Insight
Strategic leadership communication – building influence and visibility
23rd July 2024
It’s time for the next issue of our Transformation & Change newsletter!
We are focusing this month’s newsletter on the topic of:
🎯 Strategic leadership communication – building influence and visibility 🎯
 What we cover: Leadership communication trends; Preparing leaders to communicate change: a Q&A with Catherine Lutfalla, Head of Culture and Change at SCOR; How leadership communication impacts employee trust during crisis; Dates to put in your diary; And a suggested approach for how leadership communications can engage employees to turn strategy into action.
Did you know?
Effective leadership communication is more than just exchanging information; it’s about building trust and fostering an environment where employees feel connected and valued. This leads to higher employee engagement, better teamwork, and increased productivity, all of which are essential for business success.
Yet, over 40% of workers experience a decline in trust towards leadership and their team due to poor communication, according to Forbes*.
The bottom line
This statistic highlights the importance of visible leadership and effective communication in building employee trust and gaining buy-in. Our experience and internal polls with leaders and employees show that often there’s a significant perception gap when it comes to leadership communication. While most leaders rate themselves as effective communicators, this perception doesn’t always align with how employees feel. To bridge this gap, leaders must recognise communication as a core competency which needs to be developed, honed, and tailored according to business and employee needs.
Q&A
We interviewed Catherine Lutfalla, Head of Culture and Change at SCOR, one of the world’s largest reinsurers, on preparing leaders to communicate during a significant change.
How can leaders build trust and credibility during times of change?
By being actively present. This means that leaders should take the time to personally share the change and ask for discussion and feedback. They should carefully monitor how their team members react to the change as they go through the different stages of the change curve. You can create trust in many ways – personally, I value active listening, continuous support, strong sponsorship on projects and initiatives, and giving constructive feedback. This trusting environment strengthens a leader’s credibility as they drive and support their teams through the change. This ability to inspire is critical in making an impact as we navigate the transformation journey.
What are the most common challenges leaders face when communicating change? And how can they overcome these?
Clarity and intention are key. We know how difficult it sometimes is to be clear and authentic while inspiring people to embrace the vision for the future. It is a difficult task to simultaneously be concise, use the right words, avoid complexity and ambiguity, and highlight the benefits of the change. Doing so requires a very good level of understanding of where we are and where we want to be. This may sound simple, but it’s not always the case. Leaders should take the time to practise their delivery to see if they come across as clear, intentional and sincere in the way they convey the messages. A message without a clear intention can be misinterpreted. This is why practise is key.
What are the first steps a leader should take in communicating a significant organisational change?
Take a step back and take the time to reflect and understand the change: what is the core narrative or story behind the change? The key messages that the leader will convey should be able to answer “what’s in it for me?” from the perspective of the employee and be clear on the concrete impact on the organisation, teams and individuals. Then, it’s important to have a communication and change plan, factoring in when leaders can start planning meetings with their team. Preparation is key and leaders should not start communicating about the change without having the basics in place. I would also strongly recommend rehearsing the announcement to make sure that the “why”, the “what”, and the “how” are understood and embedded.
Trending
How leadership communication impacts employee trust during crisis
The relationship between strong leadership communication and employee trust is never more critical than when an organisation navigates a disruptive crisis. A recent study by the Institute of Public Relations* delves into the crucial role of CEO communication during crises, emphasising transparency, authenticity, empathy, and optimism (TAEO) as pivotal factors. Their findings highlight how these attributes not only enhance employee trust but also mitigate feelings of uncertainty and boost psychological well-being. For internal communications professionals, these insights underscore the crucial need to champion CEOs as influential voices in communication during crises, as they significantly shape employee perceptions and attitudes.
*Institute for Public Relations, 2024
How internal comms can enhance leadership visibility
A clear communication strategy and cascade is pivotal in enhancing a leader’s visibility within an organisation. Using a range of channels such as town halls, roadshows, newsletters, apps and intranet features to reach the full spectrum of employees ensures that employees have regular access to leadership insights, updates, opportunities, and scope for Q&A sessions. This proactive approach not only strengthens transparency, but also fosters trust and alignment across the organisation. This ongoing, clear communication ensures that, if a crisis hits, a sense of trust and authenticity has already been established.
Key dates for the diary
Internal Communications Nordic
29 September – 1 October 2024, Copenhagen
Internal Communications Nordic focuses on internal comms, employee engagement, change management and DE&I. The conference brings together internal communications professionals with the goal of finding out how to make organisations more productive and happier by implementing the most innovative strategies and tools for internal communications and employee engagement. This year, the event will explore human communication in the age of AI. Link to website
Future of Work Conference
9 October 2024, London
The conference focuses on the pivotal role of human-centricity in cultivating customer belonging and workforce potential. Attendees will explore how technology is transforming the workplace, with topics such as employee engagement, digital workplace innovation, and remote working, focusing on succeeding in the era of the intelligent workplace. Link to website
Unite 24
15 -16 October 2024, London
This event focuses on the employee experience and takes place both in-person and online. It brings together industry leaders and internal communications specialists to learn about employee experience excellence and network with other communications, HR, and digital workplace professionals. Link to website
Leadership communication: Engaging employees to turn strategy into action
CEOs and senior leaders spend months developing a new corporate strategy, labouring over the finer details before sharing it with the rest of the business. When they do, not only do they want their employees to understand the new strategy, more importantly, they want their people to help turn their strategy into action.
Quite often, we’re presented with one of two common internal communication challenges that leaders face. Both are related to delivery and execution. Either: “We launched our new strategy but I’m not sure anyone actually heard it”, or: “How do I communicate our new strategy quickly enough and ensure it’s understood by everyone? Our team is big and global!”
The solution to either challenge is the same, and requires a five-step approach to internal communication.
- Don’t just share the strategy, help make it actionable.
- Mobilise managers and build them into confident communicators.
- Communicate with clarity and purpose.
- Use language and channels that are relevant and tailored.
- It’s about quality, not quantity.
Get in touch
Please contact Adaora Geiger, Head of Transformation & Change, for more information on our services.
+44 7833 200401
adaora.geiger@h-advisors.global
