Great communicators don’t necessarily make great leaders, but brilliant leaders are always superb communicators. That business leaders today must prioritize communication as a critical skillset is beyond debate. We know it from our own worklife experiences and from having witnessed the critical role CEO communication played during the pandemic, in addition to numerous research papers.
Last year, the global consulting firm McKinsey, published the results of extensive interviews with top CEOs around the world: CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest—and according to co-author Carolyn Dewar, communication skill is the thread that runs through everything that the best of the best excels at.
Leaders need to be able to clearly communicate the ambition, vision, and direction of the company; be able to align the organization; mobilize teams through leaders; engage the board; and connect with stakeholders, especially employees—the people who ultimately will deliver on company goals.
None of this can be accomplished without a prioritized focus on communication. Indeed, recent years have seen the emergence of increased employee expectations of highly visible and engaged leadership communication.
And in these times of rapid and unrelenting change, the need for an organization’s top executives to be visible and to communicate clearly and constantly at every stage of the change process is more critical than ever before—if they want people to change their behaviors and buy into the program.
This guide explores how IC professionals can not only help their CEOs and leadership teams become better communicators, but in doing so, become key trusted advisors for their engagement and relationship with employees.
Tim Vaughan
Editorial Director, Poppulo
In today’s competitive business landscape, it’s increasingly important to showcase the impact and value of internal communication efforts. IC teams that use data-driven strategies can ensure their communications contribute to business success—and, most importantly, that they have the proof to back it up.
It’s time for a strategic communications reset. Strategic focus is key to company success, yet half of internal comms executives say they don’t strategize to deliver their top priorities.
The debate over the return to the office remains divided, with opinions on whether to return—or in what capacity to return—split across the board. Regardless of whether the return is mandatory or voluntary, it will be doomed if the office experience is subpar. If the in-person environment fails to meet employees’ needs and expectations, it will inevitably lead to low morale and poor engagement, making it difficult to retain and attract top talent.
