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October 31, 2008

Uncertain times: Helping leaders communicate (Q&A, part 2)

During Wednesday’s webcast on “Engaging Employees in Uncertain Times,” participants asked a large number of questions pertaining to leaders. Obviously, a key challenge for communicators is convincing leaders to do the right thing to communicate during these tough times.

(If this is a challenge for you, I invite you to my next web workshop on November 11.)

Here are the questions and my answers:

Q: I agree that it is important to have leaders share timely information. How do we motivate leaders to do so?

A: There are two ways to motivate leaders. First, if you’re lucky enough to have a CEO who understands the value of communication, you have an opportunity to have your CEO set the expectation that leaders communicate, and to hold them accountable to do so. But if you don’t (or if the CEO is part of the problem), you can still use the second way to motivate leaders. And that’s to measure the effectiveness of leader communication with employees. Leaders respond to data, especially when the feedback is negative.

Q: Relative to the economic crisis, what if your senior leaders say, “Touch base with us in a few weeks; we’ll know more?” Is it okay to communicate on their timeframe, versus losing timeliness and possibly proactiveness?

A: Leaders need to be visible now. But they don’t have to know all the answers now. So, as long as leaders get in front of people to say, “We’ll get back to you,” that’s fine. The problem is when leaders go underground, and don’t say anything.

Q: What do you recommend when senior leaders water down employee messages to the point where everything is all corporateze?

A: This makes me crazy. Do leaders think employees are idiots? (And, if so, why are those workers employed by your company?) If you want to get the best performance out of employees (and what leader doesn’t?), you have to treat them like adults and tell them the plain truth. That said, how do you make that point to leaders? I would conduct focus groups to ask employees what they think of the corporate speak drivel they’ve been receiving. And then take those verbatim comments back to senior leaders to make the case that corporate speak is not effective. (You can also use surveys to collect data to make your case.)

Q: Do you think leaders should be talking about what’s happening in the economy and framing that for employees even if they’re not ready to talk specifically about how that may impact the company? That is, this is an all or nothing topic?

A: No, leaders should not be talking about the economy (Who do they think they are, Alan Greenspan?) unless they’re talking about the economy’s impact on the company. Leaders’ communication role is to provide context about what’s happening and what it means to the company.

Q: How do I make my leader comfortable that he can say, “We don’t know yet”?

A: Therapy? Just kidding. Use research to demonstrate that employees need leader visibility. Use talking points to provide a framework for the “we don’t know yet” message. And let your leader practice the message in a small group session first, like coffee with 15 or so employees.

Q: How would you proceed if you sense your leadership is more spooked about the direction and future of the company than employees themselves are?

A: That would make me nervous; maybe your leaders know something you don’t know. But no matter how leaders feel, it’s their job to inspire confidence and keep employees focused. For a great perspective on this topic, read this Business Week column by Jack and Suzy Welch.

Q: If a senior leader does tell employees, “I don’t know anything yet,” what impact does that have on employees? Does that make things worse? What’s the next step after that? Repeat until we know something?

A: I have never had an experience where employees feel worse after having positive contact with a genuine, candid leader. Employees feel bad when leaders are missing. They feel bad when leaders spin messages and don’t treat employees like adults. But they feel better when leaders say, “Here’s what I know. Here’s what I don’t know. Here’s when I’ll get back to you.” (Of course, leaders then have to meet the expectation they’ve set.)

Q: Our leader believes that it is not her job to make employees happy. This might be a cultural issue—employee morale seems to be a North American obsession, and she’s not from here. Any suggestions?

A:You may be surprised to learn that I agree with your leader—I don’t believe it’s the role of the leader to make employees happy. I do believe, however, that it’s the role of the leader to help employees do their best work. That means inspiring confidence. Setting a clear direction. Creating focus. Recognizing good performance. And all those require calm, candid and consistent communication.

There are a couple of additional leader Q&As in my previous post.

Got a question? Send me an email or post as a comment.

Posted by Alison Davis at October 31, 2008 01:12 PM