Communicating from the C-Suite | S1 E23 cover art

Communicating from the C-Suite | S1 E23

Communicating from the C-Suite | S1 E23

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 Communicating from the C-Suite In this episode of Engaging Internal Comms, The Big Picture People’s Craig Smith talks to Hillary U, who is Executive Internal Communications Leader for the Salesforce security team. Hillary is currently based in Washington, Seattle. Salesforce is the world's number one customer relationship management platform, with a focus on bringing customers and companies together. Salesforce has almost 50,000 employees around the world, with an ever-expanding global footprint. Prior to this role, Hillary was involved in a senior internal comms role at Amazon Web Services, and before that held posts at Deloitte Digital Alaska Group, PACCAR Inc., and the University of Washington. Time is the ultimate challenge of communicating from the C-Suite Good internal communication is imperative within a company to ensure that changes, messages, and transformations are effectively and accurately communicated throughout an organisation. The source of the communication begins in the C-Suite. However, with the C-suite housing a corporation’s most senior executives, there’s a risk to overall trust and clarity if this level within the organisation does not communicate effectively. With decision making and technical issues requiring prioritisation, communication beyond the C-Suite can often become jarred, preventing the seamless flow of communication that is required throughout the organisation. Hillary explains that while many leaders want to communicate their message, time is the ultimate challenge to communicating effectively. Communication blocks are commonly found at the following points:
  • Finding time for the change or message to be thoroughly understood by management and internal comms executives
  • Finding time to distribute and communicate that message throughout the organisation
With time constraints, Hillary also explains how the C-Suite can often simply assume that communication has occurred, with no time to manage how the message has been portrayed and received. “I think it’s easy for leaders to think that employees understand either their goals, their vision, their values, because as senior leaders, they’re getting that every day from their own manager, whether that be the board or stakeholders,” Hillary explains. “But for the everyday employee, that message tends to get watered down as it makes its way through the organisation.” Two-way channels give communication real power The C-Suite may not necessarily be equipped with natural communication skills. It’s important to find a way for every leader to ensure change and message are transparent and understood, and that employees feel like they are a part of their organisation’s decisions and future. Hillary explains that while many leaders are good at pitching – to stakeholders, board members and other C-Suite officers – employees require a very different tone. “Employees don’t want business speak. They want to hear something authentic. They want to see vulnerability. They want to feel like it’s a real person they’re speaking to, and they really want a two-way channel,” says Hillary. To prevent a decision being made by C-Suite and simply ‘paper-aeroplaned’ to employees, communicating change management must allow two-way communications. This enables employees to better understand the information and be able to ask how it may impact their role within the organisation. This can be accomplished in various ways, such as:
  • On a small-scale level: small groups, or lunch-and-learn gatherings for a more casual environment
  • On a large-scale level: a large meeting, but crucially where not only the leader is talking
However executed, Q&A time must be accommodated to provide a clear two-way channel for discussion. W...
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