Stakeholders need to be listened to
Stakeholders are often seen by companies as a problem, a group of individuals to be dealt with or placated to achieve a business objective. I was once tasked with coming up with…
Corporate Communications and Investor Relations Working as One
Maybe 20 years ago, I was handed a booklet about all of the different functional roles within the Communications and External Affairs team at the company I was working for. From Media…
Thank God You’re Here
Communicating in a crisis or at pivotal moment for a company is never something to take lightly. It demands skill, experience, and above all deep trust and confidence in the people standing…
Visible Leadership in Safety: More Than Just a Site Visit
Visible leadership is an activity that many companies have been using as a mechanism to improve safety. However too often, the concept of visible leadership in safety is reduced to a calendar entry, converting…
Trust me, trust matters.
For every organisation, trust is important. From its employees, from its customers, from its regulators and political stakeholders. In essence, anyone who has an interest in you. It is after all the…
Public Affairs Strategy: What’s next?
If business leaders are wondering whether their Corporate or Public Affairs function is addressing its biggest challenges, it’s probably because it isn’t. That’s a hard reality, however this function like any part…
Silent running can be a disservice to your business
Often companies present lots of reasons for not communicating. For not investing in engaging with their audiences, for not elevating their company’s brand, and for not actively telling their story. I have…
Banging your head against a wall of issues
Back in the early 2000s I went along to hear a leading pollster talk about ‘issues management’. I was a bit in awe of the fellow and rightly so. He had the…
The Strategic Shift: Redefining Communications for Business Success
In the dynamic landscape of business, reputation is a fragile asset, easily influenced by external perceptions. While many believe that altering reputation involves a mere change in communication strategy, the truth is…
What’s Henry Higgins got to do with corporate reputation?
It is truly rewarding to see a company’s story come to life. And even more so after the sweat and tears that can go into its crafting and evolution. When done properly…
The Power of Communicating Internally
Most CEOs will not place employee communications in their top list of priorities. However good employee communications can make a significant impact on a company’s performance. Ignore it at your peril. Now…
People or profit
Once upon a time I was at a conference listening to someone providing guidance to Public Affairs practitioners on effective crisis management. It was something I will never forget as I couldn’t…