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December 27, 2005

6 recommended resolutions for 2006

#1: Conduct more research. Really.

I’ve been using this wonderful post-holiday downtime (This is my favorite workweek of the entire year. It’s so quiet that you can actually think.) to reflect on my clients’ triumphs and struggles during the past year. In which areas were they successful? Where did they keep beating their heads against the wall?

Based on this reflection, I’ve compiled a list of 6 resolutions I would recommend that employee communicators consider for 2006. I'll cover the first one in this weblog and we'll provide all 6 in the January 5 issue of Smart Tips.

Remember that you can still resolve to eat more vegetables and clean out your closets—but these are professional resolutions that will help you accomplish more next year.

Number 1 is to get more serious about research: actually build it into your program, not treat it as a perennial afterthought. I know there are at least three reasons why research gets short shrift in employee communication: A) It’s expensive to do well. B) Measurement and math do not come naturally to communicators, and C) In many organizations, senior management doesn’t really care whether communication is effective—they just care that their message was sent.

But, despite the obstacles, research is a powerful tool. It gives you real-life perspectives you can’t get in the rarified atmosphere of Headquarters. It puts you in touch with your audience in a meaningful and profound way. It provides you with ammunition—empirical evidence—to make your case. And it demonstrates the value of your work, through metrics (an important concept in results-driven organizations.)

The bad news is that research is not easy or cheap to do well. The good news is that, as long as you follow sound research principles, even “a little research” has value. Distribute and collect comment cards after the town hall meetings. Conduct five focus groups to get employee feedback about communication vehicles. User-test your intranet. Involve a percentage of employees in an online survey.

As with exercise (another resolution?), you don’t have to conduct research perfectly—but you do have to do it. You’ll be glad you did.

For more inspiration about the value of research, I invite you to read this article, "The Consumer: Don't Fear The Research"—while it’s about consumer research for marketers, you’ll be amazed how many of the same principles apply. (You have to log in to link in, but it’s worth it). http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm
fuseaction=Articles.san&s=36660&Nid=17429&p=250858)

Posted by Alison Davis at 09:48 AM | Comments (1)

December 13, 2005

The case for simplicity

Most CEOs don’t know a thing about simplicity. As Mike Rawlings, former president of Pizza Hut, once said, ““CEOs are not simplifiers. They have gotten to where they are today by handling complex issues. As a result, they are not interested in the zen of business leadership.”

But Mr. Rawliings, who during his tenure at Pizza Hut from 1997 to 2003 led a dramatic company turnaround, believes that simplicity is essential for effective leadership—in fact, he maintains that the only way a leader can engage employees and lead them to do the right thing is to be laser-focused and consistent.

Because CEOs thrive on complexity, they communicate as if they’re teaching an MBA course about the History and Future of Business, not directing the troops to take that hill. Yet, especially in today’s confusing and overloaded business environment, what employees want is for the CEO to tell them the one thing that matters—and for their managers to tell them the one thing they should do to help the company succeed.

Mr. Rawlings understands this. I saw him speak in 2003, shortly after he left Pizza Hut, at a CCM conference (If you don’t know about the Council of Communication Management and the organization’s wonderful programs, I invite you to learn more at http://www.ccmconnection.com and I loved what he said so much that I took extensive notes, which I've kept on file.

In the course of reviewing my files for a book I’m writing on getting people’s attention (scheduled for publication by Adams Media in fall 2006), I came across those notes—and was struck once again by how smart Mr. Rawlings is about the importance of simplicity. Here are just a few excerpts:

Mr. Rawlings is now a successful venture capitalist in Texas, and I hope in his new role he finds an opportunity to coach leaders on the virtues of simplicity. Perhaps you would find it useful to share his thoughts with the leaders you counsel.

Posted by Alison Davis at 02:00 PM