HarrisX/Ragan survey reveals leadership is the No. 1 skill CEOs value in communicators
But the top skill communicators value? Writing. This is one of many gaps between executives and communicators’ expectations and priorities revealed in the new CEO-Communicators Competencies survey.
Communicators are on a never-ending mission to earn respect for their craft and a more influential seat at the decision-making table.
The turmoil of COVID-19 has revealed the indispensable nature of clear communication and demonstrated the immense value of these often “hidden heroes” who craft timely messaging, but are top-level execs taking notice? If so, what traits, talents and tactics are they looking for?
The HarrisX/Ragan CEO-Communicators Competencies Survey of 552 CEOs and other high-ranking communications officials conducted online in the U.S. from Oct. 22-Nov. 15 revealed how each of these leaders view the other’s role and responsibilities—and what they value most in their interactions.
There are areas where the two agree—employee comms and reputation management are high-value—but there is a discrepancy when it comes to staffing and budget. CEOs say communicators have enough resources to accomplish their goals while communicators say they do not.
The insights are illuminating for our current moment of pandemic limbo—and certainly instructive on where priorities should shift moving forward. In a Nov. 17 session at Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference, Ray Day of Stagwell Group and Dritan Nesho from HarrisX delved into the survey’s key findings:
1. CEOs see themselves as responsible for all major communications, while communications leaders see a division of duties.
- Communication leaders say the CEO is responsible for defining the company purpose and speaking to employees.
- Communication leaders believe they are responsible for employee and external communications, and reputation.
2. CEOs at companies of different sizes see their role in communications differently.
- CEOs at small companies hold themselves responsible for external and internal communications.
- CEOs at medium and large companies report they want their CCO or head of people to take on these duties.
3. The most valued communications competencies vary by size of company and role within company.
- CEOs of small companies value listening above all else.
- CEOs at medium/large companies value experience, strategic planning, risk management, creativity and flexibility.
- Communication leaders most value critical thinking, relationship building and judgment.
4. CEOs from companies of all sizes say the skill in a communicator they value most is team leadership. Project management and data analysis rank highly, too.
- Meanwhile, communication leaders rank writing most highly.
- Both groups agree that executive and employee communication and reputation management are high-value areas.
5. CEOs do not see eye to eye with communication leaders when it comes to staffing and budget.
- CEOs overwhelmingly say the designated communicator has enough resources to accomplish goals.
- Yet 3 in 10 CCOs and half of SVPs/VPs say they do not have enough resources.
Setting yourself up for future success
Despite the well-earned rise of communicators’ profiles and reputations amid ongoing COVID-19 crises, this data shows there’s still work to do to ensure your seat at the table.
Download your copy of the Harris X/Ragan survey here.
Balls! The #1 asset for PR earning respect and a good seat at the table is balls!
You may see and say what the future holds if you use virtual crystal balls, PR
experience that helps us peer into the future, based on the past, and see what we should expect and prepare for.
WHO MAY WANT TO ATTACK US. Now that 78-year-old Joe Biden is president although not glib, do any of our 100 senators and 435 house members feel too old or not verbal enough to become president? Has any member of congress never thought about the presidency? Or any cabinet member, governor or major city mayor? Hark, 1,000 potential candidates may be looking for a cause that will make the voters think yeah, this political leader is special!
WHY THEY WILL ATTACK US. America loves champions in sports, business and politics. A politician may get champion-sized headlines by accusing, “those bastards are ripping the public off and I say we shouldn’t stand for it!” The alleged bastards are commonly a big company but could be a group like dentists, pharmacists, food companies or the meat industry. Or people so heartless that they want our government to allow annoying pretty carribou by
permitting oil drilling in northern Alaska. No one is immune from attack. And there’s no place like Nome.
WHAT THEY WILL SAY. PR experience teaches us that three accusations are common: (1) they are endangering us as by inadequate product safety or environmental protection; (2) they are putting profits ahead of prudence as by charging too much or not paying enough; and (3) they are unfair to the public as by discrimination in hiring and promotion or by tolerance of “sexually predatory behavior,” a current label of disapproval for flirting from even several feet away and even ten years ago.
WHAT OUR CEO WILL WANT. Guided by the general counsel and the law firm, the CEO will want PR to get media coverage for a point-by-point rebuttal of the accusations. If the accusers are able to get massive media coverage for an attack on “those bastards,” isn’t it only fair that PR should get equally prominent space and time for rebuttal?
WHAT THE MEDIA WILL TELL US is that the accusations were surprising hence newsworthy, but denial is expected so who cares much? The media will ask to interview our CEO but he’s not an experienced spokesman so if we put him out there, he may say the wrong thing and blow it, making our situation more precarious.
THE DANGER TO US is not just embarrassment and anger on the top floor but CEO annoyance at “why can’t our PR people get as much coverage as these accusers? Who is managing our PR?” A much bigger danger is that when politicians see millions of voters concerned or even enraged, politicians may propose unduly restrictive regulations to “protect” the public and punish “those bastards.” New regs can cost a company BILLIONS a year in lost revenue, penalties and reduction in market value (share price times shares
outstanding).
WHAT INCREASES OUR DANGER is the PR Principle of Primacy: The side that gets to the public first, commonly the accusers, may be believed more because by the time a defense is expressed, 25 million or more people may already be convinced that the company is guilty!
WHAT PR’S CRYSTAL BALLS CAN DO is (1) help you guide management to foresee the above because if you explain it now, it won’t be such a shock when it happens (and you’ll sound like a PR genius that you can do look-ahead PR); and (2) do Preventive PR now so your management may be seen correctly by America—and BE—public heroes.
Step #1 in Preventive PR is to create year-round coverage on how your company PROTECTS public safety, SAVES the public money as by having company doctors and home economists create “how to choose and use” information, and by having bright young executives guiding your top people on being VERY fair in hiring and promotion.
Step #2 is sponsoring an appealing health-protection project like anti-cancer research aimed at saving millions of American lives. At America’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the research teams of legendary Dr. Andrew Zelenetz have created “CAR-T” drugs, now being adopted worldwide, to actually shrink or get rid of cancers that were once sure death! If a great PR firm helps a company to sponsor a Zelenetz team the way sneaker and beer companies have ties with allstar athletes, over 100 million Amricans may want to buy what that company sells so as to help the company’s effort to protect health.
A “hero of health” company—trying to save the one in every five of us now likely to die of cancer—is not very likely to be attacked by savvy politicians.
THE CRUCIAL FIRST STEP IN PROTECTIVE PR is to show management what can be seen in our PR crystal balls: What the PR perils will be. What management can plan now to partly immunize the company and perhaps earn the gratitude of a grateful nation for being a protective corporate hero.