Watching the Inauguration of our 44th President made me think about the transition Barack Obama has ahead of him, and the transition we, as a nation, have in front of us. When it comes to Presidential transitions, we are lucky—we know it is happening, we expect it, and the media inundates us with information. But significant leadership changes in organizations are not so cut and dry.
Shifts in corporate leadership are far more unpredictable, and we can see additional implications when announcing leadership changes. That said, it’s essential to prepare internal audiences for the transition if you want leadership to maintain credibility. Here are three coaching points to keep in mind when announcing leadership changes at the management and director levels:
Communicate early and often. You need to communicate leadership changes to your employees before the media gets hold of the information. Though timing of these kinds of communications is critical and often difficult—particularly for publicly traded organizations— treat employees as a privileged audience. Be proactive and frame the conversation for your organization before an outside or informal network does, using a variety of channels (i.e. newsletters, department meetings, town halls). Cascade the initial leadership change throughout the organization so each employee hears it from his or her direct manager. Leaders should subsequently update employees to keep them in the loop, using both formal channels (intranets, memos) and informal channels (conversations at lunch, walking through your department).
Manage meaning around the transition. Situational context gives meaning to the message, so be strategic in creating it. Since employees are more likely to believe informal communication than formal, find out what people are saying and thinking before creating the message. Learn how people really view the change in leadership and the departure of the present leader by walking around and listening to the water-cooler talk. Ask employees and leaders who are well-connected—those who know the rumors but don’t spread them—to update you, and then address the crucial issues that arise. While you’ll never stop all the rumors, you can control some by reaching out to employees in informal conversations and offering the truth.
Keep the message future-focused. Acknowledge the previous leader’s positive contributions, but focus the message, both formal and informal, on the opportunities ahead. Don’t talk about the “big shoes” the new leader has to fill. If the previous leader is leaving on unfavorable terms, communicate it as an example of what will not be tolerated going forward.
Leadership transitions can be a tremendous opportunity for organizations to set the tone and expectations for future activities. The organizations who’ve handled these situations best are those that put forethought into what they want employees to know, feel, do, and believe—communicating strategically and in a way that’s tailored to each employee audience. Take a note from those who do it well, asking yourself what sets them apart, and you will see that these organizations thoughtfully use communication.
Executive leadership visibility is a necessary component of any great strategic internal communication plan. The executives who are usually in the plan, however, do not always believe that they’re a necessary component. As a result, we’re often asked to provide benchmarking information or other rationale for why we include a visibility mix along side a vehicle portfolio. While there are academic studies we could site, I typically use the more approachable list of reasons below.
Why should executives be visible?
- Employees expect it. Fortunately for communicators, and unfortunately for shy executives, employees have come to expect visible communication from all levels of leadership. (You can thank all of the former CEOs who have published books in the last five years.)
- The most listened to message is the one from executives. When the CEO, SVP, or other leaders with a C, V, or P in their title speak, employees listen. They want to hear about the direction of the organization and they want to hear about it from those who are steering.
- It’s a sign of respect. Without the employees, there would be no organization. Acknowledge this and give them the courtesy of seeing or hearing from their leaders.
- It’s a sign of strength. In the absence of information, employees will create their own—and most often, this information is worse than reality. When there is little information flowing from the executive team, employees believe something is wrong—even if it’s just because the CIO is uncomfortable in front of people. On the other hand, when information is flowing from the executive team, employees believe the organization is thriving. Visible executives signal to employees that either (1) the organization is doing well or (2) executives are confident in the organization’s direction.
- More visible executives are more credible executives. When employees believe their leaders—executive or otherwise—are competent in their role and have character, then employees believe they’re credible. Because of executive leadership’s positional authority, they often receive a pass on competence—but not on character. Getting out in front of employees will help to establish perceptions of character; multiplying the visibility events will improve these perceptions.
The list above pertains to any point in time–good or bad. During bad times, though, it’s even more important that employees see their leaders. If you haven’t already, consider increasing the frequency of leadership visibility in your organization–you won’t regret it.
I recently taught a week-long elective on Leadership Communication for the current Executive MBA Class at Notre Dame. As part of my curricula I offered the students recommended, non-academic readings (beyond the assigned work) that embellished many of our core topics. I thought this list might be of wider interest, so I’m posting it below (along with excerpts where I could find them).
- The Management Myth: A nice article on the pop-culture (and intellectually questionable) nature of much management theory.
“Why does every new management theorist seem to want to outdo Chairman Mao in calling for perpetual havoc on the old order? Very simply, because all economic organizations involve at least some degree of power, and power always pisses people off. That is the human condition. At the end of the day, it isn’t a new world order that the management theorists are after; it’s the sensation of the revolutionary moment. They long for that exhilarating instant when they’re fighting the good fight and imagining a future utopia. What happens after the revolution—civil war and Stalinism being good bets—could not be of less concern.
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- Change or Die: An interesting Fast Company article that describes the challenges to bringing about personal behavioral change, many of which have neuro-cognitive roots.
“”If you look at people after coronary-artery bypass grafting two years later, 90% of them have not changed their lifestyle,” Miller said. “And that’s been studied over and over and over again. And so we’re missing some link in there. Even though they know they have a very bad disease and they know they should change their lifestyle, for whatever reason, they can’t.”"
