CorpComms Magazine

Trustworthiness, integrity and judgment are three of the key characteristics that chief executives and chairmen value in their communications directors, according to a new report by Geraldine Davies, head of search practice at consultancy Ellwood and Atfield.

While functional experience and good practical communication skills are viewed as part of the necessary skill set for any successful communications director, it is also increasingly important for them to demonstrate business and financial literacy. The ability to facilitate collaboration across an organisation and also to provide a 'sounding board' for the chief executive, offering up-to-date feedback on how the business is perceived both internally and externally is increasingly viewed as vital.

As one chief executive puts it: 'The communications director and the human resources director are my two direct reports who make judgment calls that can lead me to change my mind.'

Strategic input?

But not all chief executives believe that communications directors should play a role in shaping or developing business strategy. Some believe that the role of the communications director is to craft the message after the strategy has been agreed.

If communications directors are one step removed from the process, then, some chief executives believe, it helps them retain an external perspective. There is a fear that, if communications directors are involved in formulating strategy, they 'become an insider and less objective'.

As one chief executive put it: 'The communications director should have a voice at the top table, albeit a less weighty one than the business managers.'

However, chief executives also increasingly recognise that they have a role to play in communications. As the public face of their businesses, they know that it is important to maintain an ongoing dialogue with stakeholders.

Indeed, about two thirds of those interviewed estimated that they spent at least 30 per cent of their time communicating with various stakeholders, and some estimate that at least half their time is spent on communication-related activities.

By contrast, with the exception of meeting shareholders, chairmen spent less time communicating with stakeholders - viewing that as an executive function - but increasingly take a keen interest in areas such as internal communications or corporate responsibility.

While considerable emphasis is still placed on media relations in the retail sector, the report finds that the discipline has declined in importance for communications directors.

Not just media

Communicating with other stakeholders, such as government, investors and employees, is seen as just as vital, if not more so. This is particularly the case for those industries who operate in highly regulated environments, although government relations appears to be rising in importance across all sectors.

Some chief executives attribute this to the need to build strong relationships with the coalition government, while others believe that, as government becomes increasingly interventionist in business, it is vital to have an ongoing dialogue.

The rise of social media presents new challenges in communicating with stakeholders. The proliferation of 24/7 media coupled with the speed and ease with which stories about organisations can go viral across the world means that chief executives are increasingly focused on the need for more proactive media monitoring and brand management. They are also aware that communications directors need new skills and knowledge to manage this fast changing medium.

But there is also a recognition that, used well, social media can provide a vital channel to communicate with and better target customers and employees in real-time. 'It makes it much easier for us to target and segment our audiences and actually develop a dialogue with them,' says one chief executive.

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