Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Foreword
Leadership specialists have long advised that communication is a critical role for leaders, but in a society that celebrates the cult of the individual, the advice is too narrowly interpreted. Too much value is placed on charismatic leadership: Boards select leaders for their dazzle and the biggest plaudits are saved for those whose profile is often bigger than that of their organisation. With this report we bring the verdict of the workforce: the best leaders are the straight talkers, who eschew performance for authenticity, staying true to themselves as they move up the ranks. Which is of course good news for the majority of leaders weary of being straight-jacketed into a presentational style better associated with evangelism than business management. The report identifies four styles of leadership communication, which we have labeled Considerate, Controlling, Understated and Charismatic. Leaders within each group emerge as more or less comfortable in their role as communicators with their employees. The good news is that the biggest group of leaders are the Considerate Communicators. The disappointing news is that the Controlling Communicators come a close second. Considerate Communicators are far more likely to make their staff feel motivated, committed and involved than Controlling Communicators who too often generate distrust and so disengage staff. Good leaders also understand the importance of communicating with employees and the difference their own engagement with their workforce can make to the bottom line. Our previous research, A Little More Conversation, highlighted the importance of effective employee communication, with 90% of those who are kept fully informed more likely to be motivated to deliver added value to the company. The business benefits are clear: the more you communicate with staff, the more they are motivated to deliver results for the organisation. This report takes the argument on and highlights that honest and clear communication is the most highly prized quality in a leader. Yet, disappointingly only 40% of employees report that their leaders are effective employee communicators. It would seem that leaders have more work to do to fully engage with their staff. Fewer than half the employees surveyed believe their leaders have excellent or good communication skills. Over half (53%) say their leaders communication is not good. A quarter of respondents describe their leaders communication as poor or even dreadful. The message is clear. Leaders must communicate more frequently and directly with employees, in a way that is open and frank, to strengthen their respect and loyalty. But, of course, that is never quite enough. Actions, in the end, speak louder than words. Says David Taylor, author of The Naked Leader: People are not stupid - leaders will always be judged by what they say and do, not just by what they say.
Report methodology
An online survey was carried out by Explorandum, an independent market research company, in October 2006 with a representative sample of 1103 employees in organisations with 60 or more staff. Commentator interviews were conducted by telephone in November 2006.
Straight talking
The role of the business leader as communicator
Executive summary
Our survey of 1,003 workers reveals four distinct styles of leadership communication. Of course, there are as many styles as there are communicators but it is fascinating to see how clearly these broad groupings emerge.
"Above all, in order to gain respect, you need to be true to yourself. There is no point in trying to be suave and sophisticated if it doesnt come naturally."
Sir Alan Sugar
Straight talking
The role of the business leader as communicator
high
Of course, in the final analysis, communication is a delicate balance of style and content. The challenge for the leader is to pay adequate attention to each. It is important both to make sure you impart correct, consistent information and that you do so in a way that is interesting and persuasive. We would conjecture that Controlling Communicators have trouble delivering on both style and substance while Considerate Communicators are successful with both. Meanwhile, Understated Communicators struggle with style as much as Charismatic Communicators may do so with substance. At this point, it is tempting to add a fifth category that would score 0 on our graph and which we will call the Manic Communicator: the pseudoevangelist who mesmerises with a frenzied presentation la Steve Ballmer of Microsoft leaving the audience bemused and confused.
substance
low high
their own willingness to communicate and engage with their employees can have on the energy in their organisation, the consequent discretionary effort, the potential unleashed and ultimately the bottom line. Indeed, the vast majority of employees (85%) want to know about their organisations plans for the future. Two-thirds of employees are interested in whats going on in their organisation, even if it doesnt directly affect them in their job. How disappointing then that only 40% of the employees we interviewed say that their leader communicates effectively with them. In the largest organisations with more than 1000 staff
the percentage dips further to just 36%. By contrast, employees place little value on the public reputation of a leader, with only 30% of them citing this as an important quality. Four out of 10 leaders have a good public reputation in the eyes of their employees. People need to feel you care about them. You need to show them you are on their side. You cant fiddle this. Too often, people stop being authentic as they move up the ladder because they lose touch with themselves, with their roots. Greg Dyke former BBC director-general
This finding underscores our central message: that leaders significantly underestimate the extraordinary impact
4. Only two in 10 employees feel their leader actually listens rather than just barks out instructions. However there is also some good news. Almost two fifths of respondents say their leader is a confident communicator; over a third say they are straight-talking and a third say their leaders invite feedback. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of communication. People value honesty and openness very highly and they distrust those who seem to have an overtly personal or political agenda. Leaders need to find ways to be consistent, timely and genuine in their communication and to regularly find out from the people in their organisations how this is working. Steve Newhall managing director, DDI Europe
(and those stakeholders ability or not to make themselves heard) makes it difficult for leaders to judge where their attention should be focused. According to their employees, Britains leaders rank their stakeholders thus: Customers and clients Peers in the industry Staff Shareholders Politicians and policy makers General public The media Given that the organisation is its employees, it could be argued that communication should actually start from the inside out. Indeed, with the whole organisation supporting the vision and the plan, consistent external communication becomes the role of every employee a burden that is very much shared.
