Monday 11 March 2024

Sing for your supper?

Many years ago, Nick Wright and I were working on a major change project for a global organisation. We were discussing communication activities and opportunities, when someone mentioned the existence of a company song.

Not a piece of music. Not a ‘sting’ used regularly at company conferences. But an actual song, with lyrics penned and crooned by employees.

Hush descended on the meeting, as if this were a secret the team did not wish to come out. And I can’t share a snippet of it, or even provide a review, as we never got to hear it. Despite asking several times!

It is still the only one I have come across in a client organisation, despite nearly 30 years in this field. However, I know there are others out there…

Wednesday 21 February 2024

10 thoughts at 10

 A few weeks  ago, as Sweet Comms celebrated its 10th birthday, I promised to  share some suggestions for anyone else thinking about starting their own business. Some are more serious than others!

1.     Start before you start – LinkedIn gives you the chance to find and re-connect with people who might otherwise be long lost to you. Time spent building your network will never be wasted. 

2.     Decide on your ideal day – I’ve blogged on this before, but when I was thinking of starting Sweet Comms, someone asked me a deceptively powerful question: “What is your ideal day?”. This really helped me articulate what I wanted us to focus on.   

3.     Love coffee – or tea, or whatever your poison may be. I have been a significant contributor to the coffee industry since I started this business, meeting a wide range of people in-person or virtually, always with coffee cup in hand. I have loved those interactions and they have been really important to the business.   

4.     Be yourself – LinkedIn is full of people crowing about drinking power shakes at 2 a.m. or the workouts they completed while I was still snoring. Running a business is intense and exhilarating, but you don’t need to be something you’re not. Ignore the noise. 

5.     Focus on what matters – I’m not an entrepreneur and never will be. My colleagues and I stick to what we are good at through the support we give our treasured clients. Don’t spread yourself too thinly or in too many directions, you could lose clarity and focus. 

6.      Involve others – I’m grateful for a lot of support, not only from clients and colleagues but also from partners and people from my network who have popped up with words of advice or encouragement. Don’t be afraid to ask, if only for a second opinion. 

7.     Get the right tech – you can waste a LOT of time and money on technology. And unless you’re clear on what you need, potential suppliers of new tools or platforms may never leave you alone. Explore and obtain the right things for you, not the latest shiny new toy. 

8.     Carve time for learning – clients are of course your main focus, but don’t neglect yourself. Early on, I realised that being ’head down’ on work all the time meant I missed opportunities to learn new things and connect with peers. 

9.      Spend money on a decent shredder – anything else is a false economy! 

10.  Learn to count – something I failed to do for this post. 

There is loads more I could say, but I’ll stop at 10 (ok, nine). If you’re considering taking a similar path, I hope at least some of this is helpful.  

 

Tuesday 21 November 2023

Maintaining lifelong learning

How can you keep learning in a micro agency? When you’re deliberately small and encouragingly busy?

My thirst for self-development remains unabated, even after nearly 30 years in this field. I’m always eager to learn new things, to explore different angles on the employer-employee relationship, to build my knowledge of emerging techniques. It enables me to keep growing and helps me strengthen my support for (and sharing of new tools with) the clients and partners I work with.

However, it’s not always easy to get to in-person learning events or attend day-long conferences. It can be difficult to commit in advance, given that client needs can change rapidly. And as a consultant, you are sometimes excluded anyway (I did register for one event, but was rejected the next day and told I was not welcome. In those exact terms!).

So kudos to the organisations hosting webinars to which everyone is invited. Some are sponsored by service providers, others are not. Some have an entrance fee, others are free. Many are available afterwards on-demand. The range of such opportunities is expanding and I’m setting aside a couple of hours every week for sessions directly related, or providing wider context, to my field of internal communication and employee engagement. Over the last month, for example, this has involved events from the IOD, IABC and CIPD.

Online learning will never replace in-person interaction, and I am hoping to get to more such events and meet more people in 2024. But there is an ever-growing range of online options in the meantime…

Wednesday 8 November 2023

The new sweetcomms.com

Sometimes, you have to recognise that your skillset isn’t sufficient.

With that in mind, I am pleased to share the new Sweet Comms website. As we approach nearly a decade in business (where did that time go?), I have finally admitted that my rudimentary website skills need support! So the lovely people at GoDaddy have helped me build a new site. 

In practice, little has changed. We’re still offering the same blend of strategic advice and hands-on support to help employers connect and communicate with their people. We’re just promoting our services through a shiny new site.

We hope you like it. And if it prompts you to think about how we could help you, do get in touch.

Monday 23 October 2023

Where is the ‘workplace detox’?

Recently, l’ve seen a number of posts on LinkedIn discussing the merits of a ‘career detox’. This involves taking a step back to assess whether you’re in the right workplace for your personal values and/or on the right trajectory to achieve your career goals. And, if you’re not (on either count), taking immediate action to ‘course correct’.

This makes sense from an employee perspective. But shouldn’t every employer do the same?

Pausing every now and then to review whether they are nurturing a culture in which their people can thrive. Assessing whether leaders and managers have the skills and support they need. Considering whether current communication practices are delivering value. Examining whether the organisation is engaging employees effectively or what could be improved.

I am sure there are lots of other facets to this, beyond the areas I specialise in, but the key thing is to create space for such analysis. That’s tricky at the best of times, given daily priorities and pressures, but I do think creating that opportunity to review and reflect delivers long-term benefits for employer and employee alike.

Monday 25 September 2023

Speak to me someone

In the last fortnight, I have heard about two organisations that, in the midst of major issues, have clammed up rather than communicated with their people. This is self-defeating and I’m really surprised it still happens.

Silence is far from golden in these circumstances. It makes people nervous that the company lacks control (or even has something to hide). It can lead them to fear the implications of what is taking place, for the company and/or for them personally. And it can affect commitment and focus at a time when the company may need them more than ever.

Employees may also be pressed for information or answers by customers, suppliers, stakeholders and friends or family. If there has been a wall of silence, they won’t be able to defend the company, even if they are inclined to. And without any information, they may end up making something up themselves…

So I urge any organisation in the eye of a storm to communicate with their people – sharing what information they can, when they can – to help protect trust and confidence. And to enhance their usual communication cadence for as long as it’s needed. Silence only breeds concern; possibly even contempt.

Tuesday 12 September 2023

The value of values

Someone I was speaking to the other day questioned the relevance of organisational values. The gist of their argument was that teams, dynamics and working practices have changed so much that trying to invent one set of values relevant to all is both irrelevant and impossible.

I found it hard to express quite how much I disagreed with this sentiment. Firstly, due to the verb “invent”, given that I believe truly effective values come from within. Our job is not to “invent” or create new concepts, but to crystallise core beliefs and associated behaviours in ways that resonate with employees and inspire them to align their own approach and activities.

Secondly, because I feel there has never been a more important time to articulate common values. Many of us are working in different ways and in different places, which exacerbates the challenge of connecting and building trust with and between teams. Clear and compelling values can help to nurture unity when we’re at risk of fragmentation.

I hope the view I heard is not becoming commonplace, because I still believe values form a powerful and practical tool for any organisation. If anything, changes in our working world only strengthen my conviction.