The ART of Responsible Communication

David Remund

• Publisher: Business Expert Press
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781606497555
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Comunicazione aziendale
• Index: Business

Business leaders control information, data, and feedback. How should that power be managed in this digital age and fast-paced, globalized economy? That important question is at the heart of The ART of Responsible Communication. This book serves as a how-to guide for executives and emerging business leaders across multiple industries and a full spectrum of functional disciplines. The ART of Responsible Communication examines multifaceted corporate communication as a responsibility shared by leaders across the enterprise. You simply cannot delegate all communication responsibility to the corporate communications department or a public relations agency. It is every leader's responsibility to model and champion effective communication, requiring an ongoing commitment to Accessibility, Responsiveness and Transparency, or, in other words, The ART of Responsible Communication.

PART 1

Embracing the ART of Values-driven Leadership

CHAPTER 1

Accessibility

One of the mid-level executives I had been mentoring for years reached out to me late one afternoon, and asked me to go for a walk together downtown. The invitation for a walk was not necessarily that unusual; more and more colleagues and peers, it seems, have discovered the simple pleasure of walking meetings, which have a unique way of invigorating body, mind, and spirit. No, the idea to go walking together wasn’t the surprising part; what caught me off-guard is that this had been a Sunday afternoon, a time traditionally protected from discussions of business and professional development. What did she want so urgently want to discuss, I wondered to myself? She had begun a new role with a new, nationwide organization earlier that month, but what could have already cropped up as a pressing issue? And did this conversation really need to happen on a Sunday afternoon?! To be honest, I had been contemplating a short nap on the couch after a long and trying six-day week of work. Alas, I slipped on a pair of Nikes, and set out to discover the answers.

Being a leader means being accessible, simple as that. You know how important and treasured your accessibility is, I’m certain, because people clamor for your attention every day, and likely often nearly every hour of the day. Were you not accessible to anyone, you would not be a leader. And you would not be needed.

We have to prioritize, of course, though. There is only so much time in a given day, and not every request is urgent or even important. That afternoon, though, the tone of the request sent a strong signal. I simply knew being there for a valued mentee at that particular moment was far more important than a self-indulgent siesta. My accessibility mattered.

When I met up with my protégé that Sunday afternoon, we walked for several miles, in and around downtown. The topics? How to develop deeper technical expertise and establish more solid credibility within a new ­industry. And how to deliver bottom-line value as a newcomer—and a woman—within a conservative organization that has a mostly male leadership team.Yet what was most on my mentee’s mind was how to deal with having so much access to C-suite executives and other key decision makers. What?!

Imagine if your colleagues, employees, and contractors became concerned because they had too much access to you. Is it even possible to imagine such a scenario? I’m guessing not. Most of us have the exact opposite problem; that is, people need or want our time, input, and guidance, and we simply cannot be there for everyone to the degree they would like.

In this situation, my mentee was just a few weeks into the new position. It’s that time in the onboarding cycle when the new hire, regardless of his or her level, feels inundated with information. We sometimes call this the “drinking out of a fire hose” stage. In her case, she was not only trying to tackle a new industry, but was having to build credibility and relationships with executives, most of whom were male and significantly older than her. She had more access to these leaders than she had ever imagined, and she was drowning in opportunity. Each new meeting or conversation left her feeling more exposed and less confident. She simply needed to talk through some strategies for navigating the onslaught of data and demands, and gain some reassurance that she would live up to the promise that came with her professional reputation and earned her this opportunity in the first place. Having too much access to leaders is not a problem, I told her. Having no access, or extremely limited access, is what would really set off the alarms.

Defining Accessibility

When we think of accessibility in business, we think of making our products and services available to people of varied backgrounds and abilities. In fact, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities generally defines accessibility as making products, devices, services, or environments available to as many people as possible (United Nations General Assembly 2006). What if this same principle applied to leaders? How would you conduct yourself, in order to make yourself as available to as many people—and as many different types of stakeholders—as possible? Would this make a significant difference, in the end? It very well could. According to research by global public relations firm, Ketchum, being seen and heard is one of the most essential elements to establishing credibility with the public, as a corporate spokesperson (Ketchum 2014). What if you applied that same approach to all key stakeholders for your organization, and be more visible and engaged, in all that you do. You would quickly realize that your leadership role provides you a unique, powerful platform, one that should not be squandered.

