2025 CCO Imperative: Company - Communications Alignment
Gary F Grates
Globally renowned expert and counselor in change mgt, organizational communications, corporate relevance, business strategy in a digital world
Five Critical Points of Connection for Optimal Impact
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Chief Communications Officers (CCO) are once again entering the new year with great promise and potential. Their organizations are free from the burdens and lost opportunities of the past year and are setting themselves up for a fresh set of ideas and outcomes.
The most existential threat to business productivity and results is always the same at this time of year – misalignment between corporate communications and the business strategy.?? Why so dangerous?? The organization’s relevance is at the core of its existence.? The company must be understood, believed in, recognized, respected, followed, and cherished.
Everything else pales in comparison.
Making alignment work for your corporate communications function and efforts requires a disciplined, dedicated approach.? Below are five specific areas to assess the communications roadmap leading to business success in 2025:
1)??????? Growth, Transformation, Stability, Restructuring
Where is the predominant emphasis for the company?? Is it growth?? If so, communications must be oriented toward new customers, new markets, new thinking.?
If it’s transformation, communications must be focused more internally engaging the workforce in behavioral change, systems design, and performance metrics.
?If it’s stability especially in an uncertain market, communications must reinforce the company’s focus, values, and efficacy. ???
Restructuring allows the company to balance its competitive profile.? From a communications alignment perspective, the focus should be on conveying successes at cost containment, challenging the status quo, and keeping customer expectations and competitive moves at the forefront.
2)??????? Centralized or Decentralized Model
Central to alignment is how the Communications function is organized.? If centralized, then the overall corporate communications strategy and plan captures the business direction and intent breeding specific actions throughout the business.
If it’s decentralized, business units overlay the business strategy to their individual goals and objectives with communications following the blueprint.
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3)??????? Skills Orientation Mastery
Does the communications function have the right skills for what the business is looking to accomplish in 2025?
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If it’s growth, then media and influencer acumen is necessary including social and digital expertise.
If it’s transformation, internal and change communications?? skills are needed to drive a new conversation with employees.
If it’s stability, then basic skills make sense.
From a restructuring standpoint, communicators need to be fully immersed in the operations of the enterprise.
4)??????? Data and Insight Disruption
How are we making decisions?? Regardless of the business strategy, the communications function must buttressed with a solid data analytics pipeline feeding the decision-making process.
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5)??????? Flexible Design Acceleration
The year will always take its share of twists and turns.? To be fully connected to the business strategy means being fully flexible in terms of modifying any effort to fit the reality of the market.
Moving talent at a moment’s notice can sustain momentum or mitigate risk.?? Is your communications architecture agile?
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??????????????? Communications strategy and planning not aligned to the business is nothing but a series of actions and activities leading nowhere.?? To truly make an impact in the organization’s success, communications must track with the business each day.?? The points outlined here represent a meaningful way to calibrate corporate communications to the company’s future state.
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Gary??
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CausalAI | Business Effectiveness | De-Risk Your Plan | First to Prove B2B Marketing Multiplier | “Best of LinkedIn” | AI Professor | HSE | Pavilion | Forbes | ABA | MASB | ANA | GTM5 | Author
2 个月Great post! I’d add that Communications has to begin playing a more explicit role in driving the economics of the business. This is the most concrete basis of alignment, not just for Comms but any part of any business.
Top 50 Governance Professional (NACD 2023 Director 100 Awards); Top 50 Global Thought Leader and Influencer on Risk Management 2023 & 2024 (Thinkers360). Dedicated to director development and boards that add value.
2 个月Gary F Grates Great post, as always! Regardless of the centralized or decentralized alignment of the organization, the communication function needs to assure that there are basic, immutable values that run throughout the different communication. I used to preach “One Thought, Many Expressions”. That is, customize as needed by customer, region, culture, etc, but under a central “thought”—all marketing and communication should be focused on a common perception of what the company stands for. Especially important internally!