Be strategic! Get curious.

How many times have you been told that your role in communications or human resources needs to be more strategic?  After all, you want to “be at the table”.  You want to be a ‘business partner’.  You want to be more than an order taker.  And you can’t do that unless you can add something of value to the conversation that otherwise wouldn’t be there.  Be strategic!

I think we can all agree that being strategic is more about looking ahead and “big picture” than being stuck in today, reacting, responding and focused on tools and tactics.

But what does that really mean?  And, how do you get there?

Michael and I did a workshop a few years ago – 9 steps to successful internal communications.  Steps 1 and 2 focused on understanding what success looked like from an institutional perspective and the implications for internal communications.  The idea was to give participants a fresh way of looking at their organizations that would position them to be more strategic. The push back in the room was incredible.  The people in the group – mostly senior HR and/or communications professionals – just couldn’t see how this thinking was going to help them be more successful.  After all the strategists publish the strategy.  What else is there to understand?

Over the years, I’ve noticed that most HR and communications professionals don’t take the time they need to really understand their institutions and those events, levers, moments that are most critical for organizational success.  We don’t ask the questions that will help us really understand where and how our functions can add the most value.

Why is that?  And how can we develop that curiosity as a profession?

Without it, being strategic will be as elusive as ever.

 

Tags: Employee communication, Strategic