LONDON — A few of us got together in one place today and made an effort to quickly update the “Internal Communications” page on Wikipedia.

We learned a lot in the process.

All tolled there were 28 amendments made to the page, and more are still being made now.  Some people watched.  Some emailed, texted and tweeted [...]]]>

LONDON — A few of us got together in one place today and made an effort to quickly update the “Internal Communications” page on Wikipedia.

We learned a lot in the process.

All tolled there were 28 amendments made to the page, and more are still being made now.  Some people watched.  Some emailed, texted and tweeted us to say “you missed X”… and some just went on and did stuff themselves.  It’s still a long, long way from perfect.  But it is better than it was.

Hopefully improvements will continue.  Why not have a look and make a change now?

What an interesting experience.  At the same time we noticed that the Corporate Communications page is even worse.  Should that be next?

/df

THE BREAKFAST TABLE AT 6AM — My young son is reading his school book aloud.  To practice.  I am pretending to listen.

“What!?” he says suddenly.  “Rescue a cat from a tree?  Firemen don’t do that, do they?”

I sense disappointment.

“Yes,” I reply.  “But only for old ladies in cartoons and movies.”

“OK,” he says, as if I [...]]]>

THE BREAKFAST TABLE AT 6AM — My young son is reading his school book aloud.  To practice.  I am pretending to listen.

“What!?” he says suddenly.  “Rescue a cat from a tree?  Firemen don’t do that, do they?”

I sense disappointment.

“Yes,” I reply.  “But only for old ladies in cartoons and movies.”

“OK,” he says, as if I had given him a good answer.

So, how many cats have you rescued today?  How many things have you done that weren’t really what you were meant to be doing?

Here are a few things that communication people are asked to do that may not be the best use of their time…

• Dress up someone’s PowerPoint presentation
• Organise non-business focused events
• Go to meetings where you are not required
• Write other people’s emails
• Proof-read

What have I missed?  From today, how about not answering the call to get the cat from the tree?

Communication is an essential service.  Helping your organisation achieve its business goals is a full time job.  Let’s focus on that.

/df

P.S. No animals were or will be hurt in implementing this plan.

TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD – I don’t know any organisation that has not been affected by the global recession of 2008/09.  Whether it’s layoffs, sell-offs or even surprising growth, the deal between companies and their employees has changed.

It used to be that companies had loyalty to their employees.  But the idea of a job for life and [...]]]>  

TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD – I don’t know any organisation that has not been affected by the global recession of 2008/09.  Whether it’s layoffs, sell-offs or even surprising growth, the deal between companies and their employees has changed.

It used to be that companies had loyalty to their employees.  But the idea of a job for life and a gold watch at the end of it died at least two decades ago.  However employees have continued to have a great allegiance to their employers.  More, I believe, than most employers deserve.  And that is starting to change.

I was cornered last night by a high-flying corporate banker.  He wanted to know how I had had the courage to start my own business.  Was it as hard as it looked?  Wouldn’t the big guys crush you?  How do you get your payroll done?  How do you do your IT?  Etc.

What was most remarkable was that a guy who has done very well by working in global businesses saw no real link holding him there… except fear.

Big organisations cannot afford to have people come and go too easily.  There are coercive ways of keeping them, but the only ways that really work are to treat them well, and provide an exciting environment and opportunities for them.

I think that is what has caused the recent rush of businesses looking again at their corporate values.

What does this business really stand for?  What can people expect when dealing with us?  Be they customers, partners, governments, employees, charities, anyone?

Values are too often trotted out as what we call ‘corporate wallpaper’.  You can see them wrapped around columns, on walls in meeting rooms, sometimes even on building passes.

But without definitions and a clear understanding of what they mean — and what they don’t — people have no real use for them.

So, at a time when businesses are not faring so well in the esteem of their employees, decent, tangible, actionable values are a way that companies see of being more consistent and more coherent.

Values can help keep your business focused.

