Is it an internal or external communication? In the age of the internet, stakeholders and audiences are indivisible. Customers are shareholders. Employees are married to journalists. Legislators and regulators are customers. If you are still running separate internal and external communications organizations, there is risk to strong integrated communications. No organization model is completely foolproof, however. If you have communicators who are not natural integrators, a divided internal and external communications model can fail you. Strong risk management models recognize that communications and communicators across the spectrum-customer, employee, shareholder, regulatory, legislative and community- must be highly integrated. It may not feasible to combine all these disciplines in one organization, but you can ensure you have the best integrators in each of these seats. You can instill processes and mindsets to make sure every communication has comprehended all potential stakeholders, well before it is launched. Strong integrators and great processes recognize that no message to any one stakeholder group is complete without considering implications for all stakeholders. This is not just true during a crisis when command and control requirements normally anoint one communications lead, integration is necessary across all messengers, every minute of every day.

Is your 2024 political cross hairs crisis playbook ready? In the past year, we have seen the largest brands serve as targets for candidates seeking higher office. Candidates stand ready to exploit a political divide for headlines and at your company’s expense. You are trying to do the right things but it appears as if there is no winning path. Your company is charged with doing the wrong thing when all you thought you were doing was ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace or addressing the economic impacts of climate change. The largest brands are prime targets to drive campaign headlines. Companies and organizations of any size are vulnerable. This trend will only continue to increase between now and the 2024 election. Many company responses have been confusing or flatfooted. One possible reason why is that while they have “crisis playbooks” for most every other sort of major crisis, they may not have had playbooks and deep earnest internal discussions about their positions in advance of a politician’s challenge. The issues, the cross hairs, and the willingness of politicians to use big companies and organizations to gain headlines are all predictable. Just as a company needs a good philosophical conversation about whether to pay ransom in a cyber-attack before a cyber-attack ever occurs, these same conversations about how to respond to national political discussions should be happening right now. Scenarios and responses are predictable. No battle plan goes unchanged, but deciding to fight a war without one, is folly. Public relations and government relations leaders need to step back and reassess. Maintaining alignment between what you message to your employees and to external stakeholders is critical. It’s time to update your playbooks to recognize your company’s need to anticipate cross hairs. Hoping you will be left alone is a bad risk management practice. You might still need to weather the storm, but at least you will have decided upon a path.

I asked ChatGPT to make up CEO corporate gobbledygook statements. There seems to be some fear that AI may replace us as communicators. Based upon this first generation of statements, I believe the fear somewhat founded. I’ve written some of this. You have too. Much of this wording is meaningless and looks like every other corporate statement. The only notable phrase I see missing is “our culture is our secret sauce”. Let’s resolve to write and speak in clear, unvarnished language, be specific and provide examples. Sign-up to be a champion of clarity.

“We are dedicated to leveraging our synergies and optimizing our core competencies to achieve best-in-class results.” Translation: We’re going to work together and do what we’re good at to be the best.

“Our innovative solutions provide a paradigm shift in the market, disrupting traditional models and delivering unprecedented value.” Translation: Our new ideas are changing the industry and making things better.

“Our team is committed to driving a culture of excellence and exceeding expectations in everything we do.” Translation: We’re really good at what we do and we’re always trying to do better.

“We are focused on enhancing stakeholder value by leveraging our strategic partnerships and delivering sustainable growth.” Translation: We want to make our investors happy by working with others and growing in a way that lasts.

“Our cutting-edge technology solutions enable seamless integration and drive efficiencies across our entire ecosystem.” Translation: Our fancy technology helps us work better together.

“We strive to be a market leader by delivering innovative, customer-centric solutions that provide value-added benefits.” Translation: We want to be the best by coming up with new ideas that make our customers happy.

“We are committed to driving operational excellence and delivering world-class results through continuous improvement and optimization.” Translation: We’re always trying to get better at what we do and be the best.

“Our core values of integrity, respect, and collaboration are the foundation of our success and drive our daily operations.” Translation: We’re good at working together because we believe in honesty, treating each other well, and working together.

“Our forward-thinking approach and customer-first mindset enable us to anticipate market trends and provide best-in-class solutions.” Translation: We’re always thinking ahead and focusing on what our customers need to be the best.

“We prioritize innovation, agility, and adaptability in all aspects of our business to stay ahead of the curve and drive sustainable growth.” Translation: We’re really good at being creative, flexible, and adapting to change so we can keep growing.

