Engagement around an embattled leader

Spare a thought for internal communicators working at FIFA right now.

It must have been intense, to say the least, during the frenetic period when the FIFA President’s plan to involve private investors in FIFA competitions was leaked and collapsed. Particularly when many senior officials in the organisation, let alone the rest of the employee base, knew little or nothing about it.

Trying to keep everyone informed and aligned as a war of words between senior executives and member organisations was played out across the global media landscape must have been, ahem, “challenging”.

However, even that may pale in comparison to the task of re-uniting the organisation now the plan has fallen apart. Especially when the individual concerned is determined to cling to power.

When a leader overplays their hand, they often have little time left in the role. Planning how to re-engage a fractured organisation around a new figurehead, and a fresh vision of the future, offers an opportunity to leave previous baggage behind.

With an embattled President determined to stay on, that task becomes far more complex.

I would love to be a fly on the wall as the team there plans how to re-build the connection between their leader and his people. The individual concerned does not strike me as someone ready to embrace culpability. Yet belief and trust in him must be at an all-time low. Why would anyone believe in his statements on vision and strategy, and their role in it, if he does not acknowledge his failings? Why would they demonstrate full commitment if the purpose they think they are serving could be undermined by another secret plan?

It will be fascinating to see how the situation evolves in the coming weeks…

Managers under the microscope

I’m catching up on a few recent internal communication reports and I see that people managers are in the spotlight once again, with little sign of a solution to support them. 

PR Daily ‘s report on six internal communication trends cites manager comms as the top priority. The recent IC Index 2026 highlights the importance of informed and engaged managers, but says that many managers aren’t helping their people make sense of things. Gallagher’s IC State of Sector 2026 identifies managers as the ‘missing channel’, with 87% of respondents highlighting manager capability as a risk.

These could be themes from reports a decade or more ago. Numerous studies have highlighted the problem, yet a solution seems strangely out of reach.

Why?

There will be different factors in different places. However, at the heart of it, I’ve always thought, is that the scale (or at least anticipated scale) of the problem inhibits action. The fear that trying to make progress would soak up too much time, effort and resources. The view that faster and more demonstrable results can be achieved in other areas (maybe with a shiny new tool or platform…).

So we never quite move on, and the issue continues to fester.

Yet, there are interventions that can make a tangible difference in strengthening the communication culture, capabilities and – crucially – confidence of managers across an organisation.

Such actions must form part of a broad programme, which will require close collaboration with the likes of L&D. As communicators, we won’t (and can’t) own every element. However, we can be the instigators of clear and consistent focus on an issue that has remained unresolved for too long.

 

Say No to AI CEO

Some worrying news from Meta, where the ubiquitous Mark Zuckerberg is apparently planning an AI CEO that will pop on screens and give feedback to colleagues across the company.

I do realise this is not the first of its kind and that avatars have previously been harnessed by leaders for a range of communication tasks. For example, I remember a major bank here in the UK used avatars in an onboarding programme some years ago, with virtual leaders popping up to guide new colleagues through the company. So, there are clearly some very interesting ‘use cases’.

I don’t think giving feedback is one of them.

Now, we only have the headlines at present, and the plan may well be more targeted and/or nuanced than the reporting makes it appear. Yet, in any scenario, feedback is sensitive, and can be taken personally. An ‘AI CEO’ sems unlikely to be the best messenger, and if the feedback avoids being personal, it risks being too generic, even corny.

More to the point, one of the major ‘buzzwords’ in internal comms in recent years has been “authenticity”, with a focus on making a genuine connection between leaders and their people. That brings benefits to all sides, and I would argue really strengthens the connection in a way an avatar never can. In fact, I fear the opposite might become true.  

We’ll have to see how this evolves, and only those inside Meta can truly say how this innovation will address an issue they have discovered or an opportunity they have spotted. On the face of it, though, it feels like a step back in employee engagement rather than an exciting development.

Sidestepping seasonal stress

As Future Islands proclaimed, seasons will change and “winter will crave what has gone”. As we mark the start of meteorological winter, I reckon many project teams will be wishing they could reclaim time from previous months.

I suspect we have all been in situations where Christmas looms large and project deadlines simply cannot be extended. Cue the frenetic rush to complete every item in our project plan, before crawling into the holidays seeking seasonal respite rather than cheer.

I think this scenario leads to poorer rather than better outcomes. In my experience, ‘haste’ is barely on nodding terms with ‘quality’.

