There is a maxim that ensures that in times of crisis the first thing that companies do is cut the budget for the coffee machine and the internal communication area.
But do not be discouraged: I heard a thousand different versions of this phrase, according to the professional who pronounced it: the Training managers swore to me that the first thing that companies canceled was the training plans; those of Events, who had cut the parties forever; Sellers, who no longer had mobile phones; and those of Research and Development, which no longer had the resources to test the humidity of the water.
So maybe our situation is not as dramatic as it seems and we can also survive this crisis (unlike that poor and heroic little coffee machine that kept us awake so many times). But to achieve this we must undertake two types of actions right now: one that will strengthen the political weight of our area and allow us to gain power and maneuverability; and others that aim to improve the quality of the links that leaders establish with their teams, since in this relationship the true pulse of the organization is woven.
a) Analyze and expand your political capital: This is the right time to know what is the value that managers really give to your work. Of course, if you and your team were always seen as the “guys who make the magazine”, your head is almost certainly in danger today. On the other hand, if throughout your administration you were able to demonstrate the strategic value of internal communication, now they are going to look for you immediately, they are going to sit at the big table and nobody is going to think of issuing a message to employees without first consulting with you.
Yes, I know that the latter may seem like a utopia, but it is our non-delegable goal. After all: if the Heads of State know that in a context of crisis, communication actions must be strengthened and the relationship with the media must be oiled, why then, within a company, should leaders doubt our power and ability to action?
If the crisis surprises you without political weight, you are complicated but you can survive. My advice: hold on to the company and propose strategic actions right now that surprise and revolutionize. That is: recast before you are recast. And once the tsunami ends, you are going to get stronger and maybe some leaders will slap you and say: "To think that I believed that you only served to make the magazine Entre Nos!…"
b) Trust your power and ask for resources: I already told you: it is time to propose forceful actions so that everyone understands that internal communication is not decorative.
I know that budget cuts are coming but you may have to get ahead of the scissors and ask for double the resources! Think about it: when a person is sick, they can cut their expenses on everything except medicine, right? Well, I am convinced that communication is a powerful medicine and we are the only ones who can demonstrate that our work is vital. One way to do this is to ask for more resources because now is when the company needs us the most.
Also, what's the worst that can happen? Let them tell you no. But even if this happens, they will remember that you trust your ability to contribute, that you are really concerned about the company and most importantly: that you do not hide.
c) Show flexibility and creativity: If you think that my previous advice could put your job (or your account, in case of being an external consultant) at risk, don't even think about applying it. Seriously, I want you to keep working and someday we'll even do something together! Also, luckily, there is always a plan B, C, D and Z.
If you have the cut, there is no choice but to appeal to creativity and demonstrate flexibility. Where would I reduce the expenses? In mediated communication tools, they often take a large slice of the cake and deflect the focus.
This crisis can leverage the return of the human dimension, enhance the network of correspondents, the "face to face" and allow us to improve the leadership style. Internal communication is not your tools but the pulse and vibration of relationships between people. That is where we have to invest the few resources that are left to us.
d) Redesign the Communication Plan thinking about the scenarios: Crises have a terrible characteristic: one does not know how long they will last, how much they will hurt and where they will hit harder. That is why I recommend that you do not design a single plan but think about communication strategies that adjust to the various forms that this crisis can take: that of a "V" (acute but short recession), a "U" (softer) or an "L" (total break). Each scenario requires different people, styles, content, trajectories, tasks, managers, durations and tools. It's like playing simultaneous chess!
On the other hand, it is advisable to act in two stages: in the conjuncture (this crisis and its multiple scenarios) and in the strategic (long-term thinking). That is why it is a good time to revive all the projects that until now had "drained us" and that are vital for this context, such as creating once and for all the Crisis Committee, training leaders and establishing the procedure manual with the hot spots. Now or never.
e) Work with leaders: If you have ever attended any of my talks or read my articles, you should know that I do not think that communicators are the saviors of companies. I think we are important, very important, but we do not work miracles, because companies simply save themselves with integrated and cooperative solutions.
The secret is to abandon the centralized conception of communication and turn each leader into an internal communicator who adds value and intellectual capital. I am convinced that one of the great tests of maturity in the management of internal communication is the ability to demonstrate to leaders that they are responsible for 90% of the messages circulating in the company and that without their initiative we cannot make miracles.
