Insight article
Lead by example in communications
Much of our work focuses on getting leaders to understand and explore how they will role-model the actions and behaviours that are required to change those of their teams.
But change in behaviour needs to apply to other practices and disciplines within an organisation – it doesn’t only start with leadership behaviours. If an organisation wants its people to change the way they think and do things, it needs to lead by example in other areas. It needs, for example, to start by adopting a different approach to how it talks and interacts with its people from the start. Is it reasonable to expect them to change if all they see and exerience are the same old communications methods and practices as before?
Storytelling is all about having a ‘different kind of discussion’. By its very nature, it sends a clear signal of ‘doing things differently’. It has a tremendous power to engage, inform, inspire and learn – to change people’s behaviours. Don’t tell the Strategy, tell a Story. Continue to learn from each other, grow and reinforce those messages through sharing ideas and stories of success and achievement that connect to that strategy and vision. And please, do it creatively – not just by barraging your people with the same old e-mails, PowerPoint presentations and briefings as before!