives, involving rank-and-file workers in business strategy is a strange concept. Isn’t business strategy better left to those trained in it? Can’t the VP of operations provide all the insights a regular employee could — and then some?

These days, leaders are coached to be sensitive, empathetic, and concerned with others’ feelings–all worthy, important attributes that a great boss (or anyone with a shred of emotional intelligence) needs to possess. So with the best of intentions we go out of our way to be nice and collegial–and wind up overdoing the mea culpas.

As an organization grows, you grow with it. The leadership behaviors, the way you communicated and made decisions that got you to where you are will no longer apply to get you to where you want to be. The competitive environment changes. Customer demand changes. The team around you changes. You change. If you’re not adapting with the environment then you’re fighting against it.

Whether you need to leverage new technology, engage employees to deliver better for customers, or just keep meeting your business goals, good communication is critical to any success strategy. Strong leader communicators know that when it’s effective, communication does much more than make people feel good. It is directly linked to business results.

A common issue for entrepreneurs is finding, attracting, and retaining millennials, now the biggest generation in the workforce. Companies have to learn how to hire and keep millennials because they don’t really have another choice.