Before we get to this point next year, perhaps we could somehow seek to break that repetitive cycle. Build in more realistic timelines. Create some contingency time. Push back on senior management while time is on our side.

Recognising the likely onset of seasonal stress might help us all avoid the situation and the consequences that come with it.

Keep communicating with candidates

 A recent study by Totaljobs, reported in Personnel Today, suggests that ‘average time to hire’ has nearly doubled since last year. That elongated timescale creates a communication imperative.

Enhancing methods for connecting with potential recruits has become quite the industry in recent years. The rise of tracking technology has been particularly pronounced, but no amount of technological wizardry will keep potential hires engaged without clear, compelling and consistent messaging to excite them about their potential employer.

Over the years, across different industries, I’ve spoken to many people involved in application processes. Candidates who are exploring their options and examining what different employers might have to offer. Invariably, I have been told that employers who communicate effectively stand out, because they have recognised the need to keep showing candidates why the company is a great place to work and what differentiates it from other destinations.

In an elongated recruitment process, any employer needs clarity over its messaging and a systematic approach to candidate communication. Without such a plan, it’s easy for candidate enthusiasm to fade away in the midst of more effective engagement from elsewhere. Or, by contrast, for candidates who might not align with company culture to remain in the process, tying up your time and resources, rather than realising this is not the right route for them.

In this situation, enhancing communication is not a ‘nice to have’. It’s absolutely essential.

The company with nothing to hide

If you're in the UK, you may have seen a new creative campaign from Quorn, entitled 'Nothing To Hide'. It might just have reminded you of an onboarding programme from Absolut, about which I wrote some years ago...

 

At the Engage for Success conference this Spring, I saw a powerful presentation by the Chairman and CEO of Absolut Vodka, Anna Malmhake. She told a story that was deceptively simple and extremely impressive.

Like many other institutions, in different countries and sectors, Absolut wanted to ensure their brand values were shared and followed by colleagues and partners around their world. In their case, they wanted clear and consistent messages in which they could engage teams and markets in the wider Pernod Ricard family.

After distilling five campaign beliefs they want to weave though all their brand marketing activity, worldwide, they summed their mantra up as “the vodka with nothing to hide”. The thinking being: we are a pure vodka and nothing detracts from our purpose or our product.

The Absolut team then looked inwardly and examined how this mantra could be brought to life for current and prospective recruits. The internal perspective being: we are an open company that is fair, straightforward and engaging for everyone.

But how to bring this life for people, so they can see the company means what it says?

Simple. Produce a film to communicate the message. Using employees.

Naked employees.

Colleagues from across the company’s single production site in Sweden appear, au naturel, in an induction film that communicates and celebrates what is special about the company and its culture. It is a bold concept, wonderfully expressed, in a really engaging film. Click here to see it on YouTube (if you’re over 18!). It has attracted nearly two million viewers.

I love the idea and its expression because it is simple yet bold, aligned with the values of the brand. It’s also interesting that they looked at what they were trying to say to consumers and realised they could do more with this concept from an employer branding perspective.

Fabulous stuff.

 

Engagement can be temporary

 I’ve always been intrigued by the challenge of engaging temporary or seasonal workers so they live up to your values and represent the company effectively. After all, no-one dealing with them knows or cares whether they are temporary recruits or long-term company stalwarts.

It's a fascinating challenge from a business perspective, particularly if you’re bringing in large numbers of temps for a busy period or a particular event. Having been a seasonal worker myself, back in the day, I can testify that it’s interesting to the individual, too. You want to know what’s expected of you to fulfil your brief, whether it’s for one day or several weeks.

I can’t recall much preparation when I was in that position, which either shows the company had great confidence in its recruitment process or (perhaps more likely) suggests that onboarding did not receive the focus it gets today.

However, my experience at a recent festival suggests at least one organisation is doing it well.

Thousands of people, in a massive open-air venue, with a series of different tents or stages and changeable weather throughout the day. Seas of people with lots of questions, seeking directions to facilities or information on timings (and a whole lot of other random queries!). Yet every representative I spoke to or heard interacting with others was unfailingly calm, clear and polite. They went beyond merely answering questions to provide extra levels of detail, walk people towards where they needed to go, wish them an enjoyable day.

I’ve been to plenty of events over the years where the experience of dealing with those representatives has been disappointing, to say the least. It was very refreshing to encounter an organiser that clearly puts a great deal of emphasis not only on recruiting the right people, but on preparing them for their role, even if it was for just one day.