CEO or CE-Nowhere
to be Found?
Hewlett-Packard's previous chief executive
officer, Carly Fiorina, was considered the
bellwether for executive external
visibility. During her six-year stint as CEO of one of
America's most admired companies, Ms. Fiorina frequently graced
the cover of business publications and, just as
frequently, touted the company's latest
strategies on national cable news outlets.
But, when the H-P board dismissed
Ms. Fiorina earlier this year; a variety
of print and online news outlets reported that while Ms.
Fiorina constantly made the rounds with H-P customers and other
external audiences, she was an enigma to perhaps her most
important audience - her employees.
According to various accounts, poor
internal communications and a lack of employee relations
contributed to Ms. Fiorina's ouster. And although the dearth of
employee communications initiatives at H-P wasn't the sole
reason for Ms. Fiorina's firing, her dismissal is a good case
study for CEOs and senior PR execs.
While the external components of the
communications strategy were running on all cylinders, a
comprehensive communications program without a strong internal
element is analogous to building a house on sand.
With increasing pressure from boardrooms
to
demonstrate value, CEOs need to first have
employees on their side as strong allies and channels for the
company's messages.
The late Roberto Goizueta, long-time CEO
of The Coca-Cola Company, was an executive who understood the
value of communications. He knew, no matter the talents
or efforts of his communications staff, ultimately he was the
"chief communications officer" of the
company -- and he paid careful attention
to every aspect of Coke's communications, from the employee
ranks to Wall Street. It's likely no coincidence he
became one of the nation's most revered CEOs.
Like external communications programs,
CEOs need to devote time to internal
programs, meeting with employees as often
as necessary and possible. CEOs only need to
consider the value of
"face-time" with customers and apply that same
philosophy to employees.
From a pragmatic approach, it isn't always
possible for CEOs to meet regularly with employees. In these
instances, CEOs should encourage their top brass to conduct
regular meetings with their respective teams to reinforce the
CEO’s messages.
Technology makes it easier to have
regular,
ongoing communications with employees to
communicate clear objectives and company
vision and, moreover, build camaraderie in the workplace. Use
e-mails, employee newsletters, and employee intranets to share
good, neutral and, yes, less than positive news.
The technology boom of the 1990s created
the "CEO-lebrity" atmosphere where CEOs were treated
like rock stars and took every advantage of the media
opportunities
presented to them. When the dust settled,
readers and shareholders found that all
that glitters in the media spotlight isn't
gold. Scrutiny from external audiences always appears to be
intense, and therefore PR
campaigns often focus on external
communication alone. Better prepared are the CEOs who
demonstrate leadership, corporate vision, and commitment to
communicating company messages internally and externally.
Internal communications can ultimately
create not only a great support structure
for messages through employees,
but also an excellent opportunity to prove
CEOs mean business inside and out.