- The Brain That Changes Itself: A book on neuroplasticity which expands greatly on the ideas in Change or Die. It turns out you CAN teach an old dog new tricks — the trick just has to be relevant, the dog needs multiple attempts, and there must be treat after each successful try.
“Neuro is for “neuron,” the nerve cells in our brains and nervous systems. Plastic is for “changeable, malleable, modifiable.” At first many of the scientists didn’t dare use the word “neuroplasticity” in their publications, and their peers belittled them for promoting a fanciful notion. Yet they persisted, slowly overturning the doctrine of the unchanging brain. They showed that children are not always stuck with the mental abilities they are born with; that the damaged brain can often reorganize itself so that when one part fails, another can often substitute; that if brain cells die, they can at times be replaced; that many “circuits” and even basic reflexes that we think are hardwired are not. One of these scientists even showed that thinking, learning, and acting can turn our genes on or off, thus shaping our brain anatomy and our behavior—surely one of the most extraordinary discoveries of the twentieth century.”
- Words that Work, framing and the use of language from the conservative point of view, and Don’t Think of an Elephant, framing and the use of language from the liberal point of view.
- Love is the Killer App: One of the best books on relationship management I’ve read. The chapter on how to read books is worth its weight in gold alone.
- The Tipping Point: A modern science-journalism classic about how ideas spread, this book is an excellent summation of a large amount of communication theory–about persuasion, relationship development, communication networks, the role of context in interpretation–I consider essential for leaders to know.
“Consider, for example, the following puzzle. I give you a large piece of paper, 1/100th of a inch thick. (That’s a typical thickness). I want you to fold it over once, and then take that folded paper and fold it over again, and then again, and again, until you have refolded the original paper 50 times. How tall do you think the final stack is going to be? … [T]he real answer is that the height of the stack would approximate the distance to the sun. And if you folded it over one more time, the stack would be as high as the distance to the sun and back. This is an example of what in mathematics is called a geometric progression … As human beings we have a hard time with this kind of progression, because the end result–the effect–seems far out of proportion to the cause. To appreciate the power of epidemics, we have to abandon this expectation about proportionality. We need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that sometimes big changes follow from small events, and that sometimes these changes can happen very quickly.”
- Worst to First: Most CEO “how I did it” books are ego gratification in print. This one is not, and is rich in examples of the symbolic nature of leadership communication, and the effective communication of strategic direction, in particular.
- Influence: An academic classic that’s entirely accessible in the main stream. Read this book and you’ll never look at a car salesman or cult the same. On my “Top Books All Leaders Should Read” list.
- Three resources on design: Universal Principles of Design, which is a fantastic book on design generally (and a great coffee table book to boot), Slide:ology, which covers everything you should know about how to, and how not to, design an effective presentation, and finally, everything by Ed Tufte, who’s a modern guru of information design (and who also writes books suitable for any well-appointed coffee table). (And while your at it, read this Bruce Nussbaum speech on how CEOs must be designers, not just hire them.)
- On Speaking Well: Peggy Noonan’s slim tome on writing, preparing for, and delivering speeches. A great little book, although expect Ms. Noonan’s conservative affections to shine through (pleasing some of you and slightly annoying others).
- Beowulf (the Seamus Heaney translation): I think there’s much to learn about leadership from reading the classics. After all, the nuances of the human condition and the challenge of leading others were part of the human conversation long before Peter Druker put pen to paper. Beowulf is one of my favorite non-leadership-book leadership books, and has one of my favorite lines about leadership in print: “He went about things like the leader he was.” (Which also means that if you want to change the leader you are, you must change how you go about things.) If you want a real treat, download and listen to the audio book read by Heaney in his native brogue.
- Once an Eagle: I’m still reading this book from the Marine Commandant’s reading list, but it’s already among my favorite novels. Truly wonderful prose, Myrer’s talent for simile is remarkable, and great imagery and lines shine from nearly every page. What would Sam Damon do?
- Management of the Absurd: Another great management book most leaders have never seen, Richard Farson’s view into organizational paradoxes (e.g., “Technology creates the opposite of its intended purpose”) is worth reading and reviewing every few years.
The events of the current economic condition remind me of the importance of the fundamental communication principle: communication is highly symbolic. This guiding rule proves to be true for leaders in all types of organizations, and as you’ve most likely seen, an example of this principle recently appeared in the news:
• The CEOs of the Big Three automakers traveled from Detroit to Washington D.C. to negotiate governmental funding to help “bail out” their failing businesses. Instead of driving to Capitol Hill, each CEO elected to fly in his corporate jet. Congress responded to the automakers’ financial requests with frustration, in part because the use of a corporate jet doesn’t symbolize a financial crisis. Senators were also surprised by the CEOs’ decision to fly and not to drive in support of their own business – the automobile industry. After feeling the pressure of public scrutiny, each CEO drove a hybrid manufactured by his company to the next bailout hearing.
This example illustrates the symbolic nature of communication. It’s easy to forget that every action sends a message, regardless of whether you intend to send one or not. While an oversight of this principle can quickly diminish the quality of your reputation, the opposite is also true; deliberate, well-thought-out actions can quickly build your credibility and character. Successful leaders know the importance of good, strategic choices that are in line with their personal brand.
Ultimately, the above example exhibits that while you might not have control of the economy, you do have the ability to control how you communicate during difficult economic conditions. During these uncertain times, your actions speak even louder than before. In this economy, what do your actions symbolize?