The excitement in any acquisition or merger is frankly, often misplaced. Deal announcements are followed by press conferences, headlines, analyst meetings, high fives, and bankers counting. In reality, it is not the announcement of the deal that can require the most effort or bring the greatest excitement.  Of course, due diligence in all of its forms, not just financial, is critically important. The structure of the deal must work. I would argue though that the actual integration of companies and organizations is where the most difficult work takes place. Large or small, every piece of pipe and wiring in two organizations must be managed. Decisions must be made crisply and quickly and above all cultures and power structures combined, clearly. Cultures are not just values statements or leadership models. Cultures are really the way an organization gets work done. Merger agreements and integration decisions have longer term, and sometimes unforeseen consequences. Political leverage given to one side or the other must be understood. Speed to synergies must be understood. In the end, integration decisions make the deal successful or not. It is integration decisions that have long lasting impact. Talent, process, culture, technology must all be integrated (or not). In short, the real value and excitement in a deal is realized in making it happen, fulfilling the promise of the merger announcement,  not in the announcement itself.

Never manage your own crisis. My wife and I had been separated for two years when she drowned in a kayaking accident while paddling in the Intracoastal Waterway on vacation with our sons. I wrote the obituary and ferried drafts back and forth between our sons and her brothers. We were in shock, but I felt confident we had created the right epitaph for an extraordinary life. It was a meaningful, strong reflection of her values, and paid homage to her dry wit and love for her sons. Some months later, I realized I had completely failed to mention the central role dogs, particularly dachshunds, had in her life. Her grandfather had bred them. We always had two. I had missed a central part of her life story.

I missed this important detail seven years ago because I was not emotionally able to deal with all that needed to be processed in the face of this crisis, the worst tragedy my family has ever endured. This loss has made any work crisis I have ever led seem trivial in comparison. But work-related crisis response does have at least one significant parallel. Those closest to the epicenter of a crisis should never lead the response. They are there to provide data, facts, and information. In our family example, finding a skilled writer to gather and pull information from us would have been a better decision. More emotionally removed crisis leaders help to ensure clear thinking, important details are covered, and appropriate, effective responses are created. I knew this but chose to ignore my own advice. Every detail matters in a crisis and none are too small when remembering a life or resolving the crisis in front of you.

This post was edited by my extraordinary sons Will Clement and Walker Clement. We agreed this Wednesday post could be a bit longer. Their resilience and ability to deal with crisis amazes me every day. It is personal experience that forges us.

There is a popular axiom among leaders that we should “assume positive intent”. This approach comes with inherent risk. It is better management practice to assume intent. Most individuals do have a rationale behind their thinking, but not all work for common or key stakeholder good. There are people, too many headlines to count, that do not lead with positive intent vs. personal intent and ambition. Use your experience, data, knowledge as you would in any business decision to determine intent. Over time, even the motivations of trusted confidants, mentors, etc. can change. Use analysis over blind trust. Trusted relationships can be built and maintained, but we should always be vigilant. Your interests and the interests of your stakeholders will be better served.

A year ago, early in the pandemic, we asked simple questions about employer approaches to remote work arrangements in office settings – about your willingness to listen to your employees when many people were demonstrating a willingness to articulate a more direct voice in all things, particularly through social media. Our original thinking is found here:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-ready-unmasked-workforce-mike-clement/?trackingId=F76GonPCnDzsdULNZKKLqA%3D%3D

Very quickly, we realized there would be no imminent “return-to-work” or at least a “return-to-the-office” as we knew it.  The level of uncertainty was too high. There was no vaccine in sight. Collectively we did an admirable job of transferring overnight to a distanced work environment. Whether we were “Teaming” or “Zooming,” the resiliency of the human spirit and smart decisions found a way to make it work.

This transition occurred against a backdrop of huge collective anxiety. None of us in the workforce had lived through a pandemic. Our risk planning assessments and “pandemic playbooks” largely failed within weeks. We adjusted quickly to balancing professional duties with 24/7 home lives – and supported parents as they juggled both. We mourned friends and loved ones. In America, other events beyond the pandemic, like a renewed call for racial justice and political strife captured our attention. Whether we realize it yet or not, we were also changed.

So where are we now? We have access to vaccines but reports of surges and declining vaccination rates remain. Surveys note that 12-20% of the US population may decline to be vaccinated. One report noted 8% of those vaccinated did not return for a required 2nd vaccine. We know that many found balancing working from home and schooling from home a challenge, while many others. found working from home liberating. How do we bring all these divergent viewpoints back to the workplace? How can we make it work, again? What more questions do we need to ask?

