Resilience and Vulnerability

I’ve been thinking about resilience recently, especially vulnerability. Mental Health Awareness week is a good time to share my experience.
At times - usually when work is patchier - my resilience can wear down. I feel vulnerable. Doubts spiral about the viability or value of what I do. I make unfair comparisons with other people and businesses. I forget why I’ve made my choices.
I feel anxious. My mind fogs and I know that in this state, my best work comes harder, I struggle to sell myself, clarity on the way ahead is elusive. Which only leaves me more anxious, and longing for when work and ideas “flow”.
I’m a logical man – my business relies on it. I can look back and ahead, and see that my fears aren’t grounded. Exasperatingly, that doesn’t clear the fog.
What does? Changing where/how I work, exercise, gratitude – but I think the key is allowing myself to be vulnerable. Opening up. Talking. Showing the cracks. Not to get solutions, not for sympathy; simply acknowledging how I feel, out loud.
Many have far more severe or damaging demons to face. We all need to ensure we are taking care of ourselves, but more importantly to be an available ear for others. hashtag

What’s Your Point? - Measurement in Internal Comms

Measurement feels like a hot topic. Good. There’s much to do, and I think that the CIPR, IoIC and PRCA research will be revealing. (Haven’t taken the survey?! Take it now!)

Communicators know eyeballs, opens and awareness aren’t the whole story. More important is evidence of new, changed behaviours and attitudes, of greater skills or confidence across the workforce.

Oftentimes – for changes to the pension scheme or a new product launch, say - there are stats on uptake or sales that tell you the whole story.

But it’s not always so easy; these measures might not exist. That’s where I think there’s work to do – in knowledge or confidence – in knowing what, and how, to measure.

For me, it’s always a research approach, it starts with defining the question you’re trying to answer.

It’s an absolute focus on what you’re trying to prove: How will you know when you’ve taken everyone to the right destination?

Because then you can:

1) Better assess what’s available. What’s out there on efficiencies made, faster processes, customer retention? What engagement measures can you draw on? Ask yourself: Does this help me build a picture of the effect? Does this help me tell part of the story?

2) See what you’ve done. You may not have moved that needle all by yourself – but what part of that shift do you take credit for? Can you show that a combination of small shifts adds up to more than a hill of beans?

3) See what to add to develop the whole picture, be that: surveys, focus groups, interviews, or perhaps more anecdotal feedback.

4) Put it all together. You might have generated words, numbers and sentiments, now bring that all into one narrative.

Of course, if you are:

• Looking for new measures

• Using those measures in different ways

• Adding your own measurement

• Using lots of different measures to demonstrate a single point

Then these might not be comms pro skills. To develop them may need training, it may need external help. Or it may simply need the time and freedom to try – and sometimes fail at - different things.

But with a clarity of focus on what you’re trying to achieve, and the confidence in your measures, then I think that – as well as being able to prove your impact – then there’s every chance to finesse the comms too.

Because that focus helps sharpen the brief, pinpoint the delivery, elevate the execution, identify where there are real risks. Concentrating on the end point is often a very good place to start.

Keep Questioning

Richard Mosely at Universum talked employer brand trends recently.As ever, he spoke sense.
A nugget: Employers increasingly put purpose and innovation to the fore of their employer brand, to help differentiate themselves.
So … to differentiate themselves, they’re talking about the same things?
Richard shared examples of (big) employers placing a very attractive offer squarely on the same territory as their competitors. Sub-ideal.
The problem as I see it: When you ask employees about the best, distinctive, attractive aspects of their experience, very often, the first-level answers are the same (e.g. despite a lot of counter-evidence - people REALLY like their colleagues).
The solution? First: Socratic questioning. Keep asking why until you understand more, and get what you can see is a distinctive answer. Then: link that to mission, strategy, values, culture. Together: tell the story of all that makes your organisation individual.
That’s the Reason Why people want to work for you and will commit for the future. And that’s what we exist to discover. hashtag#employerbranding

Is flexible working a trap?

I’m hearing lots about flexibility right now. Consensus: Any credible employer must offer genuine flexibility. Not just for parents and carers, for anyone. That requires real trust in employees. I agree, thoroughly. But the access I get inside many employers - direct to existing and target employees - tells me there’s a risk. Flexibility can also be a trap. Not by unscrupulous employers - there’s not many of them - but from uncaring employers, of which there are many more. Those employers that haven’t thought through all the human consequences. The trap that's set is an ability to be flexible becomes a requirement to be available. To be always on, to be dragged up to the level of the most “committed”, to not be able to schedule down-time. As one young person in their first job put it: “Yeah, flexible for who?” We must remember that, for many, the best work-life balance is still a 9-5, possibly from one work location. For those that don’t choose that, they need the same levels of control. Employees need to trust their employer will care for them. hashtag#employeeengagement hashtag#balance

