Ivy Sea Online: Cultivating Ambassadors Within Your Company

Ivy Sea's "Enlightened Leadership" Series
CULTIVATING AMBASSADORS WITHIN YOUR COMPANY

There’s no question about it: You need effective communicators within your organization, or, to put it in other words, you need skillful ambassadors. Perhaps you’re experiencing low morale, rolling out a new initiative, wanting to boost or refine marketing efforts, needing to decrease employee turnover, growing in leaps and bounds or just know your company can be performing better. As a result, you've become enlightened, realizing that more skillful communication is crucial to these goals.

With that decision behind you, you're ready to scale the next mountain peak: How to hire or groom the right person or people to help usher in a new era of excellent communication in your firm. (And don’t even think about the fact that the labor market is tight; you could easily whip yourself into a frenzy about it!) Do you hire? Can you cultivate skillful communicators from within your team?

If this task is not daunting to you, or you're confused as to the value of communication and ambassadors to your company, you’re most likely in one of two camps:

1. You have great facility in mindset and stress management, you're savvy enough to know the value of skillful communication to your organization's success, and you routinely seek out and implement tips such as those found here; or
2. Your image of an effective communicator is someone who efficiently throws words on a page or can whip up "nifty" logos in a pinch. You have no idea that communication — whether good or bad — is the glue that binds together every function, every interaction that takes place within your company and between your company and the outside world. Not good.

If you’re in the second camp, take a virtual stroll through our site to get a taste of the topics, skills and understanding that skilled communicators must have if you’re asking them to help address business issues such as fast growth, restructuring, employee morale, vision implementation, leadership changes and even the creation of a meaningful, cost-worthy newsletter. You might start your tour here:

• Good (and costly) reasons why you shouldn't skimp on effective communication

For readers interested in selecting and/or grooming the right person for your specific needs, follow these links to the content you find best fits your situation:

— I’m a small-business owner who sees potential in a current employee

— I’m the communication leader in a corporation. A co-worker in the Finance department has recommended one of her employees for the position so he won't be laid off

— I want to recruit communication ambassadors company-wide, from all departments, as part of our communication program

— One of my employees has had sole responsibility of the internal newsletter for five years. Our restructuring effort requires that he take on new, more strategic responsibilities. I fear he's not prepared

— I need help from an outside expert to help me decide exactly what I need

"I’m a small-business owner who sees potential in a current employee."

From many standpoints, including economic, personality and company culture, it makes perfect sense for a business owner (or leader) to tap existing, proven, excited people for new roles within the organization. However, before you promote your office manager or bookkeeper to corporate communications manager (or, Heaven forbid, simply add that responsibility to their current job description), consider and take action on these points so you don't set everyone up for failure:

• Clarify and agree on the job description and requirements—Without clarity, neither your employee nor you will know what skills she can contribute from the start, what she needs to learn, whether she’s truly excited about the communication position, or simply what to do. To get a good idea what a communication specialist's job description and skill requirements might include, contact other companies in the area or the local chapter of International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). You'll also find a fair share of information right here at this site. If you can't find what you need, we'd be happy to share, freely and with no pesky contact afterward, one of our basic job descriptions with you to get you started (just call or email us at the address to the left).

• Outline learning-curve areas—Set performance goals that outline growth potential, engage the person’s interest and identify skills needed to succeed in the role. Frame your initial discussion about learning-curve areas as a mutual effort to ensure success. Don't forget to talk about various resources for professional development and skill-building, which brings us to...

• Identify educational opportunities—In addition to workshops, help your employee find books, mentors, web sites, etc. that allow for continuing education and skill-building around her performance goals. Again, the local chapter of IABC or a similar organization might be a good resource. Also, more seasoned communication professionals from other firms are usually happy to meet for an informational or mentoring interview to provide guidance (so long as they don't end up feeling like they're being overused or taken for granted). And, again, this web site has been created to serve just that purpose: To freely share good resources to help promote effective organizational communication. Surf to your heart's content!

• Set measures for success—As part of the job description and performance goals, identify ways the two of you can measure success. Ensuring clear guidelines and expectations will help boost the employee’s morale and success rate, and confirm the effectiveness of the communication efforts. It will also allow you to identify refinements to the goals and your communication program. For more information on goals and performance expectations, see the IVC article Goals, Roles, Pay and Performance (you'll find the link below in the Related Articles box).

• Consider transitioning from an outside expert to the employee—Devoting a valued employee to a new or "foundling" role in your company can be financially and emotionally draining. Additionally, you’re relying on the employee to learn a sociological science — if you will — essentially on her own. Hiring a communication firm or expert can allow you to establish a communication function tailored to your business, and serve as a learning lab for your employee. You can also engage the services of a consulting firm specializing in communication to provide mentoring and senior counsel as your new communicator develops in his or her role. This can be a cost-effective way to tap such expertise. (Be certain to ask the right questions to ensure that your outside counselors understand the purpose of their involvement, and set a finite time and budget, even if you've agreed to a monthly retainer. You can always extend the time and budget as needed.)

"I’m the communication leader in a corporation. A co-worker in the Finance department has recommended one of her employees for the position so he won't be laid off."

Selecting a communicator — or any candidate — is never the time to be overly charitable. However, if you get a recommendation from a trusted source and want to check out the possibilities, go for it. Just remember these tips when doing so:

• Have a clear description of what the job entails—Without specifics, the candidate will never know if he is truly interested in the position or if he’s a good fit. Use your discussion about the job to weed out any candidates who are merely trying to save their job in the company, but may have neither the skill nor disposition for the requirements of the position. The person is better off leaving your company in high regard, with a good reference, than he is attempting something for which he isn't qualified. On the other hand, don't overlook a high-potential candidate by getting hung up on titles and verbiage instead of the core skills required for the job.

