There is a type of leader that people tend to be drawn to because they provide inspiration, clarity and accountability at the right times, in the right tone and style. Chief communicators are those colleagues from around the organization that your people trust. Chief communicators often have strong followership because they’re authentic, transparent and believable. Chief communicators are the leaders in an organization that people turn to when there are challenges. They’re also the ones people turn to when it’s time to seize an opportunity. They nourish your organization with energy, motivation and trust.
Because of the powerful role that chief communicators play in organizations, every organization should know who these key influencers are in their business so they can leverage them effectively. Organizations should also be sure that their key leaders, who likely rose up the ranks to management because they’re excellent at what they do (sales, technical skills) also have the opportunity to learn how to be great communicators, which in turn will make them more effective leaders.
It’s really powerful when the CEO is able to communicate and engage the troops effectively, but it shouldn’t only be the CEO, since the CEO can’t be everywhere all of the time, especially in larger organizations across geographies. It’s not just what you say, it’s actually even more important what you do — including decisions made, actions taken, behavior and body language.
In this hyper-connected world, where everyone is a reporter and social media puts every organization on a global stage and under a microscope, communications is no longer an “avoidable soft skill” — it IS mission critical. The foundation of your company’s morale, culture, employee engagement, clarity of mission and trust are all reliant upon chief communicators doing a great job.
So, do you know who your chief communicators are and are you leveraging them positively for your organization?
Do you believe your key leaders all have a strong foundation of being a strong communicator for those they lead?
If you’re a chief-leader who is highly visible and casts a long shadow across the organization, do you feel you’re the most effective chief communicator you can be?
If your answer is “No” or “I’m not sure…” to any of these questions, you may be losing opportunities or creating unnecessary risk on your team.
If you’re not sure of the answers to these questions, I’d love to connect with you to talk about it. Having worked with key leaders at every level of large and small organizations, I’ve seen the power of great chief communicators and also the impact that leaders who don’t communicate well have on teams. If you believe you can personally and/or organizationally be better communicators inside and outside of your organization, we’d love to help you get started on that journey.
