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HUMAN RESOURCES SPOTLIGHT
How HR Can Win Buy"In from Skeptics on Communications Coaching:
Excerpts from Employment Relations Today# September $%%&
By Suzanne Bates
Communicating vision and values is essential in driving business results. By definition, leaders
cannot do the work of the enterprise; they can only communicate what needs to be done, inspire
trust, and motivate others to execute the plans.
Many admired leaders are able to inspire people to action by articulating vision, achieving
buy-in, and moving the enterprise forward through effective communication. But, others can fail
to get their message across even though they are intelligent, analytical, and decisive leaders.
Human resource professionals know that consequences are serious if leaders cannot
successfully communicate a vision. Executives must do this or they will fail. One role of HR
professionals is to recognize when there is an issue, and then help leaders to further develop
their communication skills.
Why donÕt more leaders communicate effectively? There are several reasons. Few business
schools teach the techniques, and few companies devote significant resources to them.
Companies tend to evaluate leaders on management and leadership criteria that do not
emphasize effective communication. Even if communication is mentioned in the professional
development plan, the organization may not have the adequate resources. And, with numerous
business priorities, individuals may resist devoting time and energy to communication.
The result is that executives often donÕt ÒdiscoverÓ they need to speak well until a problem
presents itself. They arrive at a new level and suddenly their skills are not up to par. They may
give PowerPoint presentations on their business, but those are informative, not visionary. They
do not know how to exude passion or describe a comprehensive vision that gets people moving
ahead together.
Recognizing this issue is often the job of Human Resources. HR professionals can and should
provide the necessary support and coaching for senior managers. To support them, you must be
40 grove street, suite 320, wellesley, ma 02482 telephone:800¥9 0 8¥8239 781¥2 3 5¥8239 w w w ! b a t e s " c o m m u n i c a t i o n s ! c o mable to evaluate the ROI of various types of training, and then win buy-in from skeptical leaders
who donÕt always place a high priority on communication.
Many leaders receive only vague feedback on their communication skills. When they do, itÕs
typically related to interpersonal skills. They receive very little if any information on how they
present their ideas, other than some basic pointers on how to stand, what to do with their hands,
or how to use PowerPoint.
Winning Buy-In From Skeptical Leaders
As an HR professional, you know how important it is to form a business partnership with the
leadership team. Our HR clients who succeed in bringing in a robust professional development
program to their organizations and who win buy-in to spend the sufficient resources on this, do a
good job of asking questions and articulating how their plans will help the business.
One important thing we have learned through years of communication coaching: leaders do not
decide to spend resources on what they should do; they spend resources on what they must do.
Organizations decide to invest, or invest further, in communication training and development as a
result of one of several precipitating events or urgent needs, for instance:
¥ You receive negative feedback about a high-potential leader or a current leader who has other
valuable business skills, and you donÕt want to lose him or her.
¥ You place a leader in a new role or bring on a relatively inexperienced team, and need to get
everyone off on the right foot.
¥ A survey or feedback program reveals a serious breakdown in communication among
individuals or a group.
¥ You want to groom an individual or emerging leadership group to move the succession
plan forward.
¥ You have a new initiative, a major change, or a new project that requires you to communicate
your vision clearly and win buy-in from internal and external audiences.
¥ The company wants to achieve a specific goal such as increasing sales, improving the stock
price, enhancing customer relations, or anything that will drive business results.
¥ You have a major upcoming event, such as an annual meeting, marketing conference, keynote
opportunity for an executive, company-wide employee meeting, important board meeting, road
show, or pending merger or sale.
¥ Part of the companyÕs business strategy is to position some experts as thought leaders in the
industry and attract positive attention through media or marketing.
These precipitating events are a good time to raise the subject of communications development.
Leaders will be more receptive to it and more willing to engage in conversation about it, endorse
it, and get behind it.
HR Executives have an opportunity at this juncture to show they maintain a view from the top.
By asserting how current situations or events, as noted in the above, may impede corporate
success, they may press for communication skill development as a means to improve
the outcome.As an outside communication consultant, I have learned that asking a lot of questions eventually
leads to buy-in. By this method, I find out about challenges the organization and the individual
executive face. I also gain better information, build rapport, demonstrate my expertise, and lead
executives to reach their own conclusions, rather than me telling them what they need.
Good questions to ask are:
¥ What do we want to achieve in the next 1-2 years?
¥ What is standing in our way?
¥ How does communication play a role?
¥ Where do you see our gaps, when it comes to communication?
¥ What will happen if we do nothing?
¥ What difference would it make to us if we achieve these goals?
¥ What is it costing not to invest in this?
¥ How would you want to measure improved performance?
As an HR leader youÕre aware that many of your executives are confident people who have risen
to the top of their game and donÕt always articulate a concern about their effectiveness as
communicators. They feel comfortable getting up in front of a group and giving a presentation.
That, of course, does not make them inspirational speakers or leaders. Therefore, itÕs up to the
HR professionals in any organization to make sure that their senior executives, regardless of
their level of confidence, are truly up to the task of motivating employees and communicating
corporate messages to other constituencies.