Leadership and the Tao of choosing a communications partner
(Co-authored with Larraine Solomon)
A year after COVID-19 suddenly forced so many organizations to work remotely, the need for inspiring leadership continues to be essential and urgent – and communications is at the heart of good leadership. 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?
The two of us (friends and former communications colleagues at Thomson Reuters) put our virtual heads together to brainstorm what we’ve learned about partnering with leaders to help organizations succeed. We think this role will become even more critical in the coming months, as executives and employees alike adjust to a range of new hybrid work arrangements that will add even more complexity to the task of communicating.
Notwithstanding the likes of Amazon, Uber Eats and Zoom, who’ve reaped the rewards of having homebound customers, the pandemic has required most companies and industries to rethink and retool to stay competitive. So in order to successfully navigate the post-COVID world, leaders should set the bar high and look for communications partners who can demonstrate their ability to:
Manage stakeholders – all of them. From Board members to managers, frontline employees and external suppliers, your communications partner needs to develop trusted relationships right across the organization. Their ability to stand in the shoes of each stakeholder audience will help ensure that messages are targeted and delivered for maximum impact.
Challenge the status quo. A good communications person will be confident enough to ask tough questions that encourage leaders to step outside of their comfort zone. Choose someone with intellectual curiosity, who’s demonstrated that they understand the business – and whom you can trust to push back when they disagree.
Shape attitudes and behavior. Communications is primarily about social psychology, not journalism; creating beautiful words should be table stakes for your comms partner. The goal is to move the organization’s agenda forward – and the real value of good communications is in how it can influence culture and help accelerate people’s performance.
Mind the “say/do” gap. Employees are much more likely to believe what they see than what they hear. The best comms partners act as “organizational chiropractors,” holding up a mirror so that leaders can see the impact of their words, and flagging examples of where organizational incentives and processes are misaligned with corporate messages.
Tell great stories. Most PowerPoint slides are instantly forgettable, but “once upon a time” lasts forever; we are hardwired to respond to stories. Your comms partner should be a catalyst to help leaders co-create, tailor and deliver an organizational narrative that employees find sufficiently relevant and compelling to buy into.
Adopt and adapt technology. Employees require a smooth, effective, digital experience to stay informed and productive. In concert with IT, your comms partner should make the most of existing collaboration tools like intranets, digital workplaces and chatbots, and be thinking about the next wave of digital tools, like virtual reality, that are starting to enable remote work.
Make themselves redundant! Not literally. But most communications in an organization doesn’t come from people (like us) who have it in their title. The best comms partners spend time and effort creating a cadre of leaders, at all levels, who know they’re expected to communicate consistently and effectively, and then are given the training and resources to do so.
The concept of “Tao” refers to a road or path, as well as the essence of how something is done. Last year, the word “pivot” suddenly became common language, as companies struggled to adjust to the pandemic – and their communications Tao needed to adapt quickly. It was about survival and leaders stepped up to the plate, with the help of their comms partners, communicating with candor and authenticity to their newly remote employees.
Now, with yet another set of workplace arrangements on the horizon, these time-tested principles can help leaders recognize and elevate communications partners who have the skills and savvy to guide their organizations through the next new normal.