Guest Post from Jenny Pratt . . . .
Time Magazine recently conducted this poll:
“Now that Walter Cronkite has passed on, who is America’s most trusted newscaster?”
9410 people responded and 44% said Jon Stewart of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. NBC New’s Brian Williams was a rather distant 2nd with 29%.
Seriously? Jon Stewart is the most trusted man in news?
Not exactly your father’s news show anymore now is it?
Don’t get me wrong: I record the Daily Show. I bought tickets for his last stand-up tour. I think he is wicked smart, super bold and a fabulous entertainer.
But the most trusted man in news? C’mon…
Why mention this in a leadership blog you might ask?
Because it made me wonder about where your staff is getting its news.
Are your leaders communicating effectively or is your team getting info from the best storyteller on staff?
Will your next organizational change initiative include leadership communications training and deliberate methods for getting the info out or will you hope your messages somehow get heard?
Do you intentionally work to connect with your company’s internal thought leaders (even the ones who could be considered “the troublemakers”) or assume your leadership influence will permeate the entire organization just because?
Strategic leadership demands that you pay attention to how your message is getting communicated – internally and externally.
It also demands that you include communications skills in your leadership assessments and in all your organizational leadership development programs.
Like I said, I’m one of Jon Stewart’s biggest fans, but I know I’m turning on Comedy Central, not the news.
Does your staff know where to get unbiased and accurate information? If not, they need to.
Do you provide coaching and mentoring on how to get your messages consistently heard and supported? If not, you might consider some skill training in that area.
Are you really communicating your message if it’s not getting heard and/or implemented?
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