Carrying out this mission involves removing barriers between and within teams and forgetting tools to focus on experiences, events and emotions.
f) Open the ear and mouth: Today more than ever people are desperately wanting sincere human interaction. We have to make this known to all leaders and understand that language is powerful, that the time has come to use it, that mutism is over and that the crisis forces us to open our ears and mouths.
Maybe we have to fight a little with some bosses (it's healthy!) Because we insist that they leave their office and assume their responsibility: listen and talk to their people. It doesn't matter if they get mad. We have to explain and convince them that their teams value a word of theirs more than the thousand pages that we can publish on the Intranet and that their people also need a leader who listens, contains, encourages and understands them more than ever.
Communication to overcome the crisis does not come from the internal communication department or the magazine, the billboard or anything like that. It is born out of leaders, out of their ears and out of their mouths, and it is up to them to achieve truly great and powerful things. The good news is that you are not alone to meet this challenge: you are counting on us, who are simply your internal communication consultants.
g) Saying important and true things: A few weeks ago a company called me to supervise the next issue of its internal magazine. I saw the sketch: the design was impeccable, the notes were very well written, I had beautiful photos… But in the magazine there was not a single reference to the crisis! So? What is it for? Today the only thing people want to know is what is going to happen to the company, what are the projects, the plans and who is driving the boat.
Communication has to be realistic and frank. No more "LIA" (tasteless acceptable language). Uncertainty must be lowered and managers must speak only of important and true things. In this scenario, our responsibility is to help them not communicate things that are inconsequential or hasty.
h) Be consistent: Communication is what you say but also what you do and show. So our responsibility is to help leaders to maintain coherence between the three dimensions. We already know: coherence gives trust, trust is the basis of the relationship and a company is a set of relationships.
When it comes to "doing," the issue is complex because sometimes the crisis becomes an excuse for some to take "licenses." I know that it is hard to accept it, but it is useless to sweep it under the rug: there are "leaders" who take advantage of moments of crisis to be able to return to their role as "patterns of stay". I had to listen several times to phrases like: “Hah, now with the crisis that soft leadership, work-life balance and all those Yankee fagots are over… Now the employees know that they cannot claim much because they are out of work. So it was time to work hard and seriously. "
In fact, some want the slavery of the cubicle and "zero defects" to return. What role do we have to play in such a situation? On the one hand, observe how this tectonic movement of force variables impacts the communication styles of leaders. Secondly, if we see that someone loses the axis, do a coaching job so that they understand that, during a crisis, they must strengthen the relationship with their staff and not destroy it because if the bond is hurt, when the waters calm down again, the wound will remain open and it will take a long time to close it. Communication has a direct and long-term impact on intangible issues such as culture, climate and trust.
The other dimension that we must plan for is what the company and its leaders “show”. It is useless that from the discursive we speak of the crisis if there is no correlation from the significant universe. Here I propose that we work as "common sense agents" and go through the company looking for signs that can make noise to staff. For example: as the company asks its people for an effort, the leaders continue to go to lunch at the most expensive restaurants and in full view of all. And attention: lunch should not be analyzed for the economic impact on the company but for the emotional blow it can cause to people.
Some final ideas without coffee (they already took out the machine)
Theoretical friends say that capitalism contains within itself its own contradictions and, sooner or later, if the system is not modified, it will fall by its own logic.
Until this happens (if it happens) many crises await us. So, unfortunately, I think this article can be useful for this context of early 2009 as well as for years to come.
If you are Latin American, these shocks will surely not scare you as much as our "developed" neighbors. We suffer them too often. The only positive thing about this situation is that we have experience. So as final ideas I propose:
- Let's take advantage of the past: let's ask and analyze what internal communicators did in past crises, what benefits and losses they had in the short and long term and, ultimately, what the company learned. Let's differentiate crises: communication goes into crisis not when markets fail but when people distrust the sender and the messages that are emitted are irrelevant. For this reason, today more than ever, it is necessary that the area of internal communication is not guided by a mechanistic perspective nor is it exposed to being a mere executor of short-term messages. Let us think in the long term: the decisions we make regarding communicationthey should not be evaluated solely under the magnifying glass of the current crisis. When storms pass, memory is the only thing left and it needs to be as positive as possible.
Finally, dear colleagues, the crises are over but the experiences last. So, once again, we face the challenge, manage intelligently, see how to overcome this cyclical wheel and work with a high sense of care, respect and humanity with the people who make up our company. Sometimes a hug is worth a thousand words.