Communication breakdown
Overall, the judgment of employees is damning: most leaders communication style is poor. The findings are consistently critical: 1. Fewer than three in 10 leaders communicate consistently 2. Just a quarter present information that seems relevant to employees 3. A third evidently underestimate how far staff can be trusted with information and a similar number underestimate the intelligence of their employees
Prioritising stakeholders
The demand on leaders time is of course intense. The range of stakeholders that vie for their attention
Straight talking
The role of the business leader as communicator
1. Talk to us more often Britains leaders are failing to communicate with staff frequently enough. Half of Britains employees want to hear from their leader more often, keeping them up-to-date with good and bad news as it happens. A quarter of leaders communicate with staff only when its too late, and theyve already heard the news through the grapevine. Nearly one in 10 employees claim their leader doesnt communicate with employees at all. Just over 25% of employees hear from their leaders about their organisations plans on a quarterly basis; for a similar proportion it can be as little as once or twice a year.
is simple and consistent: Meet us face to face and listen to what we have to say. And: Leaders should involve all staff in meetings so they can find out what is going on all together not via speculation or the grapevine.
how the organisational change was conducted, with nearly a third simply being told what was planned by the organisation. Only one in five employees were asked to get involved in the planning process; with only 15% asked to contribute their views on the plans. One could almost conclude that I&C has made no difference at all in the UK beyond some initially energetic planning. We only receive information regarding restructuring through e-mail and are asked to feed back our ideas and thoughts through e-mail. If the leader could speak to groups of staff it may help to reduce anxieties and rumours, said one respondent. Another offered: Present clear communications on why changes are happening, how they are going to be implemented, what the real implications are.
3. Tell us more More than half (54%) of Britains employees say they dont get enough information from the top about whats going on. But things are getting better: half of respondents say theyre getting more information than last year and just under half say theyre getting more information than ever before. Indeed, a significant minority, one in five employees, say they get more information than they can take in and digest.
2. Tell us straight People generally hear important news about their organisation from their line manager (48%), or through the organisation grapevine (47%). The grapevine is the main source of company news in the private sector (50%), compared with 47% who hear it first from their line manager. Fewer than a third of staff hear important news from the top. This figure rises to 36% in smaller organisations and drops to 26% in organisations employing more than 1000 staff. A significant minority, 10% of employees, hear important news through the media; shockingly, in larger organisations with 1000 plus staff, this figures soars to 21%. The overwhelming view of respondents is that leaders should take the time to talk to them face to face. The advice
4. Tell us sooner Despite the best intentions of the 2005 information and consultation (I&C) regulations, while more than two-thirds of employees have experienced organisational change such as restructuring, only 28% were told about it during the planning stage. Surprisingly, 18% of employees found out about significant organisational change when the news was leaked in an unplanned way. Very few employees are involved in
5. Acknowledge our input Over 90% of employees agree that its either very important or quite important for leaders to acknowledge feedback or comments from staff. Not all leaders invite comments or feedback from their staff, but where feedback is given, its essential that its at least acknowledged, even if not acted on.
About CHA
CHA works with the HR, marketing and communications teams of major employers to help them explain their purpose, energise and motivate their staff and build their reputations as great places to work. We also work with the specialist consultancies that support them and the campaigning organisations that influence them. To find out how CHA might be able to help you, call 020 7622 8252 for a free consultancy session with one of our consultants, or email cha@chapr.co.uk For a complementary copy of CHAs previous reports, Business Behaving Badly, A Little More Conversation & Pride At Work go to our website, www.chapr.co.uk
Telephone 020 7622 8252 Fax 020 7622 8253 Email cha@chapr.co.uk Website www.chapr.co.uk