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Employee Communication: 5 Ways Leaders Can Communicate Change
I am often asked about the role of the CEO or leader of any
organization in employee communication. My opinion is that no
matter what the issue is, even if it is just business as usual,
having a good communicator as a CEO is critical to impact the
culture of an organization in a positive way.
Let’s start with looking at some scenarios. These can
include a merger or acquisition, an organizational crisis,
announcement of annual financial results, corporate social
responsibility or even trying to create a culture of innovation.
My contention is that no matter what the issue, here are 5
ways that your CEO can communicate with employees and achieve
positive outcomes each time. Most of the methods listed below
involve face to face dialogue to ensure the greatest
engagement.
1. Staff Forums
– Otherwise known as “Town Halls” these are opportunities for
the CEO and Senior Management team to visit employees in all
locations and address the real issues and concerns of staff as
well as communicating the big picture. Employee communication
tips include handing out cards to attendees so that the
questions can be addressed after a break in proceedings,
tailoring the presentation in part to the unique situation in
the particular region the CEO is visiting and following up any
issues that cannot be answered at the time.
2.
Site Visits
– These are an excellent employee communication tool for the CEO
to find out specifically from the frontline exactly what the
issues and concerns are of a particular region or department.
The key is not only to spend time with the leadership team but
also to sit with employees and find out what they are working on
and inviting them to suggest innovative ways of doing things
differently. CEOs' rarely spend time communicating with
employees and this is one way to break down perceptions and
encourage two way communication.
3.
Employee Achievement
– Another way the CEO can communicate change is to support and
encourage employees personally for their achievements. These
maybe directly related to the issue at hand and by taking time
out to recognize high achievers or change agents it sends a
strong message to all employees that the CEO will reward those
who support and are engaged in the change agenda.
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4.
Leaderships Forums
– One of the smartest things an CEO can do during times of
change is to communicate with his / her leadership team. I have
always found that employee communication strategies need to be
pitched at different levels and with different strategies to
suit the role and expectations of the employees. When we think
of change it is the leadership team that will drive it, from
regional managers, state managers to frontline supervisors it is
important that the CEO communicates face to face with the
leadership team to be very clear about his or her expectation of
them during times of change. One employee communication tip
here is that face to face one on one meetings be held with the
direct reports to the CEO and the next level down; it is a very
powerful tool and has maximum impact.
5.
CEO Blog
– Finally where would we be if we did not mention some form of
technology driven communication tool. A CEO blog is very
effective if it is used to support and report on the
transformation process whilst the employee engagement strategy
is underway. For example the CEO has one on one meetings with
the leadership team, he / she then reports in the Blog on the
key messages and expectations. The CEO begins visits to each
region and reports back on the Blog the key observations and
achievements of employees and so on. Employee communication
tools to inform are always a back up and support to the real
communication taking place, the employee communication
engagement strategies as listed in points 1 – 4 above.
The methods suggested above also achieve another goal often
neglected in employee communication. As this is the opportunity
for the CEO to find out what people at all levels of the
organization really think about a particular issue, it will
cause the CEO to think differently next time about the importance
of employee communication and will ensure that change
communication is addressed at the planning phase of any major
organizational change.
About the author: Marcia Xenitelis is a recognized authority on
the subject on employee communication and business
transformation and has spoken at conferences around the world.
For more information on the types of employee communication
strategies you can implement to engage employees visit
www.employeecommunicationtips.com for a wealth of free
informative articles and resources.
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