In the old days (less than a decade ago), internal communication was organized around the “message cascade.” Information was power. Leaders at the top made decisions, and those decisions were communicated down the hierarchy, sometimes even reaching frontline employees who were expected to do something with the information.
Now, with social media, intranets, company blogs, flatter organizations and social activism, the message cascade is evolving into a two-way dialogue between leaders and employees. This is a positive change that is elevating employees to their rightful position as “priority stakeholder” in many organizations. But this shift in information flow is also presenting challenges for leaders at all levels who aren’t clear or mindful about their role as communicators.
There will (hopefully) always be leaders and managers who are natural communicators. The ones who instinctively know what their employees need to hear and when, and how to share information in ways that advance the company’s values and priorities.
But for many managers, especially in organizations where expectations for effective communication are lacking, the idea of communicating with and to their teams creates a minefield of questions: Should I? How do I? Can I? Why would I when they’re already hearing directly from the top of the organization?
By proactively answering these questions for managers at all levels, organizations can super-charge strategic alignment, retention and results. In today’s flatter organizations, the role of managers is less about carrying the message down the chain and more about providing the meaning and context that make the message matter.
Alan Alda talks about the power of empathy and storytelling in his book, If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face? He reminds us that communication doesn’t take place because you tell somebody something. Communication takes place when you observe people closely and track their ability to follow you.
Who better than the leader of a team (regardless of level within an organization) to engage directly with their own employees? To assess their understanding and support of company initiatives? To understand their unique perspectives and provide the right context to drive their engagement?
Of course, the leader at the top of the organization remains vital to an effective internal communication strategy. As the face of the organization and its most powerful voice, this leader sets the tone for the communication culture.
However, the space between the top leader and frontline employees – populated by middle management and supervisors – is untapped competitive advantage in most workplaces. There’s often very little (if any) rigor around the manager’s role as communicator – despite repeated surveys that place communication at the top of the list of things to improve.
We love how Joseph Grenny captured the role of leaders in Harvard Business Review last fall: “The first responsibility of leaders — whether front line supervisors, middle managers, or executives — is to compensate for the inevitable alienation that complex organizations create, and provide employees with a visceral connection to the human purpose they serve.”
When communication is talked about – not as a function but as an organizational priority – and defined, with clear expectations for everyone, it becomes a shared responsibility. Savvy organizations are recognizing this opportunity to improve employee collaboration, engagement, productivity and retention, and providing the training and tools to help managers be better communicators.