Diet Coke in Red Bull cans

Consultant: “Concept A is old-hat. Irrelevant. Bunkum. Concept B is where it’s at! [describes B in terms almost identical to A]”
That’s how I feel about the current Employee Experience talk. Plotted on a Venn with Employee Engagement there’s lots in the middle, toe-nails either side.
It’s putting Diet Coke in Red Bull cans. Nothing new to sell? Make it look new! Make it fit now. The fit now is the parallel to Customer Experience.
I’m not going to start evangelising employee experience over engagement. Why confuse people, why start all over, why use scepticism of one concept to sell the next?
BUT, there are some new ideas that – whatever you call it – interest me. (“Interest” in the sense of “correlates with ideas I have been whanging on about for ages”)
1) It’s truly about employee voice, their whole experience at work. That their personal objectives align with the corporate AND that employees input into strategy and culture. They create what they experience. 2) That your annual engagement survey, or monthly pulse – for its splits and benchmarks - ain't going to get you anywhere near this insight. It’s not designed to.
Want to improve employee experience? You can’t foist your questions onto people, you need to let them tell you what’s important to them.

Independent Consultants: Are you a fraud?

As an independent consultant, you’ve found your niche, honed your skills. Now, you’re an expert.

You’ve taken that expertise to market, and found the people that need you.

My question is: do you then stop learning? The more you keep fulfilling the same needs, do you begin to repeat yourself? Do you start to get there a bit easier? Do you become more comfortable?

Do you then perhaps feel you stop looking for the new or unexpected? Isn’t your brain saying “you’ve been over this before”? Is there a risk that you produce less than you could?

What does that do for your motivation, or sense of worth?

Is there a risk that you feel like a fraud?

Will someone pull back the curtain and expose you? How do you stay confident and protect your mental health? How do you assure yourself you’re doing all you can? How do you keep looking for new techniques, angles, insights?

For me, it’s a number of things:

·        networking (social and real), reading round the topic – keep doing the things that made you expert

·        with caution (because you only see their very best selves…) compare the competition. Do you feel your outputs are as credible? Do you offer the same value?

·        it’s absolutely about being self-critical, stepping back, ensuring you bring fresh eyes, finding new ways to review work – I always ask myself “have I touched all the wet paint?”

·        but it’s also about asking –sometimes pushing –for feedback, seeing if your client believes you can go further, inviting criticism

·        it’s using other experiences too. School governance is constant learning, but I’ve also recently learnt about football coaching, and how to make beer. It’s keeping a learning mindset

·        I think it’s important to celebrate too – new work, successful delivery, praise or thanks. Dancing optional, but it works for me

·        and something I’m going to start – recording each time I learn and apply something new

I think that’s how you keep doing your best work, stay strong and know you’re not the fraud your mind would sometimes have you believe!

Employee Personas and Profiles

The companies we buy from know our preferences, our habits and how we like to be reached. They’ve got us in well-researched and tested boxes of different customer personas or profiles. When done well, we get more relevant interactions – and we might buy more stuff.
This happens a lot less in internal communication or engagement. But it should. I’ve worked on a number of projects recently where I’ve helped identify the different personas/profiles within a company. I’ve looked at people’s attitudes to communication, what topics are most important to them, how they like to be communicated with, their appetite for dialogue. And then I’ve created personas, based on this insight, linking it to what we know about them as people.
Of course, not all people fit neatly into one box – but we get very clear direction on which boxes they’re likely in and therefore what they need and respond to.
That’s invaluable to the plans of the strategic internal communicator, or those charged with understanding engagement. That’s a key part of getting more employee buy-in, of creating the best experience, of building engagement.
Do you know your people well enough? hashtag#internalcommunications hashtag#employeengagement

Internal Communicators – Get The Credit You Deserve

Measurement is a constant topic in internal comms. Beyond clicks and opens, how can we show changed perceptions or behaviours? How can we demonstrate customer impact? Have we made this organisation more effective? I’ve plenty of thoughts on that; I’ve shared plenty of them here before. But perhaps there’s an underlying lack of confidence. Maybe that’s well- placed, this might be a new skill set for IC. Their skills lie in reaching people, with a compelling story. But the same can be said of their sales or marketing colleagues. Do we think that, if they see any positive shift in their metrics, that they don’t attribute a big chunk to their efforts? Yes, the employer-employee relationship is complex, with loads of levers to pull, and you ain’t got your hands on a lot of them. And, unlike sales and marketing, your role won't come with all the in-built metrics. But I’d challenge internal communicators to be braver, to take more credit. Don’t subject yourself to an unattainable burden of proof. You have a huge impact on how people understand, engage with and feel about your organisation. If they feel better about any of that – make damn sure you get your slice of the credit. hashtag#internalcommunication hashtag#measurement hashtag#takethecredit

While there’s no such thing as a free lunch, there can be a free survey review.