/df

LONDON — It’s a funny old world we live in.  The Chinese state aluminium giant Chinalco just failed in its quite generous attempt to help Anglo-Australian Rio Tinto out of a massive great hole.  And where do we go to see the sense of remorse?  Not to this ‘management’ section of the website.  Although the [...]]]>

LONDON — It’s a funny old world we live in.  The Chinese state aluminium giant Chinalco just failed in its quite generous attempt to help Anglo-Australian Rio Tinto out of a massive great hole.  And where do we go to see the sense of remorse?  Not to this ‘management’ section of the website.  Although the website has been jazzed up recently… there is no noticeable sign of personality.  And business stories these days are increasingly personal interest stories.

It’s been a bad run for China and its various state enterprises.

In 2005 the China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) tried to buy the California petrol business Unocal from Chevron.  All was agreed with everyone who needed to know.  Except the politicians got involved:

“As the world energy landscape shifts, we believe that it is critical to understand the implications for American interests and most especially, the threat posed by China’s governmental pursuit of world energy resources.”

…say some geniuses in the US Congress. 

The deal dies.  A Congressman again crows that the failure is:

“…good news for the free market”

An analyst says about the Chinese business:

“They had no game plan.  I don’t know if they had bad advice or did not listen or if the bureaucracy just couldn’t move fast enough.  CNOOC is at a disadvantage in a fast-paced market.”

Whatever it was, it’s not good, is it?

Same goes for the Haier Group’s bid for the Maytag Corporation the same year. 

Only the Lenovo purchase of IBM’s computer business stands out as a deal that has gone through.  But now that the IBM brand is being rolled back and Lenovo is coming through, what has happened to the brand?

Lenovo reports fourth quarter loss

Ouch.

Not surprising then that news that Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. will buy GM’s Hummer has been met with scepticism… even in China.

What is China missing?  I am not close enough to know with any real certainty.  I know the Chinese are well served by western bankers (they’ve even invested in a few).  They have investor relations teams in the west too.  But I have a few suggestions of what they might be missing.

1. A process and plan for change management, stakeholder relations and communications.

2. A single, simple set of messages for their organisational communications.

3. A group of people (Chinese or not) with the skills and tools who are able and ready to talk on their behalf.

4. The ability to get on the front foot with the questions that you just know the western media and politicians are going to ask.

There is no doubt in my mind but that the Chinese will change the global rules of business in the decades to come.  It may not even be gradual, and it will definitely be shocking to many people in business.  But today there is still some work to do.  China must learn how to take better advantage of the rules on the pitch that they’re visiting.

/df

LONDON — As part of the course that I am have been asked to give in Kuala Lumpur later this month, one of the participants sent in this question:

In responding to the question I realised that the answer may have a more generalist interest.  [...]]]>

LONDON — As part of the course that I am have been asked to give in Kuala Lumpur later this month, one of the participants sent in this question:

Q: Will you be covering the topic on top-down and down-up internal communications?

In responding to the question I realised that the answer may have a more generalist interest.  So I thought I would repeat it here. 

My answer read something like this:

It is part of my introduction and it runs through the entire two days. 

I believe that ‘communication’ needs to be a conversation.  That means at least two parties exchanging information.  That is what separates internal communications from advertising or public relations — the messages and delivery changes according to the audience, the content, the context, etc.  And it it is why it is sometimes much harder to do internal communications than to do other corporate communications.  You need to get managers and leaders to talk AND listen AND think AND adapt AND respond.

And in light of that, top-down and bottom-up, both have their times and uses.

What do you think?

/df

A PACKED TRAIN TO STAMFORD BRIDGE — I liked this quote I have just read in Inc magazine.  Entrepreneurial leaders were asked what people should do right now to energise their employees and get the business back on track:

Training sometimes seems like a small thing but it is actually the first step in empowering people [...]]]>

A PACKED TRAIN TO STAMFORD BRIDGE — I liked this quote I have just read in Inc magazine.  Entrepreneurial leaders were asked what people should do right now to energise their employees and get the business back on track:

Training sometimes seems like a small thing but it is actually the first step in empowering people to do their jobs well.  Arthur [Blank co-founder of the Home Depot] and I always wanted to share the wealth; no matter what an employee’s position within the company, we knew he or she could make a contribution by being creative or just working hard.  Training combined with providing employees a sense of belonging and rewarding them for results were keys to our success.

