Senior leaders should take off their sunglasses

Recently I took the opportunity to visit an organisation and find out more about their internal communication and employee engagement. I was presented with the findings of the most recent employee survey conducted by a reputable polling company - and the results were very interesting.

The headline elements of the survey revealed the staff like working for the organisation and believe their work is valuable. By a very large margin they also felt the direction of the organisation was appropriate and approved of the goals they have been set in support of the organisation's objectives. They felt too that service delivery was good.  As internal comms professionals in most organisations will recognise, this group of employees also demonstrated the almost tribal instinct of being particularly fond of their immediate team mates.

There were two findings that stood out for me.  One was a huge rise in the number of respondents who thought the internal communication was very good or good.  Specifically they felt their intranet was easy to use, contained relevant information and helped them to do their jobs well.  Other channels received similar positive feedback.

The second was surprising for the high percentage of people whose responses indicated they had little or no confidence in their senior management.  Over 30% of respondents felt that way.  The number of highly positive responses was barely in double digits.  It seemed contradictory to me because the staff had already stated the direction of the organisation was appropriate and they approved of the goals set for them in support of the organisation's objectives.  The direction and goals cascade from senior management's strategic decisions.  So if the staff were happy with those, how on earth could they have such little confidence in the senior managers who determined them?

What sprung to mind was a recruitment advert run by the British Army in recent years.  The scene is shown ' through the eyes' of a young British officer on peace keeping duties, who is trying to speak with a group of armed African tribesmen.  The leader is agitated and aggressive, gesticulating and shouting, and as a result his men are nervous and have twitchy fingers on their rifles.  The view through the camera becomes brighter as the young British officer 'removes' the sunglasses he is wearing.  Suddenly the leader starts to calm down and his men begin to relax as the tension is defused.  The reason?  Removal of the sunglasses - because making eye contact with locals is an important part of communication and engendering trust and confidence.

The advert is a useful metaphor for explaining the actions senior managers need to take.  By being visible and not concealing themselves senior managers can build a relationship of trust and confidence with the people they lead.  The results of the survey demonstrate the direction management has set already meets with the approval of the staff.  But to alter the perception staff have of the senior management at this organisation, those senior leaders need to do more than make good decisions - they need to take off their sunglasses and make eye contact.

Consequences of poor engagement

When something controversial or unsettling happens in an organisation an understandable response is that people ask pointed questions about it.  Good internal comms professionals would counsel the leadership to engage with their people to explain why 'it' happened, what the leadership thinks about it and what actions they might take.

Successful engagement is grounded in openness and transparency and requires leaders to set an example that embodies the organisation brand and its values.  It requires an honest two-way conversation for it to be effective.  Only by visibly 'living' the brand values themselves can leaders expect their people to have confidence in the organisation and its direction.  So when those people are unsettled and asking questions leadership needs to step up or its credibility can be damaged.

It's with that in mind that the political world has provided us with yet another case study in poor engagement.  Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has been repeatedly asked to state what he thinks about the release of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi.  However, to date, Mr Brown has refused to comment on the matter.  The public reaction to this silence demonstrates the consequences of a failure to engage on matters that are of significant concern.

The lesson in this for managers and executives is clear.  Credibility and authority are major casualties of a failure to engage effectively with your people.  If your people are to believe in your brand and values you must exemplify them; and you should actively listen and respond clearly.  Burying your head in the sand is one of the most damaging things you can do.