Listening Well, as Well as Speaking!

In a shared services environment, the site leader has the unenviable task of balancing global aspirations and local expectations.

With matrixed organizational structures, allegiances are divided and getting local management aligned on priorities for the site agenda can be a complex affair.

There is also the added complexity of multi-cultural differences and multi-generational workforce expectations.

Here are a few approaches to curate your leader’s communication plan.

1. Bringing it all together

Most often, employees do not see the full picture because it has never been presented as a unified view. With limited attention spans and numerous programs vying for attention, the leader’s communication needs to help make sense of what is taking place around the business.

2. Making employees central to the plan

Nothing can be more powerful than inviting employee views and shaping the future of leader's communications. There are always great ideas that exist, and involving employees can help improve readership and engagement. Recognize the role of employees in curating content and refining messages.

3. Connecting the dots

Leverage your leader’s communication to draw references to the company’s strategic direction and align every employee to appreciate his or her role in adding value to the business. Through townhalls or informal meetings the leader can establish ‘why’ the site exists and ‘what’ is expectation of each employee.

4. Balancing listening with speaking

Not all communication has to be about having the leader ‘talk’ and ‘share’. When a leader listens intently to what employees and stakeholders say, there is a greater chance that perceptions will change for the better. Listening followed by action can take the site’s value even higher.

5. Improving the perception among stakeholders

Comparisons among site’s within the network and outside (peer organizations) is bound to happen. Leaders who invest in communicating value among stakeholders, improve culture and leverage analytics to unlock value will be regarded highly. Regular and consistent reporting that includes updates on engagement, culture, innovation and value will always be respected.

6. Staying change-ready

One of the key responsibilities of the shared services leader is to keep the site equipped to cope with change. From low-key to large-scale change, taking the team along and allowing stakeholders to foster a culture of progress and positivity are expectations from leader communications. Making change bottom-up is also a skill of the site leader.

Aniisu K. Verghese is an award-winning corporate communications and social responsibility practitioner with over 20 years of experience in leading multinational organizations. He is the author of Internal Communications – Insights, Practices and Models, and is passionate about engaging communicators and students through workshops, speaking engagements, teaching assignments and blogging. He has served on the International Association of Business Communicator (IABC)’s South India Chapter Board, the SABRE Awards - South Asia Jury and the IABC’s Gold Quill Asia Pacific Award panel. Aniisu is the recipient of the 2015 PR Hall of Fame Award from the Public Relations Council of India. He can be reached on LinkedIn. Views expressed in this post are personal.