Tony is getting into the groove in his new role. He is raring to go with his solid planning and implementation skills that landed him his prized job with Willow Ltd., one of the largest sports equipment manufacturers in the country. With offices in 5 cities and clients around the world Tony has his hands full with corporate communication responsibilities. He is expected to deliver consistent employee communication across all locations, raise the brand presence and keep media engaged on Willow’s innings in the country. After a few months on the role Tony finds the going tough and wonders why he isn’t gaining the confidence of leaders. He finds his communication projects floundering. He decides to talk to his friend Amy, a seasoned communicator from a pharmaceutical company. They had worked together in earlier assignments and he felt that Amy could throw some light on his dilemma.
Here is what they spoke.
Amy: “You looked quite stressed. This is unlike you?”
Tony: “It hasn’t been going well. I wanted this role and job but somehow things aren’t how I envisaged.”
Amy: “You mean the role isn’t working?”
Tony: “It isn’t that – the role is great. I have done a lot over the last few months but strangely it doesn’t add up to much. I am available to stakeholders, I respond on time, I ensure they get what they need, I go out of the way to help and yet……”
Amy: “Take it easy. What were your priorities?”
Tony: “I am responsible for public relations, leadership communication and lots of employee engagement. That is what I am expected to do. I have been executing many assignments – such as communicating birthdays and anniversaries, creating newsletters, publishing communication, planning celebratory lunches for teams and giving leaders what they need in terms of information.”
Amy: “Is that what the leaders want? Does it help your organization?”
Tony: “In my conversations, they keep saying we must do many things to engage employees and the media professionals. They suggested creating a format to acknowledge employees birthdays and special days, branding our meeting rooms, printing leaflets on our policies, creating collateral for marketing among others. Willow as a sports manufacturer is kind of well-known and our leaders are very busy travelling to even give inputs on communication.”
Amy: “How do you know this works?”
Tony: “That is a tough one – there isn’t a way to gauge the value of any of these actions. We assume employees will feel good and they will reciprocate with their commitment and loyalty. Likewise, leaders will appreciate the hard work I put in. We do run an annual survey and that gives us an idea of how employees feel”.
Amy: “That sounds like a long shot at engagement or stakeholder management. Have you recommended ways to do more for the business?”
Tony: “Well, I have been pitching in when asked. Leaders expect us to support their communication and that is what I do.”
Amy realizes that Tony is meandering along but isn’t sure how to guide him. What advice do you have for Tony? How can he get his role on track and add value?
