An Excerpt from You're in Charge — Now What?
As CEO, it’s crucial that you set a clear direction for your company.
“If your company or team doesn’t know what the direction is, they won’t know where to go,” said one media company CEO. “As a result, energy dissipates, momentum slows, morale plummets and the company drifts. To ensure everyone sees the same picture and understands where things stand, you need to make more contact with people, create more opportunities to meet them and be more open in your communication.”
But successful communication is more than spreading a message. It’s about gathering opinions and information to help shape that message.
Effective communications
Most leaders agree that employees should be told as much as possible about the state of the business. If everyone has the same facts, they are more likely to pull in the same direction. This also applies to shareholders, the board, customers and suppliers.
Proper communication takes time, and keep in mind that personally delivering your message is more likely to reap results. But it also creates a paradox: the more time you spend communicating, the less time you have for actually doing. So how best then to use your time?
Managing the message
How well you communicate is determined not by how well you say things, but how well you’re understood. Know your audience — their background, mood and readiness — and tailor your message so it is understood and appropriate.
Also, know your own strengths in terms of communicating and play on those. Be aware, for example, which settings work best for you: For example. are you better with large audiences or smaller groups? Do you effectively use humor, or are you more serious?
Communicating in a crisis
In a crisis, it’s best to get out information quickly — it tends to leak out anyway. If you’re not the one to bring it to light or are thought to be sitting on damaging information, you’ll have lost the opportunity to solve the problem.
Once the information is out, tell the truth and acknowledge the issue rather than try to underplay it. Then focus on continuous communications with employees, the board, customers, the financial community and the media, as appropriate.
When your company is in a crisis, you have to show confidence and be visible. Your job becomes that of a shock absorber between events and your employees’ desire for stability.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to talking to the media during a crisis — those who advocate it and those who don’t. The argument for talking to the media stems from the fact that something will be written anyway, so treating reporters consistently is best practice. Talking to the media also allows a CEO to craft the story and convey the company’s perspective.
Others argue against frequent communication to the press during a crisis and instead see the main constituents to focus on as “the board, the internal folks and the customers.”
Be open, honest and straightforward with whomever you talk to — the press, financial community, customers or employees — because they ultimately execute your agenda.
Unspoken communication
Implicit signals carry a lot of weight, especially in the early days. You’ll be judged for every facial expression and hand gesture, as well as how you dress. Whether it’s your attire, the messages you send about timeliness and respect for others, or you’re an email or voicemail person, these subtle signals will work their way across the organization and communicate the new rules by which you operate.
Seek input from all levels
New CEOs are faced with a torrent of new information that can be difficult to manage. While getting information directly from the field can be time-consuming, it offers advantages in terms of boosting your credibility and building relationships with stakeholders.
Conclusion
Communication is central to leadership, and to do it well requires listening, adapting your message to your audience, tailoring your approach to suit your natural strengths, and giving and seeking feedback. All these elements will help support your cultural and strategic agendas, and help you avoid many of the most common pitfalls new leaders face.