Old Paradigms May Be Dead Before They Arrive

As one employee of an iconic corporate US headquarters facility said to me, “Our building was so much of our identity and we abandoned it in three days. It’s all working via Zoom”. The largest companies vested in the paradigm of “office space” may face the most difficult challenges in their existing space and work models. Real estate and space planning executives are optimistically planning our return. Many executives spent entire careers aspiring to hold “the corner office’ and the prospect of giving it up suddenly may not sit so well. Employees will look to what leaders say and what they do.

Many employees made our new environment work and made it work better – and they may resist going back to “the way it used to be.” Will your approach reflect flexibility or a return to your traditional model? What do you want, and how does that compare to what your employees want?

“Our Policy is Set!” (Really?)

The sands are still shifting. While we have made great progress in many countries on vaccination rates, we have a long way to go globally. Our recovery will be VERY lumpy. News reports of employees already balking at return-to-office announcements are becoming more frequent. What are your employees already telling you about their concerns and willingness to return? Are you listening and listening with frequency? If your decisions are being made against traditional HR and real estate paradigms, who is bringing fresh thinking and response to your crisis response room? Who has institutional memory to combat resurrected ideas that did not work before? Can those ideas work now?

 Do We Need a Detailed Policy? 

Early in my career, my most annoying conversations usually involved the day someone wanted to talk about implementing a dress code. Many people require rules and structure. My experience taught me that using your best judgement is the best policy for many, although not all, things. In a pandemic, for instance, medical facts must inform judgement.

Recently Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, stated that GM’s post-pandemic policy would be to “Work Appropriately”. She had earlier taken a similar approach with dress codes. In short, GM probably likely won’t develop tons of policies; they simply expect their leaders to lead. While some frameworks will be necessary, some monitoring of fairness among departments and divisions, we believe this is a great approach for many companies.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/20/gms-simple-message-to-employees-about-return-to-work-work-appropriately.html

It Isn’t Really Over

As happy as some of us are to return to a work setting where we can meet our human need for affiliation, some of us are not. The world will remain uncertain for some time to come. Our best advice, use words like “do what is appropriate,” “it depends,” “we won’t be rigid, but we will protect our employees.” You will have to decide along the continuum of “we encourage” vs. “we require.” Listen more frequently. Be open to new approaches. Your workforce has changed in the past year. Have you?

There is a great possibility that the post-pandemic economy will feature not only a weeding out of weaker companies, but also greater consolidation among those remaining. Some companies will falter, but many will prevail. Whether it is due to financial pressures of this new reality or the normal synergies of bringing companies together, there will still be deals in the coming months.

Beyond announcing the deal- always the more exciting news for reporters and deal makers- we must ask in the post-pandemic world what is required to make each deal succeed. You can make big promises in a deal announcement, but we all know that delivering on your commitments and combining companies with skill, art, and experience is the ultimate challenge in creating new entities that deliver for employees and shareholders.

There is a science to combining cultures and companies. The most experienced merger veterans know this, but even they will be tested in the period before we return to offices and a world with a vaccine.

There are some considerations we should be thinking about now to anticipate a successful combination of companies that produces the best results for every stakeholder.

Throw Out the Old Platitudes

The proclamation of a “merger of equals” is largely a myth. Only one party will likely win control. The cultures of the two companies will be different and the combined company will require either a new culture or will accept that one company culture will dominate. So, just say that up front, recognizing that we live in an age of transparency. Know that combining cultures takes work and expertise, and acknowledge that publicly, from the start, hard as that might be.

If you plan to run the companies separately for a while, say that from the start, as well. However, recognize early on that financial imperatives may require you to accelerate combining infrastructure to achieve synergies you have projected. Reserve the flexibility to alter your plans in communications to stakeholders.

Use What You Have Learned from Zoom Culture

We have learned a great deal about meetings and connecting in the era of Zoom. Use the emerging best practices, including recognizing Zoom fatigue. Yes, you can see too much of each other, even during the intensity of integration activities. Sometimes a phone call will do. Continue to introduce executive teams early on to begin to build trust. Construct smaller group and 1:1 conversation that is personalized to discover not only what work needs to be done but how your teams do their work. Check the culture posters at the door and have real conversations. Consider introducing meeting “proctors” whose job is to ensure conversations remain real, agendas are uncovered, examined, and dealt with.

How Have You Dealt With COVID-19?

Cultural integration is perhaps the most important component of a merger. No test of cultural approach is perhaps more relevant than how the merging companies have dealt with COVID-19. Were you quick to act? Did you mobilize a disciplined crisis team? Was it easy to send people home to work or was a “we like people in the office” culture an impediment? How have the two companies approached return-to-work? The way your company approached the monumental challenge we are facing at present is an excellent diagnostic tool for assessing how your company culture works and ways you may need to adjust to achieve a successful merger.

