Why your CEO needs communications support
Are you leveraging your CEO as part of your communications strategy? We know, leaders are busy and constantly juggling priorities, but it would be a mistake to forget to incorporate strategic communications into their mix.
Gone are the days when the CEO stays in the corner office and they don’t have a public voice. There is an expectation that they communicate both with employees and the public. As a key face of the brand, an executive has an opportunity to help elevate the company through their presence and effective communication.
Many leaders have some level of communications expertise by the time they are at a senior level, but they often have gaps. For some, they are exceptional verbal communicators but need support capturing words onto paper. For others, they know what they want to say and simply don’t have the time to sit down and map it out. Either way, having communications expertise to support them can be invaluable.
We’ve compiled our top three reasons why you should consider having a Communications Specialist working with your CEO. Among many other things, this person or team can help them:
1. Identify opportunities for the CEO to build their reputation in the community.
Is there an organization they can partner with? Are there non-profits they can highlight on their social media and show support for? Consider ways you can expect their network and connections, even if it’s setting up some simple coffee meetings.
2. Establish a thought leadership strategy in alignment with the communications strategy.
Thought leadership is a way for leaders to offer insights that might have a bit more of a personal flavour than a corporate blog post or article. Whether it’s reflecting on a current event that connects back to the work at their organization, or perhaps the context behind a new initiative, leaders can bring their perspectives to the forefront and allow others to learn and grow from them.
3. Establish a strong, consistent voice for the head of the organization.
Just as we want a strong brand voice for the company, ensuring the same level of consistency and intent from the leader can be just as important. It gives the wider community an understanding of who is at the helm. What are they trying to accomplish? How does it impact the larger community?
MLC works with Executives around Western Canada on this type of work, so if you don’t have the internal manpower to support them - reach out!