Fitz N7. Why line managers matter and how to support them

Employees have a human relationship with a manager. It's through human relationships that we get answers to the core questions that D`Aprix says are at the front of every employee's mind: 

• What is my job?
• How am I doing?
• Does anyone care?
• How is my unit doing?
• Where are he heading?
• How can I help?

But what stops them doing it? 

There are a large number of reasons why managers are not always successful at fulfilling their role in communication and driving engagement. Communicators generally experience weak communication behaviour among managers, according to research from organizations such as Melcrum. 

They consistently point to issues such as:

• Context: managers themselves not understanding how initiatives and plans fit within an overall vision;
• Not buying the message: managers being expected to communicate messages with which they do not agree;
• Responsibility for communication: ‘it’s not my job, it’s the communication department’s job’;
• Lack of personal confidence: not feeling that they have the skills or feeling they only have a limited repertoire of skills;
• Not making time for communication to take place: communication seen as an added burden in an already heavy workload;
• nobody cares: knowing that no one would notice if they didn’t bother to communicate or if they did, whether anyone would be interested in their feedback.

Finally, we should add a word of warning . A manager who communicates well is only useful when their actions match their words.

Managers are the essenti conduit of trust between an employee and their organization. Roger D’Aprix introduced us to the idea that there needs to be alignment between rhetoric and behaviour. As Figure 7.1 suggests, the impact of a lack of authenticity or honesty undermines the overall communication culture in an organization.

FIGURE 7.1 Just saying it doesn’t make it so 

SOURCE: Based on work by Roger D’Aprix and Bill Quirke

Getting managers to do a great job of communicating therefore helps build commitment and engagement, drive performance and support change. But get it wrong and the damage to trust can be devastating.

Figure 7.2 The five key questions for leaders

These managers hadn’t appreciated it was their job to communicate, possibly because no one previously had told them or showed them the connection between running a business and communication.

Therefore, a communication manager might consider the following tactics to get the message across:

> Tell them it is part of their job:
- either yourself or via the CEO;
- make the point in general and repeat it with regular updates, perhaps stressing different day-by-day requirements.

> Define specific communication competencies together.
   - Go beyond talking about presentation skills, but talk about standards (how often) and what ‘good’looks like (discussion, debate as well as awareness and understanding).

> Gather feedback from employees on how well their managers are communicating (and share it).

> Encourage the senior leadership team to set communication as a KPI.

> Make sure your data is robust enough so that communication effectiveness can be a consideration in pay and bonuses.

Crucially, ask upper managers to lead from the front, because mimicking the boss is almost universally seen as career enhancing!

In short, managers need to understand the context themselves if they are to put information in context for their employees.

That means:
> giving them the chance to discuss information before they relay it;
> getting to grips with its significance;
> challenging the rationale for themselves so that they can feel some ownership.

Great managers who are brilliant communicators need to learn how to: 
> focus on the team and what they need;
> translate ideas and information into something relevant for the team;
> listen;
> understand different points of view;
> be authentic, meaning what they say.

Well-planned training and coaching will help them think about:

& Why am I communicating? 
Leadership communication has a purpose. There is a desired outcome that means the manager must anticipate what they want people to think, feel and do to produce that outcome.

& What will my team think? 
They will not think anything unless the communication is made relevant or meaningful for them. The manager therefore needs to explain the context of the communication and think of answers to anticipated questions.

& What do I want people to remember? This is about focus on the key messages. It is wise to limit them to three or four –too many messages and people do not remember any of them –or only remember the least relevant ones. Sometimes it is useful to promote a model of talking about the same three things, for example CUSTOMERS–PERFORMANCE–PLANS, as a handy rubric for structuring their thoughts.

& What type of message do I want to deliver? 
Is it about a practice fire drill, explaining that the IT system will be down for a couple of hours, or the start of a change management programme? Is it an e-mail, a one-to-one or a team discussion?

& What is the best way to say the messages?
With this, as with the preceding questions, the internal communicator can work with the manager to make the messages interesting, acting as a sounding board for how they will land.

& Is there a practical example that I can give? 
Many of us respond better when we can hear a story that illustrates the point being made rather than when poring over endless spreadsheets and tables. Help managers to think about gathering genuine examples that bring an issue to life.

& How will I know it worked? 
Getting feedback is an essential part of the communication process, not least because it will tell the manager if anything else needs to be done.

For a leader, communication is part of the day job. It is not something to be left to the communication department. It is about taking responsibility for engaging people.

What should you cover in manager training? 
Every organization has different needs but here is a checklist of topics to cover in training for line managers:
@ what is expected of them as line managers in your organization;
@ understanding their role as translators and facilitators and that communication is about more than telling;
@ planning their communications, starting with the desired business outcome;
@ seeing things from the audience’s point of view; deciding on simple messages;
@ starting a discussion;
@ making it interesting –tips and tools to vary the pace;
@ using stories to bring it to life and make it authentic;
@ keeping a discussion going;
@ gathering feedback and reactions;
@ handling common challenges in a discussion;
@ keeping the momentum up –making a regular commitment.

Tips for communicating bad news may include:

• Do not necessarily wait until you have all the information. 
• Aim to reduce lag time between telling employees and the event, so build in regular update sessions. Craft the message, because the potential for misunderstanding is highest in emotional situations. 
• Give the full information: do not start talking about something and then stop and withhold information. 
• Handle questions honestly with this simple formula: ACKNOWLEDGE and listen carefully to the emotion and sentiment behind the question; 
• RESPOND with the facts as you know them; 
• BRIDGE to your core message.

Table 7.1 Do's and Don'ts: advice for managers

The core principles:

• Seeing the communication from the point of view of employees
• Setting clear expectations of what is going to happen next
• Setting the context before diving into the detail
• Anticipating potential interpretations (and mis interpretations) of messages, events and symbols
• Avoiding thinking that one person speaks for all
• Remembering that the credibility of a source shapes everything
• Repeating yourself is necessary - not boring

Get the team to categorize their views info four categories:

• Things we'd like to STOP altogether
• Things we'd like to see LESS of
• Things we'd like to see MORE of
• Things we'd like to START doing

Source: Internal Communications: A Manual for Practicioners (2014) by Liam FitzPatrick, Klavs Valskov