Are we our own worst enemy in Comms?

I read a fantastic post here last week from Kat Harrison-Dibbits that spoke to one of those uncomfortable truths for us in the Communications profession. I'm going to unpack this today, but first!

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Now back to today's newsletter...

Do we treat people as we want to be treated in Comms?

If you work in Comms, you've no doubt spent a fair bit of time reflecting, thinking, discussing and yes perhaps sometimes, moaning, about the lack of understanding of our profession.

"We don't just send stuff out - we're a strategic partner! Why don't they understand that?"

"We're not here to create posters. They can do that themselves."

"Why aren't we invited to the leadership table when other functions are?"

"I wish they'd understand what our priorities really are (and it's not their request for an all staff email!)

And even worse...

"Are they stupid? Why on earth do they think THAT'S a good comms idea?!"

Sound familiar?

I know I've done my fair share of this type of thinking over the years. Sometimes I managed to keep it to myself and sometimes, regrettably, I didn't.

Reading those comments above, tell me honestly.

Would you want to work with a Communications partner that thought this way and treated stakeholders like this? I know I wouldn't.

But for some reason, we seem to have these attitudes entrenched in our profession. And then we wonder why we're not respected or treated as equal partners.

This is the essence of Kat's post where she asks why we seem so intent on treating stakeholders, colleagues and yes, even leaders, as the enemy. And how much better things might be if instead, we displayed a little humility, a little empathy and some curiousity when dealing with these requests for our time and our expertise.

Humility, empathy and curiousity are all hallmarks of great leadership by the way and there's a reason for that!

Here's another great leadership trait that I think really helps us in Comms...

The power of self-reflection and self-awareness

When we sit back and think - really think- about these "stupid requests" for our time and how we feel about them (and the people making them), how might we frame, or reframe them, if we are being more honest with ourselves?

As a coach, I support clients in being scrupulously honest with themselves and then identifying what they can do next to make progress on an area or issue that's troubling them. For example:

• Is that "stupid comms request" being made because WE haven't done a good enough job of educating our colleagues and stakeholders on what we do and why? What steps would you take to improve this?
• Are we being clear enough about our value-add and the benefits and outcomes we can deliver and support to stakeholders and the organisation?
• Do we feel defensive, because deep down inside, we're not sure of the value we bring at a strategic level?
• Have we invested enough time and care in relationships with stakeholders? Or do we hold them at arm's length, thus reducing our interactions to merely transactional? (With neither party being satisfied at the outcome)
• Do we have enough insight and skill as a leader to navigate these requests and get to the heart of what people are really asking for? Perhaps they lack the comms language (again, not their fault!), so they ask for a poster, because that's the only tangible example they can bring to the table. Perhaps they really need to us to explore, be curious and navigate what they REALLY need to achieve and WHY, so we can give a more informed and more helpful answer that also reflects our value.
• Seeking the "why" is the most important thing we can do as communications leaders, but it's surprising how often we can forget this when we're too busy allowing our frustration with others to get in the way!

Communications isn't easy. And no, it's not well understood by enough people, enough of the time.

BUT if we are willing to reflect on and examine our motives, our biases, our blind spots and our behaviours, then there's a lot we can do to be part of the solution and not exacerbate the problem.

What action might you take to further the understanding of Communications within your organisation?

#communications #strategiccommunications #headofcommunications #coaching #leadership