Imagine for a moment that you are not the leader of a business, but rather a brilliant systems analyst who just happens to be confined to home for a number of physical reasons. You are not mobile enough to leave home, even with a specially equipped vehicle, motorized wheelchair, building accommodations, and other assistive measures. Still, you are the perfect fit for a local startup’s need for a software coder and project manager. What if you couldn’t attend an on-site interview? Your talent would go untapped, simply because of a lack of accessibility. Or, what if you somehow made the interview, got the offer, started the position, and then realized that your body simply cannot handle the extraordinary demands of commuting to an office each day? Without some flexibility on the part of the employer, your talent would again go to waste.

Think of each of your stakeholders, and especially each of your colleagues, as a person who requires access in order to make contributions to, and investments in, your organization’s long-term success. That vendor who needs a decision on a service contract? The television news reporter who seeks industry expertise for a special series airing next week? That customer who calls out your company on social media for mishandling an order? You can view situations like these as interruptions, annoyances, and distractions. Or, in the spirit of accessibility, you can view such situations as opportunities to engage with people who have a true passion for your business. Sharing a little of your time more broadly, and when appropriate, can reap rewards, both short-term and long-term.

Why Accessibility Matters

How do you treat new members of your team, or new vendors or investors? You cannot wall yourself off in your office, delegate ­relationship-building to a colleague, and expect a fruitful outcome. If the new hire or new interest needs direct access to you, then you must provide that access—not just in the short-term, but in a reliable and consistent manner over the long-term. Accessibility breeds trust, and trust builds relationships.

Accessibility is often about information. You are in a powerful and controlling position. Information is power, as they say; so, too, is control of situations and information. Being inaccessible means trying to control situations and prevent access to information. Being accessible means staying adaptable to changing circumstances and sharing information as freely as possible, in order to help others maximize their contributions to the organization. Your accessibility helps others feel comfortable sharing ideas and discussing situations (Quast 2013). In short, accessibility engenders trust.

Consider this possibility. You spend every Friday morning in a series of executive leadership meetings. This always puts you behind near the very end of the week. Because you value weekends and time with your family, you make it known to your staff not to interrupt you on Friday afternoons, while working in your office, unless there is an emergency. What tone are you setting? Imagine if your boss, who we will assume is the chief executive officer, told you that for one workday per week—a full 20 percent of the week, in other words—she would either be in closed-door meetings or not accessible? Is that the kind of leader you want? Is that the kind of leader you want to be for other?

Research studies across industries suggest that having access to ­leaders—and, therefore, having access to information—is one of the key factors that drives individual performance and organizational development (Arbab et al. 2014; Potter and Baum 2014; Waligo, Clarke, and Hawkins 2014). Do you share all that you can with your team after you have attended meetings or received executive updates? And, do you share that information in a timely fashion?

Reflect on your organization’s growth or decline, and on your employees’ individual contributions, or lack thereof, along the way. What role did their access to you, and their access to real-time information, play in those gains or losses? How might you have done things differently, or how might you do things differently, as you look ahead?

In her groundbreaking book, Giving Voice to Values, Gentile (2010) discusses further the critical importance of information to employees. The information-gathering process helps people build confidence, identify competing concerns, and, ultimately, garner allies. What if internal roadblocks impeded the gathering of information? What if your leadership style sent the signal that information is controlled at the top, and access to information is something to be granted, not pursued? Through her research and consulting, Gentile has found that the people who are able to confidently voice their values in the workplace are those who have the time and freedom to gather data and assess arguments. Do these sound like your employees, or not?

In research circles, there is a leadership model called leader-member exchange theory, or LMX, which speaks to this issue of leadership accessibility. LMX suggests that the leadership process varies across a team, based on the leader’s relationship and interaction with each individual follower (Northouse 2010). In other words, not all leader-follower relationships are equal; some subordinates have close relationships with the leaders, and others have only stiff, detached relationships with the leader. Over time, in-groups and out-groups form. Relationships with the in-group demonstrate high degrees of mutual trust, respect, admiration, and influence. By contrast, relationships with the out-group are focused mostly on formal communication and based largely on job descriptions.

Think about your immediate team, and perhaps even the next level or two below your position. Are you able to recognize the in-group members? The out-group members? How does the access you provide to one group differ from the other? In what ways might you consciously address this gap? For example, you may simply make a point of investing more time with the out-group members—not necessarily developing more personal rapport, but at least demonstrating that you care about, and appreciate, the work being accomplished. When employees understand how a business operates, can connect their work to the organization’s financial performance, and know what has to be done for the business to compete, they are more likely to be engaged (Herring 2008).