Some Things Have Not Changed

Even if logistical complications from COVID-19 begin to ease, it is likely most merger integration meetings will still take place by phone or video conference. Investing in large, in-person integration meetings was already becoming a thing of the past. They are too expensive. Most of your work will still be accomplished in detailed sub-meetings on human resources decisions, financial decisions, technology and systems integration IT and culture integration. To the extent possible, deciding between best practices and systems is still a fact-based evaluation process with pragmatic and financial implications. Building trust and communicating what you know when you know it, will still prevail as the best winning tactic.

There will be many issues that we have to face and resolve differently in the combining of two companies during this pandemic. What is most important is that you begin to examine them now, during or before your due diligence. Culture is often given short shrift in due diligence. The ability to understand how we work and recognize where change may be needed is one of the greatest predictors of merger success. And remember, no handshakes in this deal!

The best leaders know how important it is to identify top talent and build effective teams. And every time you add a new employee, the team dynamic shifts a little–for better or worse. In the midst of today’s pandemic, not only are teams working remotely, but many are adding new team members, growing at a time co-workers can’t get to know each other in the usual ways.

Engaging new employees quickly and effectively may be more important now than ever. Here’s how to help shorten the process.

Starting Off on the Right Foot

Human resources departments have typically taken the lead on employee orientation, sharing the ‘need-to-know’ information about company history, benefits, badges, and the like. It’s important to make sure this critical information is easy to access remotely with an intranet or social platform that works consistently, and on the day a new team member starts. Then you can focus on the human connection that will develop and retain top talent.

In today’s pandemic, it is okay for onboarding to take the online approach. The only difference is, instead of an in-office session, you’ll be meeting new teammates in a different way.

Lending Tree has taken the basics a big step further, assigning a culture ambassador to connect with each new employee regularly, to help them feel they have a ‘place’ in the company.

In the absence of day-one, in-person orientation sessions, HR executive Angela Kirkby recommends using technology to build connection. Link new hires who start the same day electronically so they can develop cross-functional networks from the start.

There is no replacement for a detailed onboarding plan from the supervisor. Who does the new employee need to meet and who needs to meet them? What should they read to put them on the same level as longer-term employees? What media should they follow to keep up to speed on your industry? A thorough plan demonstrates your commitment to helping every new staff member add value as quickly as possible. Don’t skip this important step.

Working effectively as Teams

Technology from Slack to Microsoft Teams to Zoom and others can help with workflow, but effective teamwork also demands collaboration and connection from everyone.

While the first day of a new job is exciting for the new employee, it can also be a little unnerving for the existing team. LendingTree’s new Sr. Director of CRM Joyce Poole met some of her direct reports for the first time through video, so getting to know each other on a personal level was critical for the team to gel. Joyce posted daily questions on Slack so she and her team could learn more about each other’s shared interests and ‘superpowers.’

A Place to Belong

Having friends at work is about more than just basic human interaction. It indicates a feeling of belonging and contributing to a greater whole. The communications team at Novant Health gets that.

New Novant internal communications team member Breonna McDuffie, who started her job just as the pandemic erupted in March, says she felt welcomed right away. In addition to regular check ins, her leadership team had cookies delivered to every employee at home in time for the group’s departmental meeting. And one team happy hour kept things lively by including guests from a llama farm.

Virtual social hours do work, in spite of Zoom fatigue. Scheduled regularly within traditional work hours, they are a serviceable replacement for informal chats that might previously have happened over coffee in the canteen. It’s critical to identify who will take charge of making these events happen, even if you rotate the responsibility among members of the team. Whether you plan online games or host conversations over individuals’ favorite beverages, these sessions make sure teams take time to connect on a personal level.

One Chance for a Warm Welcome

Whether the employee is entry level or a seasoned leader, every new staff member appreciates a warm welcome. Here are some questions companies should ask themselves when onboarding a team member remotely:

1. How does your organizational structure support orientation from a distance?
2. Who should take the lead to roll out the welcome mat, including regular follow ups?
3. How do you share company culture as well as key knowledge?
4. What’s the right balance between formal and informal onboarding?
5. How do we help team members get to know each other as individuals?

Effective Starts Build Effective Teams

Though specific results vary be company and by team, you’ll know your efforts have been successful by the confidence new employees show as they jump into new work…and the way your existing staff members embrace the new person.

And if you’re lucky, the team will tell you straight out—as Breonna’s team has in dubbing themselves “Team Awesome.” When your employees feel that kind of connection, you know you’re doing something right.