Tony Blair and how to win the communications war

The current Labour government in Britain is battling a welter of adverse conditions as dire as the English weather. Headed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, it sits atop a massive parliamentary majority which, due to the anomalies of its electoral system, masks the slender nature of its vote total (a very modest 33.7% netted it a whopping 411 MPs).

But that is not the only oddity: the very fact that Labour is back in power after 14 years in opposition, underlines the fact that Britain is, more often than not, a Conservative led country.

The scoreboard reminds us that since 1900, when Labour was formed, it has won only nine of 33 general elections since then. Starmer is just the fourth Labour leader to win a general election.

Only one leader, Tony Blair, has won three consecutive general elections. Thus, when Blair writes about what it takes to be a winning leader, people sit up and note.

Blair has just published his new work, “On Leadership: Lessons for the 21st Century” and while his take on global politics and navigating its challenges is fascinating, what he writes about the art of communicating, has wider application especially in the world of business, where Resolve Communications and its clients operate. Here are some of his key takeaways, worth reprising: ?

• There is a difference between a narrative and a press release: Tactical communications are the press releases, ‘the what’ -everyday government [or company] business. “Strategic is the story you are telling ‘the why’. On this crucial distinction, Blair reminds us that ‘every time government [or an enterprise] is announcing something significant it must announce the ‘why’ and not just the ‘what’.”

• He references his own communications guru Peter Mandelson, just announced as UK Ambassador to the US, who said: “Strategic communications is like a washing line running the length of government. Each individual policy or initiative must be attached to the line like an item of clothing.”

• No political or business leader, least of all Blair himself, who does controversial stuff will be immune from criticism, especially with the atomisation of media via social platforms. Here the former PMs advise is pithy: “If you come across something unpleasant or cruel that has been written about you: DON’T READ IT! If it’s a horrible headline, ignore it. If it’s an awful article, don’t look at it. And if you’re unwise to peruse it, don’t glance at the ‘comments’ section that follows.”

• This useful survival kit does not of course mean that you shouldn’t listen to sensible and serious criticism. “You should. You can learn from it. But you won’t learn anything from the stuff that’s vomiting forth, that’s written for clicks, that delights in its nastiness, that takes pleasure in inflicting pain.”

• I have a much simpler solution to online keyboard warriors who pursue me on social media: “I block them!”

There’s loads of useful stuff and pithy advise in the Blair how-to manual applicable to leaders in all fields. Worth the read.

By Tony Leon, Executive Chairman, Resolve Communications