How Would Your Respond...If

????????????????????????????? CCOs, PR professionals Speak Out

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??????????????????????? In my last post, I described 2023 as a year of contradictions. ??Building on that, we talked with approx. half dozen PR leaders including CCOs on the situations and circumstances they faced this past year.?

??????????????????????? Without revealing how they responded, we’ve posed those experiences below as a test for you to think about and determine what you might do in similar circumstances. The answers actually define your future:

?You’re laid off.

?An issue starts to become a crisis.

?You’re asked to do something that addresses the symptom but does not impact the cause.

?You’re told to “spin” something that is neither true nor accurate.?

?The CEO is being perceived internally or externally as ineffective.

?You’re gently pushed to increase billability vs. provide value.?

?A new idea actually causes more work.?

?Integrity is lacking in decision-making.

The company’s critics have solid arguments.

Your budget is cut to the point where basic support is untenable.?

The transformation or change effort lacks specifics, support, credibility.

The wrong people are being promoted.

You’re being asked to reduce head count yet increase support.

The workforce is unmotivated and not responding effectively to a needed strategic business change.

Your function doesn’t report to CEO.?

Your function reports to Marketing.? HR. Legal. Administration.

You’re measuring yesterday’s outputs vs. today’s outcomes.

Internal communications is generating content not relevance.

Business leaders view communications a series of tactics and activities.

AI is an obsession with leadership.

?Leadership believes a policy failure is a communications problem.

?Content development is high; connectivity is low.???????

You’re communicating the future while the company is mired in the past.

The Board is fixating on the wrong problem.

CEO wants a brand makeover as a way to overcome operational issues.

The strategic communications plan is based on an organization that doesn't exist or a marketplace that is static.

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Each one of the above scenarios forces someone to think critically about a response. A great way to approach such a list is to first ask yourself:

??????????? “Is this something that was self-inflicted or placed on the function directly or indirectly?”

The answer will take you to the right path ahead.

Communications leadership is all about playing chess and being ready for almost anything happening.??

2024 will again be a test for even the savviest practitioner!

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Gary??

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