Guest Bloggers

Workplaces today are both exciting and challenging. Never has there been so much information circulated. But never has there been so much distraction. And never has getting employee attention been so difficult to achieve.

Internal communicators must carefully juggle how to get important information out to staff – engaging them without overloading or annoying them.

Technology is delivering innovative ways to cut through this noise.

Most companies give great thought on how to position and differentiate their brands. They hire brand consultants, research the market and competitors, test potential positionings, launch marketing campaigns and monitor the results.

Yet one area in which some companies fall short is understanding the strong connection between their external brand positioning and their employees. If the brand positioning does not reflect what’s inside the organization and its culture – and if it does not resonate with staff – then it may ring hollow.

When I say “intelligent communications” I am not referring to the intellectual competence of a message. I’m speaking of “artificial intelligence” (AI), which is increasingly infused in all things digital – be that the (intelligent) cloud, the (intelligent) edge, or anything and everything digital in between. While I’m not an expert on AI, my take on this “intelligence” inference comes from the ability for technology to perceive its environment and mimic cognitive functions that you and I attribute to human minds, in order to successfully perform a task or achieve a goal. All of this communication is happening at real-time speed over super-fast digital networks. Intelligence is all around us and getting smarter every nanosecond. So, this begs the question: If human attention is the world’s new scarce resource, the premise of leadership communication is to connect, inspire and drive action. So, if we believe the human brain is (still) superior, then what are we doing as leaders to make sure what we communicate is as intelligent as the technology enabling it?

Internal communicators are constantly working to communicate critical information to employees in different ways, but also in ways that those communications cut through the clutter and resonate. It’s a balancing act to say the least. No one wants communication to result in information overload and have their messages fall flat.

It’s with that, we’re excited to share an interview we did with our friend and colleague Chris Leonard, co-founder and CEO of SnapComms, a leading internal communications platform that helps get employees’ attention and drive engagement through unmissable communications channels.

Q: How did you get into internal communications?

A: It started about 20 years ago when I was working for some large corporate organizations in New Zealand. I increasingly encountered the frustrations in communicating properly with staff. We had great teams of people, but they just weren’t being reached in the right way to harness that potential.

Change is good. It is common wisdom today that we all need to embrace it. Yet too much of what goes on in organizations today isn’t really about change. Instead, “churn” probably better describes a lot of the activity, mainly because of poor leadership communication.

Effective leadership communication is often overlooked or not given the reverence it deserves. After all, in today’s ever more digital world, people are still the reason change lands well. People – and the way they communicate – are actually what drives positive transformation.

I’m honored to share a guest post with you by Diego Segura, a young leader who is already well on his way to finding his voice and making an impact. He recently reached out to me and shared a story about what he’s learned from his dad as a long-time sales manager on the importance of using communication to create positive change. He shared that a recent post I published inspired him, too, which is part of why he reached out asking if he could be a guest blogger (or if I’d be open to reviewing his writing). I applaud his approach and willingness to ask for an opportunity. I always tell my girls that you have to ask for what you want! He did and he’s done a terrific job on this piece and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Our clients often share how hard it is to find the right candidates to fill openings on their Internal Communications team. The time, risk and disruption that it commonly causes makes it one of the biggest concerns keeping them up at night.

It takes time to hire smart and the stress of an open head count can test the existing team who’s already stretched thin and your reputation with key stakeholder relationships. What’s even more frustrating is hiring and onboarding a new member of the team only to find out they’re not the right fit… then you’re back to square one.

Your heart sinks and frustration sets in. Your communications task just got that much trickier when the senior leader you support delegates critical in-person discussion time to a semi-informed surrogate. As the deadline looms, the guessing game of what really needs to be said begins, and the stress mounts.

Company “profiles” are everywhere today – on corporate websites, in job postings, and on social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. With one click of the “About Us” link, anyone, anywhere can hear your company story.

So why are so many stories and profiles so weak, so boring and uninspired?

If this is one of the best shots at telling a company story, why do countless organizations settle for a poorly written, poorly designed, dry-as-dust blurb? 

What it Means to Be Strategic

So what do executives mean when they ask you to be strategic? At a very high level, it means being able to see the big picture, not just of your department, but of the organization, industry, and marketplace. The higher you move within an organization, the easier it becomes to see the big picture. You have conversations at a higher level and are privy to information that applies to the entire organization (versus a more narrow focus on your specific area of responsibility). You also benefit from broader exposure to people who already think big picture.