CorpComms Magazine

Lesson one - be patient

You have more than 100 days. Don't panic. New heads of corporate communications claim they have 7.6 months, on average, to prove themselves

Lesson two - prepare before you start

Heads of corporate communications insist that you cannot do enough due diligence. And this will take more effort than the most comprehensive Google search. It requires charting the political landscape of the organisation. The priorities of the senior management and the dynamic of the team need to be identified, while the failures of any predecessor need to be deduced

Lesson three - listen and learn

Actively go out to meet new colleagues on their own turf. The first 30, 60 or even 90 days are all about listening and learning. Questions need to be asked. Indeed, the same questions need to be asked over and over again to develop a comprehensive and invaluable understanding of the diversity of attitudes to a given subject across the organisation

Lesson four - evaluate your team from day one

It can take between 30 days to a year to assess the skills of a new team. Listening is an integral part of the process. One-to-one meetings should take place with direct report members of the team, but time should be set aside to meet all members of the team wherever they are located. Involve members in any transformational discussions to gain their respect. Make necessary changes sooner rather than later

Lesson five - do not criticise  your predecessor

Become familiar with the company's communications activity over the past three years. Credit should be given where due. Be sensitive when drawing on working examples from a previous role. No two organisations are the same; being too eager to assert knowledge and experience may alienate colleagues. Avoid being buffeted by the daily ebb and flow of business. Be open-minded about change and gradually develop a positive agenda that can be driven forward

Lesson six - get to know the business operations

Six out of ten heads of corporate communications regret not having spent enough time with the business units in the early days. Attend monthly meetings with teams. Consult with unit leaders. Ask them to provide their view on the communications team

Lesson seven - develop internal advocates (both professional and personal)

The best ideas need loyal supporters to get off the ground. Forging professional and personal relationships should be the first priority for incoming heads of corporate communications. Build a constituency of support. Find one initiative that can be enacted quickly and will get your colleagues on side

Lesson eight - figure out the shadow organisation

Get to grips with the internal structures of the organisation. Identify the influence behind the throne. Entertain those influencers over a meal where they are more likely to open up

Lesson nine - don't lose sight of what's outside the organisation

It is easy to get bogged down in the minutiae of day-to-day business within your organisation. It is just as important to make contact with the outside. Get to know reporters and consumers. Conduct an external audit of key stakeholders to determine the company's reputation

Lesson ten - be prepared for some surprises

The job will throw a few curve balls. On a scale of one to ten, where ten is 'extremely different from initial expectations', the average new head of corporate communications rates their level of surprise as a four. In their first 100 days, some were shocked to encounter a lack of understanding of the business case for strategic communications or respect for the role within their organisation. Others identified unexpectedly low levels of collaboration with other departments or unexpected external obstacles, such as high levels of legal intervention, difficulties making headway and winning confidence

Lesson eleven - gain the chief executive's respect

Most heads of corporate communications claim their chief executive was their greatest mentor in the early months. As with other areas of the business, asking the right questions early is key to establishing good relations. Identify how the chief executive prefers to receive reports and counsel. Agree a timeline. Work towards a quarterly strategic plan. Ask the chief executive for the names of five people outside the communications team to meet early on

Lesson twelve - find your early wins

Established heads of corporate communications claim early wins are important. These range from tackling a demoralised staff, getting a news item into the national press on day three, establishing an internal communications policy and a corporate intranet to establishing a corporate focus on utilising social media and defining roles and responsibilities

If I had to do it over again, I would...

• Spend more time learning about the corporate culture
• Listen even more
• Travel more to the businesses
• Sleep more. After a point, it's just diminishing marginal returns
• Develop more personal relation with chief executive's directs
• Work more closely with human resources
• Make more dramatic changes to department
• Take cultural differences more into account

The three greatest challenges facing new heads of corporate communications

• Reputation management in an era of deterioration of traditional media
• Increasing effectiveness of voices of outrage
• Light speed evolution of social media

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