To post, or not to post: What leaders should consider before using their digital bully pulpit

To post, or not to post: that is the question facing many non-profit and higher education leaders when a controversy, crisis or disaster unfolds. When violent protestors took over the US Capitol, my organization’s CEO asked me a question I have heard repeatedly as a communications professional over the past four years, “Should I say something?”

Prior to the proliferation of email and social media, the answer was probably an easy one. A non-profit leader or college president would likely limit public statements to events that directly affected their constituents. But the expectations today are different, and the timeframe is accelerated. Stakeholders often demand to know where a leader stands—the past four years have proved: silence isn’t always golden.

I find this communications challenge fascinating and spent three years studying it for my dissertation titled, “The Role of Presidential Digital Engagement in Fostering a Sense of Community Among Stakeholders.” I interviewed four college presidents as well as senior members of their leadership teams including vice presidents of marketing and communications. My dissertation included presidents from across the United States including leaders of a small historically black college, a private liberal arts college, a large research university, and a medium-sized Catholic university.

Based on those interviews, it became clear that leaders and their comms teams often struggle to decide when to speak out, and the unorthodox nature of the Trump presidency forced many to reconsider their approaches.

Here are three questions for non-profit and higher ed leaders to consider before answering the not-so-simple question of whether to put out a statement in a time of crisis or controversy that is not happening within their organization or on their campuses.

1.     Do you have something to add to the conversation? Following the Capitol riot, one college president simply Tweeted, “This is outrageous. Completely outrageous.” To me, it goes without saying that you should have something meaningful to add to the conversation. Given the range of challenging situations that have unfolded in the just the past year alone, I would suggest you go beyond the communication team and consider forming a small group of advisors who help you best reflect on the situation and formulate a response. Perhaps your crisis communications cabinet includes a diversity officer, a religious leader, a board member—the makeup would be different for each organization and members must be available to respond quickly when a crisis unfolds. The leader still has the final say but may benefit from hearing from some trusted and diverse voices first.

2.     What are the expectations of your board and stakeholders? One digitally savvy college president I interviewed put it this way, “I don’t struggle with when to use my voice because I wasn’t given this voice to fail to use it. And I’m not going to be the right fit for every school. Every school doesn’t want a strident, politically active, socially engaged president. They want a smaller version of the presidency. I don’t want that version.” If you feel confident in your position and the expectations others have for it, you likely have less risk in using your bully pulpit the way you believe best reflects the values of the institution. Another president took a different approach telling me, “Everything I say is, even if it’s my personal opinion, it is the voice of the university and on controversial subjects I can’t be taking sides and have strong opinions even if I do have them personally.” These decisions are not easy, and leaders must recognize the expectations others have for their role when considering how to best use their authentic voice.

3.     Would a written policy make future decisions easier? One university in my study had a written policy instituted after much criticism about when the college president should speak out publicly on an issue. The policy limits statements to issues that directly affect members of the university community and higher education in general. Another university put together a list of core values and refers critics to it when there are questions about where the institution stands. I think a policy can be helpful to defend a leader against those who push for an immediate reaction to every crisis or controversy.

We live in challenging times and social media has accelerated the timeframe in which we are expected to respond to them. Each situation will be different, but a thoughtful process and a written policy may help senior leaders be able to make decisions quickly and be better able to defend them. Thoughtful digital engagement strategies are essential to enhancing the reputations of senior leaders and the institutions they serve.