• Assess and discuss the ideal personality for this role—In the example provided here, a detail-focused person from Finance may not have the big-picture facility needed for a strategic communicator position. A person who has been happily working alone for three years may not have a smooth transition to a roving communication ambassadorship! However, if you’re looking for a proofreader or detail coordinator, you might have your candidate; or if the person has been doing strategy with regular presentations to teams throughout the company, those might be skills that match your needs. This can be true even of candidates who've worked in a communication department. Perhaps they've worked on a newsletter in the past, but you need a strategist now, which requires a very different skill set.

Consult a variety of personality measures, and talk with your staff about the traits that work well in the department to develop your ideal personality profile for the position. Use this information to craft interview questions, too. You can teach skills, but not if the person's disposition runs counter to what you need. For more information on traits and interview questions, surf to the articles listed below in Related Resources.

• Explain your department’s philosophy—Moving from one department to another in the same company doesn’t mean the same behaviors and expectations apply. Share your department culture, work philosophy and expectations with the candidate, and get his responses and feelings to your remarks. (Note his body language in addition to his words in order to determine congruence and authenticity.)

• Conduct a skills exam—If you need a writer, make sure the candidate can construct a meaningful sentence with most grammatical rules observed. If you need a strategist, present a sample situation for the person to analyze, and ask him to present a strategic assessment and at least three ideas for addressing the situation. If meeting facilitation or speaking skills are important, have the candidate come prepared to lead the interview meeting within a specific agenda (which he provides) and review his skills presentation-style.

"I want to recruit communication ambassadors company-wide, from all departments, as part of our communication program."

An oft-used approach to extending the communication department’s reach in a company, yet one that can backfire if not executed well. Use these tips as a starting point to select and orient ambassadors:

• Have a clear description of what the assignment entails—A communication ambassador is tacking the related responsibilities on to an existing full-time job, so it's important to be very clear about expectations and what the assignment will require. Give your candidates an accurate, complete description of what you expect of them, including time requirements. Make the role mutually beneficial. And don't forget to ensure the blessing of the person's manager. You'll want to talk with the manager first to ensure the new ambassador can allot time in his or her schedule.

• Emphasize learning and growth opportunities—Most employees are eager to boost their skills and potential offerings to the organization, or at least their marketability. Emphasize such opportunities in the job description that you use to recruit ambassadors, including the potential for increased contributions within their own department, which will appeal to most managers. You might even discuss with both manager and ambassador how the ambassador responsibilities can support the employee's performance goals and expectations. For example, if communication skills or speaking skills are part of the person's performance goals, the ambassadorship can certainly help hone those!

• Set regular check-ins and learning workshops—Staying true to the intention of a mutually beneficial working relationship, provide an orientation workshop and kit to help your ambassadors get off to a good start. At the orientation, you can review expectations, learning opportunities and basic skills required to start the ambassadorship. Schedule regular, perhaps monthly, forums for ambassadors to share ideas, concerns and updates with each other, and to learn more about communication from you or an outside expert.

"One of my employees has had sole responsibility of the internal newsletter for five years. Our restructuring effort requires that he take on new, more strategic responsibilities. I fear he’s not prepared."

Despite all of the talk of a New Economy, many corporations have employees who seem plucked from the 1960’s-era model: One job and general job description for his entire career. This profile seems incompatible with the prevalence of ever-changing business initiatives and non-stop change management. What to do when organizational evolution (via a dictate from top leaders) requires a whole different level of involvement from the communication team? Here’s one place to start:

• Provide rationalization—Share with the employee the rationale for why the role changes are occurring, and why he’s being asked to expand his responsibilities. In doing so, you’ll build understanding, recognize his talents and begin the discussion about what’s expected of him.

• Link proven talents with upcoming needs—Associate current and future activity with expanded responsibilities to build the person’s confidence (if needed) and begin new roles that launch from proven territory.

• Assess and discuss excitement around new role—Without a personal motivation for taking on the new role, the person will not succeed. Get agreement on why the candidate might be excited, even if anxious, and what he might glean from the expanded experience that the new organizational communication needs offer. Don't forget to review a job description, complete with required skills and expectations for performance.

• Emphasize learning and growth opportunities—Most employees are eager to boost their skills and potential offerings to the organization, or at least their marketability or employability in a business world that has changed much since they started their careers. Emphasize growth and learning opportunities in the job description for the expanded position and departmental role.

• Review options for skill-building—Whether through discussions, web resources, professional association involvement or workshops, for instance, encourage the employee to expand his communication toolbox, linking the education to motivators he shared when you discussed the new role. As in the other scenarios highlighted in this article, consider retaining a consulting firm that specializes in the type of communication expertise your department is now being asked to provide. Seasoned representatives from such firms can provide valuable, cost-effective mentoring and guidance to help your group successfully make its transition.

Please remember that these are points to consider as you look for the right person to help you meet your inhouse needs for effective communication. Every business, every organizational culture, every communication department and every role has unique requirements. Please consult a variety of sources and experts to help you establish or add to your communication team if you don’t want to do it alone.

Remember, this information is food-for-thought, not customized counsel. The most effective leadership or interpersonal and organizational communication programs are those that have been tailored to meet the unique needs of your group. If you have questions, connect with a qualified leadership and communication adviser, or e-mail us at info@ivysea.com for suggestions.