Page 99 - Leadership Secrets of Hillary Clinton

LEADERSHIP SECRETS OF HILLARY CLINTON

It’s important to determine both who needs to know
something and who wants to be kept in the information
loop. Other than the obvious exception for situations that
involve confidentiality, it is good to determine who the
key stakeholders are and plan how and when you will
communicate with them. Key stakeholders are those peo-
ple who will be directly or indirectly affected by the
change and people who can affect the decisions that are
going to be made about the change effort.
When determining your message, keep in mind what you
are trying to achieve by your communication. Are you
informing others so that something happens as a result of
their gaining certain information? Are you trying to influ-
ence others to think or feel a certain way or to do something?
Are you trying to reduce the uncertainty and ambiguity
regarding the change? Are you trying to get out in front of
the “gossip” to reduce the anxiety? Are you trying to promote
the benefits of the change by reiterating your vision? If you
know what you want to happen as a result of your communi-
cation, you are better prepared to craft your message.
When to communicate is a factor of what you are com-
municating. In general, I think it’s best to communicate
about change sooner rather than later. However, it’s impor-
tant that you have enough of the details so that people feel
that the change is well thought out and that those respon-
sible for making it happen know what they are doing. The
exception is when you are informing people so that they

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