Page 197 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

Ch11_Baldoni_141496-7 5/22/03 12:47 PM Page 175
175
MAKING CERTAIN THE MESSAGE STICKS
CHAPTER 11
MAKING CERTAIN THAT THE MESSAGE HITS HOME
According to Kanter, there are four keys that ensure understanding: “simplic-
ity, consistency, repetition, and demonstration.” Simplicity emerges from a
“clear but simple message that is meaningful [as well as] understandable and
motivational.” Consistency occurs when “all communications and all actions
tend to reinforce the same message.” Repetition is necessary “because people
never believe it the first, or even the second and third time.” Demonstration
comes when leaders “[u]se stories and examples from within the company to
make the message tangible and concrete. People remember stories.”
Leaders owe it to their people to keep their messages fresh. “If the basic
message—such as mission, vision, values—still fits, then make sure it is com-
municated in terms that will capture people’s attention as well as their imagi-
nations.” Again, stories are a good way to reinforce the basic message. When
circumstances change, leaders must alter their messages. “[D]o a relevance
check to see if the message still fits the circumstances. . . . If [it does] not, look
for a better way to understand and communicate the challenges facing the
organization and the actions required.”
When it comes to addressing bad news, such as a corporate governance
crisis, Kanter is direct. “Face the facts, and face the music. Communicate to all
constituencies right away—otherwise any messages sound defensive and
reactive. Identify actions to solve the problem, and announce them, even if
they won’t start right away. Then keep communicating, with frequent updates
on revelations and progress.” Keeping things quiet is not a viable strategy: “As
we all know, cover-ups or silence often have worse repercussions than the
original sin.”

REACHING TO THE NEXT GENERATION
As for the hip-hop scene, Kanter has discovered a new audience. After she
plays the song for Harvard alumni and business conferences, she says, “Peo-
ple really go crazy. Parents want to play it for their kids. And the kids them-
18
selves, they look at me with new respect.” Self-esteem aside, what Kanter is
really doing is serving notice to those in the next generation that if they expect
to succeed, they, too, must continue to learn and to innovate—in other words,
to change.

Leadership Communications Lessons

Advocate for change. Change is an uncomfortable process. Through-
out her life’s work, Kanter has nudged, cajoled, and pushed orga-