– Bernie Marcus, the Home Depot

Because it reaffirms something we’ve been telling people for yonks.  That is that giving people the skills they need to be good at their job will always be well received.

I find my job very fulfilling.  More than most people do, I suspect.  But the bit I love the most is the point in the communication, change and leadership skills training that I do when people unfold their arm and start to smile.

That’s brilliant.

/df

LONDON — Everyone seems to be interested in this.  It’s a code word for lots of different things.  In today’s economy some are using it as a way of saying “how do we make people like the business when so many bad things have happened?”  Others want to find a way of helping people focus [...]]]>

LONDON — Everyone seems to be interested in this.  It’s a code word for lots of different things.  In today’s economy some are using it as a way of saying “how do we make people like the business when so many bad things have happened?”  Others want to find a way of helping people focus on what really matters.  Others aren’t sure, but it sounds good.

We have a view.  It’s one that may sound odd at first, but maybe it will more sense after further thought.

Engagement is not a programme.  It’s not something you can package and roll out. It’s not something you can seek to build centrally.

Engagement is a state of mind.  It is something personal that you feel… or you don’t.

Because we are all quite different as people we respond to things differently.  Some of us really get excited by making great discoveries.  Some of us love our sums to add up.  Some people like to work with and care for other people.  Some of us love the money… and just the money.

So the real drivers of engagement in a business are not the senior leaders.  It’s not the HR department or the communications team.  It is not the employees either.  We think it is the line manager.

The line manager — when properly skilled — can make the business work for each individuals goals.  And therefore make each individual work for the businesses goals.  (More often than not, unfortunately, the managers don’t have the skills to do this because the business hasn’t given them to them, which is a whole other article.)

Because we don’t have a vested interested in selling any particular ‘engagement’ product –- we can independently advise and critique current engagement activities with a focus on return on investment.

And we think that’s the cleanest and most effective way to do it.

/df

LONDON — We think it’s time to talk about it.  So next week we are going to run a free seminar on how to communicate bad news.  If you would like to come, please drop us a note and we’ll tell you where it is being held and when.  (First come, first serve.)

PARSONS GREEN — I had a coffee with quite a smart fellow yesterday.  He runs the top ‘innovation’ business in town.  I don’t really understand what he does, but, man, does it look like fun!

As we sipped tea in a shambolic bohemian market that he favours, he seemingly innocently asked if I felt my work [...]]]>

PARSONS GREEN — I had a coffee with quite a smart fellow yesterday.  He runs the top ‘innovation’ business in town.  I don’t really understand what he does, but, man, does it look like fun!

As we sipped tea in a shambolic bohemian market that he favours, he seemingly innocently asked if I felt my work was a vocation.

I realise now that it’s a question he probably has asked before.  But it caught me unawares.

And, of course, being a professional communicator, I answered quickly and with authority:

“Yes”, I said.

Well, actually, I said something more like: “In the real world, where we don’t get to grow up to be policemen or firemen, where life and business is more complicated than that, then yes.”

“I think that there are too many people in the world who go into work and hate it.  There is no reason to be unhappy at work, and that is what I want to change.  So, yes.”

“But,” I went on without prompting, or any great signs of interest from my colleague, “I keep that well hidden because it doesn’t always sell that well.”

And so we moved on. And then I woke up thinking about it.  And I don’t know why.

My colleagues like to accuse me of being quite religious.  Which is a surprise to me.  I guess I use a lot of religious imagery.  But I am not terribly religious.  What I am, I guess, is evangelical… about work.

There are probably worse things to be.

/df