A book I wish I'd seen earlier - a lot earlier

The Communications Advisor by Gitte Gravengaard , Kristian Eiberg and Anders Monrad Rendtorff

?A few months ago, Jonas Bladt Hansen gave me a new book when I was visiting him in Copenhagen. It’s taken me a while to read it but I wish it had been around when I was starting my career in communications. I blame Jonas for not sharing it a couple of decades ago!

The Communications Advisor addresses two questions which I, and so many comms professionals, ask – 'what is a trusted advisor' and 'what does it take to become one'?

?In tacking these questions, the authors take us on a tour of what CEOs and senior leaders want from their communications advisors (it's not always telepathy) and how to live up to expectations that can feel ambiguous and fluid. And cleverly, they provide both a deep theoretical or academic review alongside solid practical advice.

Initially I was slightly wary of this book which is written from a mostly Danish perspective. The Nordics, with their incredibly high levels of social trust and strong commitment to consensus and respect are a sort of communicators’ Nibbana. My experience of the region is of leaders who want to communicate and who care what people think. It often feels like a totally different planet from the hire and fire realms of the US and other developed markets.

I remember reading some of the output from leading Swedish academics and dreaming that a fraction of their observations about manager-team relationships in Gothenburg hospitals could one day be transplanted to the world of my clients!

But this book, doesn’t just represent the workplaces of Copenhagen and Aahus. As well as providing a survey of some the key management models which are relevant anywhere, it provides globally applicable advice on the universal human issue of being trusted.

Importantly, it highlights a number of themes that communications advisors will recognise.

It explores the reality that CEO’s and senior leaders are often unclear about what they need from a communicator and that communications advising isn’t the monopoly of the PR or head of IC – CEO’s listen to lots of people!

?And it gives more than a few clues about how to progress from craft deliverer, through strategic advisor to business problem solver. The book offers some interesting models for gaining the deep business understanding that leaders expect from their advisors along with insights into the skills, knowledge and mindset needed to build, secure and extend trust.

?There’s interesting advice about building the relationships that count and learning how to read the overcrowded mind of the boss and help them lead. The sections on personal positioning for the advisor and making the most of ‘occasions’ or encounters which can build relationships are thought provoking - for consultant and in-house pro alike.

The observation that communicators ‘do’ strategy is also a caution to people like me and philosophers, who would be happy interpreting the world for hours on end; the point is to be able to roll with changes in uncertain or chaotic contexts.

Of course, every CEO or boss, is different, operating in a different context and is the product of their own leadership journey; looking for a standard solution is a fool’s errand. What this book offers is a solid foundation (or reminder) for the communicator who would want to provide advice that is listened to.

?I should have liked to have read more about the intelligence gatherer role of the communicator and the power of data and insight in helping guide leaders. But there are other books that cover this topic. And maybe the next edition will reflect more of the work coming from 门林娟 's community at the 美国佛罗里达大学 as a way to leaven the super Scandi sense.

As someone who is very interested in competencies, it was great to see a simple comparison of the work of people like Ralph Tench and Prof. Dr. Ansgar Zerfass . It would have been nice to dig deeper into what is meant by mindset in competencies - there is an important human dimension here which I suspect is often overlooked in discussions of what makes a great comms advisor.

?Like the recent collaboration between Howard Krais , Dr Kevin Ruck and Mike Pounsford , this book shows the value of robust research leveraging current scholarship. I’m starting to sound like a cracked record about the ‘guru’ infested waters of LinkedIn white papers and blogs; but it’s brilliant to see real weight and substance being made available to practitioners.

?So, thank you Jonas for the book; could you ask your friends to get on with writing the book I'll need for the next 20 years please.