It is essential that leaders can (even momentarily) disconnect from the constant demands of productivity and immerse themselves in the experience of human connection. It's during these moments that they realize the key role relationships play in raising engagement levels. Once leaders prioritize connection, there are infinite tactical options, most of which stem from a solid internal communications strategy.
Corporate social responsibility helps build trust, raise awareness, and encourage social change. Although there are tens of thousands of companies doing their part, large global corporations’ efforts have far-reaching results that can impact major world issues from hunger and health to global warming. Here are examples of how some major brands are doing CSR successfully.
It takes a lot to get to the top of an organization: a high IQ, emotional intelligence, technical competence, and a variety of personal characteristics, such as fortitude and resilience. Even with those qualities, many leaders fail at the top job — often because they don’t know how to get the organization to do what they want. What they lack is organizational intelligence. OQ, as we’ll call it, consists of five competencies: sending messages that reinforce strategy, fostering an ethos, using “action strategy,” rebelling from the top, and staging moments of theater. Let’s look at each, drawing on examples from our own experience and that of well-known successful leaders.
Is work today permanently different from what it was before Covid-19 and the work-from-home shift? We don’t know yet, but the data can give us ongoing, real-time information that we can use to influence what happens next. Microsoft believes that what we learn about these changes will be key to organizational resiliency in the months and years to come.
What kind of storytelling is relevant and most effective during times of flux, upheaval and uncertainty? How can companies make teams feel empowered, positive, connected… so they can continue to give customers the quality interactions they’ve come to expect? When so much has changed and templates for how we do business are being redefined daily, great storytelling connects employees to their work. In every organization where there is a strong sense of moral motivation, leaders are always storytellers. So, it’s worth figuring out how to make an impact doing this well, and training our communications, marketing and sales teams to have alignment here. The stories we tell ourselves and each other will shape the way companies fare in the coming weeks and months, especially during the pandemic. How will your company do?
At times like these, communication is everything. Preparing ‘on target’ messages in a timely and meaningful way during the current COVID-19 crisis is critical for companies large and small - leaders must now be prepared to communicate early and often, even if still trying to understand the extent of the problem and its many impacts. Finding a strong voice (that comes across as open and honest) is key to maintaining credibility. Figuring out how to build empathy into every correspondence furthers that trust…
