A continuing series of battle-tested observations and suggestions for leaders about the best ways to use communications to reach and motivate employees.
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Communications is at the heart of good leadership and one way leaders can up their communications game is by having the right internal partner to help drive engagement and productivity. But what qualities should leaders prioritize for this key relationship?
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Whether the issue was helping employees stay safe from COVID-19, navigate new ways of working, or better understand inequities in the workplace, in 2020 communications has never been more important – or more valued, though with a few unexpected twists.
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After a brief, COVID-fueled hiatus, mergers and acquisitions are on track to rebound globally. As organizational changes go, acquiring a company is like parents preparing for the birth of their first child; no one really knows what to expect. But good communication can play a big part in whether newly acquired employees feel like valued members of the family – or Harry Potter sleeping under the stairs.
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In their efforts to convince Americans that mask wearing during COVID-19 is a communal responsibility, health officials’ communication missteps have undermined trust and credibility – with implications for future campaigns like persuading people to accept an eventual coronavirus vaccine. Here are the lessons we’re learning, in the context of core communication principles.
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Since the COVID-19 pandemic began sending millions of employees home to work in March, internal communicators have expanded their efforts and are feeling more valued by their organizations – and more overworked, according to a new survey by Jack Goodman Communications.
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In the aftermath of the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and so many others, companies are publicly condemning racism and holding their own practices and priorities up to a mirror. As professional communicators, here are some ways we can harness the core concepts and tools of our trade to foster an anti-racist workplace.
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Communicating change to employees is always difficult, but the COVID-19 outbreak poses a unique challenge. That said, a new global survey shows that employees are looking to their companies for credible information about the coronavirus. Here’s how companies can capitalize on this trust now and solidify a foundation for even greater employee engagement after the pandemic has moved on.
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When my clients’ companies are confronting major change, the first question clients ask me is “How do I explain this to my organization?” What they’re really asking is how to articulate a “new narrative” for their business. My response? To tell the story you have to sell the story.
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Authenticity is all the rage these days. And it’s getting the attention because of trust – or, rather, the lack of it. The corrosive cynicism created by institutional mistakes, misrepresentation and malfeasance has raised the threshold of believability among consumers and employees alike. That’s a particular problem when leaders need to communicate change, which requires a solid foundation of trust to succeed.
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Volumes have been written about how to communicate change inside organizations. Scholars study it. Consultants (like me) build models to explain it. But it’s leaders who are on the hook to deliver it successfully.
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One of the defining elements of today’s hyper-partisan environment is an insistence that there’s a single, correct point of view on any given topic. Gradations of opinion are seen as a sign of weakness; deviations from the party line are challenged and sanctioned. It’s a zero-sum mindset that is absolutely antithetical to communicating change.
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“The art of communication is the language of leadership” – James Humes
I love this quote because it so clearly makes the point that leading and communicating are inextricably linked. And never more so than when organizations are changing – which is to say, always. When companies transform their structure or business model, acquire or divest another firm, or undergo some other major change, leaders at every level need to tell the story effectively, in a way that’s credible, relevant and compelling. That’s a big part of how change gets wired into an organization’s DNA.
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A major logistics software project for the U.S government crashes and burns. The ERP implementation for a global consumer company dies on the vine. While the failure of any complex IT initiative is the result of many factors, a critical common denominator is that these organizations were not sufficiently prepared for change. Good communication is key to any organization’s ability to change – and managers are the linchpin of good communication. Here’s a framework for understanding why, and how, your managers can help employees navigate through change.
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