Who Wants to Change?

Your communications style should embody the change you want to trigger

After months of meticulous planning, your organisation is on the cusp of an extraordinary transformational change. You've meticulously crafted your vision statement, solidified the business rationale, defined success metrics, and built a robust change management plan, all supported by an incredible team ready to drive this forward.

But here's a crucial question: What's your frontline employees’ first impression of this monumental shift? All too often, it's a formal email – the same format used for a timesheet reminder or an IT update. If you’re declaring "From now on, things will be different around here," our communication style is your first chance to demonstrate it.

First impressions count. We believe in role-modelling the change we want to see. Many transformations aim to cultivate cultures of empowerment, accountability, curiosity, adaptability, transparency, experimentation, innovation, or learning.

Role model change through communication

We can embody these mindsets by intentionally shifting our communication approach in language and medium. Imagine demonstrating empowerment and collaboration from day one. Instead of a standard email, what if we announced the transformation with a video featuring rising stars from across the company, sharing what this change means to them?

Want to foster learning, transparency, and curiosity? Let's use language like "we're testing a new approach," "this may evolve as we learn more," or "tell us what's helping, what's confusing, and what we can do better." We could even launch an informal blog, collaborative whiteboards, or dedicated channels for direct questions to leaders.

The possibilities are truly endless. Often, leaders desire change but are reluctant to change themselves. If our talk is about transformation but our delivery screams "business as usual," that's the message our people will receive loud and clear.

To all leaders and communication teams: let's be the change we want to see. Let's make our first impression count and set the stage for a truly transformative journey.