Image: Pexels/cottonbro Want a lesson in trust and confidence? Watch competitive cheerleading.
My granddaughter has been competing for nearly a decade. She now stunts at the college level. The way she and her teammates move in sync is fun to watch, but it’s the actual stunting—young women hoisted upward, flipping and twirling in midair, then landing solidly in strong arms, smiles never leaving their faces—that’s truly impressive. (And, admittedly, a bit disconcerting at times to this Papa.)
These acrobatics happen because every cheerleader, regardless of role, has faith in the rest of the team. When faith wavers, the routine fails.
Communicators appear to be facing a crisis of faith themselves, according to a new survey of CEOs conducted by The Weber Shandwick Collective. The survey found just 17% of CEOs believe their communication and public affairs teams are ready to deal with the cascade of economic, geopolitical and cultural change happening today.
I’ll admit, in my four-plus decades in communications, the rate of change today is beyond anything I’ve ever imagined. We’re not drinking from the clichéd firehose, we’re guzzling from Niagara Falls. The “what-ifs” in our dusty crisis manuals are as outdated as a rotary phone. In the United States alone, political, social and economic structures is being upended—and in many cases, shredded.
As tempting as it is to “wait it out,” we can’t. Change isn't stopping, and our role is absolutely vital to our clients’ and companies’ ability to manage it effectively. Not only must the organizations we serve feel confident in us, so must the customers and other stakeholders they engage with.
That’s a tough standard to meet, given that we live in a highly suspicious world.
The good news is, leaders recognize the value of communications. The same survey found most CEOs plan to invest in marketing and brand building, public affairs, crisis, government and other communication disciplines. While I’m saddened to see less emphasis on social responsibility and equity, diversity and inclusion, the fact remains that our abilities remain business-critical.
Where do communicators go from here? We need to be exceptionally agile and resilient. Like those cheerleaders, that means constantly working on our communication muscles—staying abreast of changes, considering impact on business, adapting faster than ever to demands, applying the right tools (not just the shiny new ones) in the right ways.
It also means being even stronger champions of facts, honesty and transparency, even as some in society choose to deceive with aplomb. Suspicion ultimately withers in the light of truth.
And that’s worth cheering about.
My granddaughter has been competing for nearly a decade. She now stunts at the college level. The way she and her teammates move in sync is fun to watch, but it’s the actual stunting—young women hoisted upward, flipping and twirling in midair, then landing solidly in strong arms, smiles never leaving their faces—that’s truly impressive. (And, admittedly, a bit disconcerting at times to this Papa.)
These acrobatics happen because every cheerleader, regardless of role, has faith in the rest of the team. When faith wavers, the routine fails.
Communicators appear to be facing a crisis of faith themselves, according to a new survey of CEOs conducted by The Weber Shandwick Collective. The survey found just 17% of CEOs believe their communication and public affairs teams are ready to deal with the cascade of economic, geopolitical and cultural change happening today.
I’ll admit, in my four-plus decades in communications, the rate of change today is beyond anything I’ve ever imagined. We’re not drinking from the clichéd firehose, we’re guzzling from Niagara Falls. The “what-ifs” in our dusty crisis manuals are as outdated as a rotary phone. In the United States alone, political, social and economic structures is being upended—and in many cases, shredded.
As tempting as it is to “wait it out,” we can’t. Change isn't stopping, and our role is absolutely vital to our clients’ and companies’ ability to manage it effectively. Not only must the organizations we serve feel confident in us, so must the customers and other stakeholders they engage with.
That’s a tough standard to meet, given that we live in a highly suspicious world.
The good news is, leaders recognize the value of communications. The same survey found most CEOs plan to invest in marketing and brand building, public affairs, crisis, government and other communication disciplines. While I’m saddened to see less emphasis on social responsibility and equity, diversity and inclusion, the fact remains that our abilities remain business-critical.
Where do communicators go from here? We need to be exceptionally agile and resilient. Like those cheerleaders, that means constantly working on our communication muscles—staying abreast of changes, considering impact on business, adapting faster than ever to demands, applying the right tools (not just the shiny new ones) in the right ways.
It also means being even stronger champions of facts, honesty and transparency, even as some in society choose to deceive with aplomb. Suspicion ultimately withers in the light of truth.
And that’s worth cheering about.
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