How to turn a reluctant communicator into an inspiring leader
If you want an organisation to be a success then the leadership team needs to be visible and engaged. Everyone knows that, right? Perhaps if you’re part of the internal comms community you do, but it’s probably less obvious if you’re a leader who doesn’t work in comms. After all, it’s not their job to be as obsessed with the data, latest research and trends in communication and engagement as we are. If you do happen to work for an organisation where the leadership team just don’t seem to ‘get it,’ it can be frustrating; you know that if they only changed what they were doing, even just a bit, it could make a huge difference. That’s why, this time, we’re taking a look at how we as internal communicators can help leaders become better at comms.
Step One: Make them want to become better communicators. If someone doesn’t want to change, they’re not going to. So you’ll need to show your reluctant communicator WHY communication is important. Emphasise what’s in it for them and the organisation more widely. Use a combination of head and heart – facts and data as well as a few inspiring success stories. You want them to understand how important good communication from the leadership is to employees and what a difference it makes to how they feel about working for their organisation. Many leaders are surprised by the impact they have.
Step Two: Find out what’s holding them back – and what they need from you. Ask them what matters most to them and what their priorities are. You might just find their replies revealing. Do they, for example, think comms is all about the messaging, not listening and engaging as well? Do they think they do enough already and don’t understand how often they have to repeat messages if they’re to be heard? And do they know that internal comms professionals are there to help them and the business be more successful? Once you know what perceptions you need to change, you can figure out your tactics. Perception shifting won’t happen overnight, but it is a key part of establishing a relationship of mutual trust, where your leader begins to see you as an advisor; as someone who can help the business achieve its strategic goals.
Step Three: Encourage them to listen to and act on employee needs. To be a good communicator you need to understand your audience. For a leader that means not just listening to their external stakeholders but their employees too. It’s our job to understand the mood of employees, so show them what you know. If they’re the kind of leader who is won over with data, you could provide them with survey or focus group results, but we would also recommend the human touch – getting them to allocate more time to going out on the office or shop floor, talking to those on the front line – being more visible. Ultimately, it’s only by knowing their employees’ reality that they’ll be able to engage effectively and with empathy. And when employees see leaders around, it helps build trust and engagement too. Do join them too – it’s a good coaching opportunity, particularly if their management style has always been more telling than listening.
Step Four: Encourage them to be themselves. Authenticity is a big buzzword in internal comms for a reason; come across as insincere or fake and it’ll do more damage to a leader’s reputation than no communication at all. That means the way they communicate should reflect their personality. Some love presenting to huge audiences, others hate it. Some are great writers, others don’t have the patience for it. Find out what they’re comfortable with and offer a range of tools and options. Teach them the value of storytelling and how to build rapport by sharing their own insights or concerns with employees – in their own words. Help them understand too that it’s actions not just words which are often most important. If they want to instil a new strategy or values they need to look to themselves first: what could they start doing that they haven’t done before? What could they stop doing? What could they change?
Step Five: Make it easy. Many leaders underestimate how often they need to say something for it to stick. If you don’t already have one, develop a comms plan for them, but make sure it’s flexible, for the times when something else really does have to take priority.
Step Six: Offer feedback. This does involve a bit of bravery and can only really be done once your leader respects you as the expert in your field. But the best internal communicators aren’t just messengers, they’re coaches and advisors too.
It can take time – and a lot of effort – to change engrained mindsets and habits, but if you do take this strategic approach, if you’re continually working with your senior leaders to build on their capabilities, you will get the best out of your leader and the whole organisation will feel the benefit. We are well versed in reluctant communicators, whether they’re line managers or leaders, and we can help in various ways if you need the support – get in touch!
