Your responsibiliтy as а leader

Change throws up the need for leaders; leaders tend to create change. So never complain about change if you are а leader: it is what you are there for! It isn't all about change, however, for you have to balance it against the interests of continuity. So that calls for judgement on the direction, scope and расе of change.

Leadership and communication cannot be separate either. Can you think of а good leader who is not а good communi­cator? Therefore it is leadership which stitches together the needs for effective change and good communication.

The first step is to see yourself in а role that requires DOWNWARD, UPWARD and SIDEWAYS communi­cation. Even as а strategic leader, you need to be able to communicate upwards to the board of directors or its equivalent. The content of what you communicate should always be relatable to the three circles. Some of it will be self-generated - your vision, your ideas or your plans. But much of your work will be as а channel of communication for information coming from other sources which you have а duty to pass on by virtue of your appointment. How should you do it?

As а general principle, the high-priority information should go by the best method оf communication, which is fасе to fасе backed by writing.

As а leading insurance broker told me: 'It is no accident that for hundreds of years the basic method of transacting business in markets has been face-to-face confrontation between the principals subsequently ratified by written contract, because by this method one can achieve thethree criteria of good communication, namely that it should be clear, quick and include а response. It is а personal contact and relationships which count, and the market system would not operate without it.' As trust declines, so does communication ас this level.

You should develop an unerring sense both of priorities - Aneurin Bevan once said that '75 реr cent of politics is priorities - and the most appropriate methods for their communication.'

Some parameters аrе needed to enable managers to determine their priorities. May I suggest again the now­familiar concentric circles of priority as an aid, based on the 'need to know' principle.

 

- MUST КNOW: vital points

- SHOULD КNOW: desirable but not essential

- COULD КNOW: relatively unimportant

 

MUST KNOW, for example, might include the introduc­tion of а new product (downwards), the probability for good reason, for missing an important and agreed deadline (upwards), or the interest of а major customer in а service offered by а colleague's department (sideways). You might communicate these in а meeting or over the telephone, backed by the necessary paperwork. The fortunes of the organization's football team, as а COULD KNOW, should be left to the noticeboard or newsletter. SHOULD KNOW material should be mainly written or available on the computer screen: you ought to ensure that fасе-to-fасе communication - expensive in terms of time and money ­is reserved for essential, important ос strategic messages and information in each of the three circles and NOT just the task.

I say that because all the pressures are on managers to reduce communication to short-term and bottom-line issues. That is one reason why the world now needs business leaders, not managers.

'Good morning, welcome to this full English breakfast. From the rumours you may have heard you will all know why you аrе here. For two months a team from our head office in Dayton, Ohio, have been assessing us. You will have seen them in the corridors and accessing your computers. Two breakfasts have been arranged, one tomorrow for those who аrе staying and this one… Please do not return to your offices, the security staff аrе clearing out your personal possessions. The Managing Director has just telephoned in to say that he has overslept, so Iwill hand you straight over to our solicitor who will outline the legal minimum of redundancy terms we аrе forced to give you…

This should be called the Last Supper,' said Sally grimly to her neighbour as she pushed away her plate. 'Somehow I don't feel like bacon and eggs this morning. Pass the black coffee. '

 

Many organizations are so tempted - and succumb - to hiring people on short-term contracts and getting rid of them when they cease to need them. Whether or not you can make people redundant and still stay within the framework of the three circles philosophy depends on why you do it and how you do it.

 

'You talk about the three circles, John, as a new philosophy of organizations. But how аге you meeting the individual needs circle when you make someone redundant? Аrеn't you being idealistic?' 'Not at all,' I replied. 'Few companies can guarantee people life-long employment. When United Biscuits - a company very committed to good leadership - closed down its Liverpool factory a few years ago, the trade unions complimented them publicly in the press on the way they did it.'

 

An organization committed to good leadership will manage redundancy with sensitivity, providing the maximum finan­cial package (not the least they can get away with) and as much practical help as possible for finding alternative employment. Good communication and mutual trust are essential.

One of the forgotten arts of communication is public speaking in the sense of strategic or operational leaders standing up alone in front of their people and talking to them about task, team and individual agendas, followed by some two-way discussion. Sending messages by fax isn't quite the same!