By John Baldoni/Baldoni Consulting
The way that McDonald's handled the death of its CEO and succession of the number two serves as a textbook example of how to handle and communicate executive succession
correctly. Here are some suggested steps.
- Develop a plan. Corporate communications managers must create a plan for communicating to key constituents when a leadership change occurs. The plan must include key
messages as well as key contacts in the financial and mainstream media. Most important, the plan must include the name of the designated successor, even if this person will only
serve on an interim basis. - Control the story. Corporate communicators should be at the nexus of the flow of information. If the new leader needs to speak to the media, the corporate communications
folks need to establish time and place for public statements and media. The CFO or treasurer will need to relay succession information to the financial community using their own
information networks; when this occurs, the communications people need to plan what is said as well as to whom it is said. Corporate communicators must also issue media releases
that iterate key messages and particulars of the new leadership team. - Establish a zone of privacy around affected employees. Circumstances in sudden succession will differ - accident, illness or death. Communications regarding the individual
may be discrete; it is wholly appropriate to respect the privacy rights of affected families. The senior communications person can issue a statement emphasizing that apart from
relating facts about what happened to the leader, he will focus more on implications of succession as they relate to the company as a whole. This issue arises when the CEO's
accident or death is the result of suspicious circumstances. In that instance the company must distance itself from the individual's behavior and instead focus on the behavior of
the organization. The media, of course, will want to know all the details; but if you seek to control the story you can minimize trauma to the family and the company. - Partner with HR to open internal communication channels. Employees suffer, too, during a sudden succession. The crisis communication plan can include how to involve
employees, that is, communicating the news to them as well as enabling them to communicate their thoughts to the new leader and her team. Open communication channels can alleviate
the resulting stress. Keep the channels open for as long as necessary.
Sudden succession is never pleasant, but having a well-conceived plan in place can minimize stress and most importantly enable the company to go forward in ways that
demonstrate its capacity for coping as well as for leadership. When it comes to sudden succession, respect for the fallen leader must be balanced with a respect for the
organization. In short, employees will do their jobs and continue to meet all company commitments to customers, vendors and shareholders.
Baldoni is the author of "Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders" (McGraw-Hill).