INTERNAL COMMS...BORING OR TOXIC?

Why is internal comms still the poor relation in the marketing mix? It is such a vital element of corporate success and yet it seems to be a tick-box exercise for so many organizations.

The struggle to find 'good people' is a constant conversation and yet keeping them happy and motivated isn't. You sometimes hear the rhetoric about 'teams' and 'culture' but if you dig a little deeper, you rarely find evidence of a serious commitment to building either.

Everyone knows an unstable and demotivated workforce will destroy a business from the inside out. It's a corporate cancer. And yet, in a recent global employee survey the number one reason for leaving was Toxic Culture and second was My Boss Does Not Listen To Me. I have been in many (and I mean a lot!) employee discovery workshops where they tell me that they feel disconnected, unloved, treated like a number, over-worked (and consequently under-paid). It's a very consistent pattern across every sector. It is very rare to find the opposite as a norm in a large organization although you do in small start-ups.

So, clearly somewhere along the growth journey, something is getting lost. When you think about the experience of a start-up you imagine individuals who have come together with a shared vision, passion and energy to make something happen. They want to create, learn, smash barriers, change the market, change society and yes maybe even the world. They will also share in the risk and the reward. They will work every hour because they want to, because they really believe in their 'quest'.

But, all of that emotional engagement dissolves in a large organization. People describe feeling like a factory-worker, churning out things with a boss that is obsessed with systems, reports and improving your efficiency. A boss that keeps telling you to do the same thing, faster, cheaper but with the same quality. Why? So they make more profit for the shareholders. And if profit drops, you are disposable.

So, the objective is clear: Inject passion, hunger, energy, motivation.

A yet the strategy is often; Tell them about our financial success at our town hall meeting.

This is not an exaggeration.

At Acorn Strategy, we have a framework called 2xIEC. It stands for Inform, Inspire, Educate, Empower, Culture, Community. It helps us to create activities across the year that will try to deepen the relationship between employer and employee. HOWEVER, this can still become a tick-box management tool IF it is missing one key ingredient: SENIOR LEADERSHIP AUTHENTICITY.

Culture is set from the top. Employees need to believe that leadership really means what they say. They need to know that leadership really wants to build a culture - and here is the tricky bit - not just to make more profit. The moment employees feel like that is the ONLY motivation, they feel exploited and then become even more cynical. Believe me when I say they can tell if it is not from the heart. Profit is and must be a key factor for any business but it is vital to authentically, powerfully communicate PURPOSE WITH PERSONALITY.

I recently worked with a client to help define the personality and sense of humor of their start-up tech company. I loved the idea of trying to encapsulate corporate wit and create instructions on how they would write a text or packaging instructions. The key was that the process came from listening to their leadership team talking about their shared values and motivations. They had such a clear idea of their brand essence and point of view on the world. It was really inspiring and I hope they keep their flame burning bright.

Here are a couple of simple self-evaluation questions for organizations:

1) Would your internal comms move employees to tears of joy?

2) How proud are your employees of how you are changing society?

3) Could your leadership team talk about your DEIB policy with genuine emotion?

You are not alone. It's never too late to start. Help is at hand.