The X-Factor in Change Communication

 X-Factor (source: Urban Dictionary): an indescribable quality; something about a person that you cannot put your finger on; je ne sais quoi

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Experts (like John Kotter) suggest in organizational life, communication is under-done by a factor of 10-100x. 

Especially during change.

My experience as a change consultant confirms this. Communication is cited as either the #1 or #2 theme in thousands of interviews I have conducted. Just ask an employee how they learned about change in their company; upwards of 80% will tell you they learned about the change (or problem) from media. Inside the corporate walls, it was radio silence.

Then there are leaders who make the most of every communication. They seem to carry an irresistible X-factor or genetic code for communicating in ways that stir people to care, to act in the best interests of the company or team. In their world, “10x communication does not apply.” Their presence, their authenticity, the way they go about communication – it has a magical effect and the “good vibes” spread.

What does great leadership communication look like?

Next time you're rolling out an unpopular change - tried some of all of these 5 tried-and-true ideas to improve your Communication X-Factor.

1) Communicating is your job. Show up and lead with heart. Your #1 job description as a leader, is Chief Communicator. Truly great CEO's will all say that. 

Your internal communications group is NOT responsible for influencing behavior. Their job is to reinforce -- not inspire or direct -- people's actions.

To gain buy-in, a leader must find he passion within first, then make it an interactive “game” to help your people find it within themselves. "We need more money" messages in ANY form fall flat, especially with the Gen X and Millennial crowd. I'm not saying there are not important business outcomes and hard realities you must overcome to win in business.

I am saying "Don’t be lazy and play from this tired songbook" in your communications about them.

Whether big or small, find the real meaning, stop hiding in your office, and get busy cultivating passion through people.

2) Make it relatable. 

Emotion sells. 

Make no mistake: Leading change in business today is one of THE biggest sales jobs. Change is a universal truth no one likes – and yet, it is accepted as a given. Most leaders approach to communicating change is akin to selling spinach to a child – “What’s good for me, is good for you.” (Employee Translation: Maybe I'll keep my cool job if I go along with it.”)

(Today’s employee is not buying it, especially younger workers.) 

I am not suggesting emotion should displace facts or logic – or even the creation of weakly disguised alternative facts ("unfavorable market conditions have forced us to re-organize" which most employees know really means "we won't make our bonuses unless we cut expenses.")

I AM saying that when a leader cultivates emotional intelligence (human wisdom versus business wisdom) and deliberately utilizes it as the ignition for change, the change effort roars to life and takes off … versus sitting in the garage gathering dust.

Align your change with the universal theme of the human experience: The hero’s journey. Ditch the dry facts and money motives (we know you have to make money!) and construct a theme for your change journey that is emotional and makes your employees WANT it - because they trust you.

All engaging stories (book, play, screenplay) follow the same format: Hero living an ordinary life, one day is called to an act of change - a life crisis or a cause. Mentor supports Hero in the courageous choice to follow the call. Tension and controversy and villains abound. Resolution means the Hero is successful and the cause is served. 

Stories are deeply stirring. Leaders who frame their communication within an archetypical pattern such as this, engage people and more quickly gain acceptance of their ideas. Think it’s not for business? PEOPLE are the heartbeat of business. The only real risk is NOT tuning into what they really need and want, and what keeps them from performing at their best every day.

One CEO we coached, communicated post-merger through meeting with small groups and talking about the hero, the protagonist / controversy, the fight (or call to action and why it’s important), and inviting audience members to complete the story. It was wildly popular. Most importantly, the result was more successful integration of the two entities.

3) Repetition is king. The central theme of your communication must be repeated over and over and over... and then again. Not just in words, but in actions (and the stories you tell about those actions.)

Think “brand awareness” in marketing. How many times do you have to hear about something new, before you believe it? Or act on it? The standard rule of thumb is at least 7 times – in an noisy world, it can be more. 

Unless you tap the power of emotion (See #2).

To make each repetition build into a climax of action, follow a theme and apply the story formula: Crisis, the Good Fight, Resolution. 

The bigger the change, the bigger the opportunity to create a true “following” behind your theme and company’s core values.

4) Make it memorable. Borrow from PR and "brand" your message in a way that's catchy, makes people want to act, shows them what's IN it for them.

Slogans are great if imbued with a thoughtful theme and meaning. Themes a are not just someone’s idea of a few cute words, lacking context or meaning.

Slogans rarely stick. Themes transform.

Avis “We’re #2 but we try harder” campaign is a great example of a slogan that was a grand theme, built straight off the Hero’s Journey. By creating a new context that reframed “we're not good enough to be #1" they provided a clear platform for decades of clever ads.

"Diamonds are forever" transformed diamonds from a commodity to a symbol of undying love.

Can you recall your last company town hall? 

What is the theme, that ties your company communications together, during this period of change?

I rest my case.

5) Walk before talk, Ask before tell. Leaders are by definition, the strongest of the tribe. Or perhaps - depending on the flavor of your hierarchy - first among equals.

By societal training, leaders still over-talk and under-ask. 

If you want people to make a change, a leaders must DEMONSTRATE the change in their behavior, first. Ask a lot of questions and listen well (this is why you have two ears and one mouth).

Fix an issue that’s driving employees crazy. THEN, talk about WHY you made the change (why there’s a problem to solve), WHAT you learned from employees, and HOW the solution resides within them.

Want more innovation? Show people an innovative idea YOU carried out. Want to cut costs? Cut one of YOUR entitlements first. Anything less will be viewed as insincere and arrogant.

A true leader understands that the more they can not only “be” the hero – but show all of their people how the ordinary among them can be a hero – the more engagement you will see.

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By infusing these five practices into communications and teaching leaders the basics, you create a culture that shows respect for the lost art of emotional connection in business.

The X-Factor in communication may not be as familiar or easy as the well-worn path of corporate communications that “pass legal.”

But in the war for attention, what do you really have to lose?