Improved credibility results from strong and effective leadership communications planning. The benefits include increased levels of trust, improved alignment throughout all levels, better two-way communications, and the achievement of lasting results—all of which are a direct outcome of the strategies mentioned earlier in the chapter.
The planning process underscores the fact that everyone in the organization has a role to play in communications. The leader is the chief communicator, of course, but he or she should not be expected to shoulder the communications load alone. The leader should enlist the support of the leadership team as well as professional communicators. Furthermore, if the message is to be effective, everyone in the organization has to hear it. In addition, those at the top of the organization need to know what people are saying about the message. Communications is integral to an organization, and in the communications process you see just how important a role it plays in instilling the organization’s vision, mission, and values. (For more on implementing a leadership communications plan, see Putting It All Together.)
Note: Surveys of organizational culture are another effective way to determine the communications climate. These surveys are designed to measure attitudes as well as business practices, customer service, operational focus, and mission, vision, and values. From these you can discern the communications climate. One of the best surveys of its kind is the Denison Organizational Culture Survey, which specializes in linking performance to bottom-line results. You can obtain more information by visiting Denison’s web site at www.denisonconsulting.com.
Communications Planner—The Leadership Communications Plan
Much of this chapter provides direct information that you can put to use immediately. Use the following questions to help you determine the scope of your communications planning process.
Leaders need to be aware of what is being said about their organization by its key stakeholders. Make certain that you do the following:
- Make a habit of asking at least three employees a week how they view the business.
- Eat lunch with employees at least once a week.
- Visit your employees’ workplaces on a regular basis.
Conduct a communications survey/audit to assess the climate of the organization. Here are some suggested questions. Keep the number of questions to a minimum.
On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being poor and 5 being excellent, rate the following statements:
Employees have the freedom to express their point of view.
Leaders regularly communicate with their employees.
Employees have a clear understanding of where the organization is headed.
Employees are aware of what they need to do to meet future challenges.
Leaders make themselves accessible to explain key issues.
20–25 points: Excellent
15–20 points: Average
>15 points: Need more work
It is important to use all available channels of communications to communicate key messages.
- Organizational
- Editorial
- Marketing
- Web
Consider your target audiences.
- Who are the key influencers?
- What do the key influencers want?
- How best can you communicate with them (e.g., email, one-to-one, video, meetings, or some other method)?
Leaders can learn from public relations professionals about shaping their leadership messages.
- What difference will your leadership message make in someone’s life?
- How can you demonstrate emotion in your leadership messages?
- How do you keep the message simple?
Advertisers are good at getting people to notice what they are promoting. Think of ways in which you might generate excitement about a leadership message.
Here are some steps you can take to ensure feedback:
- Develop a “meeting in a box” for managers to help them communicate the (Developing)leadership message.
- Schedule a series of reminder emails encouraging managers to follow up on the leadership message.
- Create a page on your web site for employee feedback.