• Sam. Great opportunity for me to survey employees. Got the distribution list and a big cheese sponsor to send it. • Cool! What are you researching? • Best sandwich filling. Easy, eh? • Ok(!) … what type of question are you using? • Free text • You know you’ll be picking out every Cheese/cheese/chese, every ham & cheese/cheese & pickle • Hmm. I’ll fix the options • Got a complete list? Predicted all the options? • I’m confident. So, off I go! • Wait! Are they choosing one sandwich? You get a clear answer, but less data Or are they choosing three? Could be forcing a false choice And are they ranking them? Or applying no limit? If everyone chooses them all, you haven’t learnt anything • *groans* Anything else? • Included an “other” box, type of bread, dietary needs… A simple question, many considerations. Solution: I’ll help. If you’re surveying employees, I’ll review your survey. Free. I’ll consider all this detail. That makes sure you create the best survey, and that means optimum data. Why? I like to keep fresh, I like to see what issues people are exploring – possibly not butties - and who knows, I may be able to help you in the future. hashtag#measurement hashtag#employeengagement hashtag#internalcommunications

Storytelling for HR

I watched a great webinar on this topic from David Green and Alan Walker. It intrigued me, as I wondered if story-telling is a natural style for many HR pros. Storytelling has a strong link to the ability to influence, and that’s part of the elusive “seat at the table”.
But the webinar broke it down really nicely. What I took away was the need to use people data to show effects on business performance and strategy. Simple example: if a volume recruiter gives candidates such a horrendous experience that they leave as customers – there’s a calculable cost of that.
You can set and test hypotheses around these business effects – and almost certainly discover other stuff along the way. You’ll be able to set the scene, frame the problem and describe the solution. A three-act play. That’s all a story really is – and people buy stories. They’re compelling, memorable, they put things in context and get people to buy-in.
But there was also an acknowledgement that using data, or mining/finding data, or developing the findings into a narrative – may not be in everyone’s skill set. That, at times, outside help might be needed.
That’s exactly what Reason Why was created for. If this is where you need a hand, get in touch. hashtag#data hashtag#stories hashtag#bernardcribbens

I *think* you can watch a recording here: https://www.chattalent.com/strategy/data-analytics/webinar-storytelling-with-data-for-hr-and-ld/

Mistakes are Good.

I was working with a big data set, and as I manipulated it, I made a stack of mistakes. Like, loads. This meant that by the end of the day, I hadn’t got very far. I was pretty deflated. Bummed. Miffed off.

So, I kicked the bin, made a brew, and I turned it around. And, actually, those mistakes were useful.
I’d identified my own errors. I wasn’t so lost in handling the data that I couldn’t see when it stopped making sense.
It restored my vigilance against complacency. We all know the mistake you miss is next to the one you find.
I haven’t repeated those errors. Well… I have, but I’ve identified them (and ones like them) more quickly and less damagingly.
Crucially, in having to backtrack and re-do a tonne of analysis, I looked again at my process. I improved it and made it quicker AND more reliable.
Some mistakes are funny, some ruin reputations. (Some are both.) It’s how you handle them that counts. Mistakes – especially when you often work alone – are inevitable. Brian Eno suggests: “honour thy error as a hidden intention”. So use mistakes to improve, to create the contrast to truly great work.
Embrace mistakes, love mistakes – it’s your brain’s way of nudging you to do better.

Not going the extra mile

When looking at employee engagement a lot, you’ll come across the phrase “going the extra mile” a lot too. It’s often cited as one of the benefits of employee engagement, or as a measure, or almost as a synonym.
I don’t like it. My association is always requiring more, without return. For starting early or working late. For an expectation of doing more than contracted. That’s not a fair deal. That’s the employee “going the extra mile”; the employer: “taking the p!ss”.
I love a lot of Engage 4 Success’s work, but at about 40s into their main video, an employee describes engagement as “… I’ll give you more of the real me. The one who stays late when it counts, the one who puts in the extra effort…”. Thanks, but no thanks.
Which I think is a shame, especially as the next line is “…the one who cares about what they do…”
That’s much closer to the real outcome of engagement. If you care, if you’re connected, if you’re involved - if you see the mutual benefit of doing this well - then the likelihood is you’ll DO it well. You’ll give it more thought, weigh a few more options. It’s not “that’ll do”, it’s “that’ll work!” It’s more brain than brawn; smart work, not hard work.
I’m looking for a new idiom to replace “going the extra mile”. Ideas? hashtag#employeeengagement hashtag#engagement hashtag#extramile