Of course, there are many challenges to breaking through with out-groups, and simply in making yourself more accessible to employees and other stakeholders. You may not feel you have time to listen. You may not like to hear bad news or differing opinions. You may, as already discussed, like the power that information provides you. Or, you may not simply like stakeholders who ask questions and, by default, question how you exercise authority and control. The bottom line is that companies can’t innovate, ­respond to stakeholders, or run efficiently unless people have access to timely information (O’Toole and Bennis 2009). Be open, and be as candid as you can be. Seek and share information in more diverse ways. ­Encourage lively, respectful discussion and debate. Honor truth. Reward or at least recognize people who think differently and challenge the status quo.

Accessibility: Easier Said Than Done

Above all, be realistic. The simple truth is that the more successful you are, the less accessible you are (Hyatt 2012). Protect your time and energy. Prioritize your daily contacts, giving time only to those who truly need that time. Rely upon others, and delegate effectively, even when it comes to responsiveness. For every request that comes your way, think: Who should be handling this? Being the leader does not mean doing it all yourself. Rather, the productive leader is the one who realizes other people’s strengths, and helps them help others and the organization move forward.

One of President Obama’s dubious legacies is how he suppressed journalists’ access to information, particularly interviews and investigations involving federal agencies. This trend began with the Bush administration, but escalated during the Obama years, ultimately driving the ­Society of Professional Journalists and 37 other watchdog groups to file a direct complain with the President himself (Hazley 2014). Most federal agencies began prohibiting direct interaction with editors and reporters, under President Obama’s watch, except in instances where a public relations professional would direct or supervise the interview process. And, even in those cases, journalists would be required to provide the interview questions in advance, or only receive information if a promise were made that there would be no direct attribution within the finished news piece. President Obama made matters worse, holding only a handful of news conferences per year, and becoming the first President to routinely refuse to answer questions during brief appearances at the White House or following meetings with formal leaders (Koffler 2012).

What can you learn from President Obama’s communication legacy? At the surface level, the President set the tone that information is power, and that his leadership, and his team, were not to be questioned, at least not openly and freely by news reporters and editors. Is this the type of dynamic, two-way dialogue that builds trust and respect? No. Fundamentally, is this responsible communication? Again, the answer is no.

Of course, we can’t possibly know or understand all of the sensitive factors at play in running a Presidential administration. We shouldn’t necessarily question leadership decisions, but we should question communication style. Trying to control information and suppress dialogue? These are rarely effective communication styles, nor are they responsible communication practices.

The world will become increasingly dynamic, demanding a more open, collaborative approach to communication and work. Business scholars Georg Vielmetter and Yvonne Sell have examined trends that will shape the way we work over the next decade or two. These include globalization, individualism, and digitization. Because of these factors and more, leadership will become increasingly uncomfortable in the future (Vielmetter and Sell 2014). You will increasingly work with technologies you don’t fully understand or control. You will need to work in flattened hierarchies, where employees have more power and external stakeholders have greater influence. You will have to further blend your professional and personal lives. You will need to check your ego at the door. Your leadership role will truly be about motivating and empowering others—not trying to control them. Are you prepared for that responsibility?

This chapter and the next two focus on three essential leadership principles for responsible communication—Accessibility, Responsiveness, and Transparency. Why use the acronym ART? Because there is truly an art to responsible communication, and you should never forget that. This is an intuitive process that requires more than the science of collecting data and calculating decisions. You will need to foster dialogue and embrace debate. You will need to stay adaptable and confident. You will need to be there for the people who need you. You will need to be responsive. And you will have to get comfortable with being transparent. Yes, there is an ART to responsible communication. The sooner you get started, the sooner you will master this ART.

Reflection Questions

• Were you not accessible to anyone, you would not be a leader. And you would not be needed. Who needs you the most, professionally speaking? In what ways do they access you? Are you accessible as you possibly can be to them? How might you make yourself more accessible?

• We have to prioritize. There is only so much time in a given day, and not every request is urgent or even important. How do you know what is most important? Who most needs your attention today and in the weeks ahead? How will you make the time?

• You can view situations as interruptions, annoyances, and distractions. Or, in the spirit of accessibility, you can view them as opportunities to engage with people who have a true passion for your business. What situations have you recently considered annoyances? Would there have been benefit in treating such circumstances differently? How might you have made more of the moment?

• Being inaccessible means trying to control situations and prevent access to information. Being accessible means staying adaptable to changing circumstances and sharing information as freely as possible, in order to help others maximize their...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part 1 Embracing the ART of Values-driven Leadership
• Part 2 Communicating Responsibly with Key Stakeholders
• Part 3 Leading with Values Daily—The ART Action Plan
• Acknowledgments
• Bibliography
• About the Author
• Index