Succession planning isn't limited to communications departments within Fortune 500 companies that have celebrity CEOs and a lot to lose when the CEOs leave. Whether you
work for a nonprofit with a skeletal staff, a midsize agency or a multinational corporation, the process of grooming executives for leadership positions is same--that is, it's
ongoing (at least it should be), and it hinges on preparing these people to become thought leaders in their respective fields.
This is easier said than done, of course. For starters, it means getting your current president/CEO out in front of issues and audiences, while still giving their underlings
the TLC needed to step up when the time comes. Perhaps the best way to approach this training is to position said underlings as spokespeople for the organization, as this
prepares them to fill big shoes by giving them a thorough background in the company's goals and target audiences. Here's a roadmap for getting started:
*Position execs in front of your target audience. Hani Durzy, partner of 463 Communications, recommends sitting down with executives and charting the "who, what, why and where"
of every issue that they will speak to in the context of different audiences.
"A regulator will hear things differently than a technology reporter; a lawyer hears things differently than a customer," Durzy says. "Think about who the audience is and who
else they talk to."
Durzy outlines these additional steps for preparing executives to be successful thought leaders:
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Help them understand the various channels through which they can disseminate messages.
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Keep messages and topics simple and streamlined.
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Provide facts and research that support their topics.
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Anticipate roadblocks ahead of time and prepare the executives accordingly.
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Remind them to always be aware of their body language.
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Build sources internally, and make friends with the legal and investor relations departments.
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Embrace background and off-the-record conversations with stakeholders, as these build relationships that will be useful down the road.
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Help them maintain transparency and credibility.
*Align their personality with that of the business. Executives are best equipped to be thought leaders on topics that are both interesting to them and to the business; however,
culture is always key.
Karen Kahn, VP, worldwide public relations of Sun Microsystems, explains this in the context of Jonathan Schwartz's move from president to CEO of the company. Because of his
relatively young age--and his ponytail--"the leadership platform around him became very critical," Kahn says. "You must establish the person's brand attributes: values, style and
identity. It must be authentic.
Her team accomplished this by first having an input session with Schwartz to identify his attributes. "The CEO must be brought into this. They must be actively engaged," she
says, also pointing out that these brainstorming sessions should be done for everyone in the leadership team in anticipation of future transitions. "There is no one hammer for all
nails--establish these brand attributes for everyone in the leadership team."
*Do the research and define criteria for success. When grooming an executive for a top leadership position, Kahn recommends "defining messages and determining what type of
campaign you should be executing."
This was especially relevant to her team, as Schwartz's move to CEO coincided with then-CEO Scott McNealy's ascent to the chairman position. Thus, the communications
challenges were twofold: bringing Schwartz in and establishing him as a thought leader while reassuring stakeholders that McNealy wasn't leaving the company--he was just taking on
a new leadership role.
*Identify the best communications platforms for disseminating the executive's message. Interviews with media are always an option, but oftentimes digital channels are ideal for
establishing executives as thought leaders and engaging them with audiences. Schwartz, for example, has a Facebook profile and a blog, but Kahn offers a few caveats:
"Blogs are great, but they don't work for everyone," she says. "You can't write the CEO's blog [for him]. You can filter ideas, but as soon as it becomes inauthentic, it's
over."
Alison Wertheim, who works in the PR department of Charles Schwab, seconds the need for authenticity in all leadership communications. She cites Schwab's decision to rejoin
the company when its reputation was suffering. He came in to "contemporize and refresh the brand, and to re-engage investors emotionally." However, it was essential that the PR
team always aligned his messages with the business itself rather than completely departing from the original brand.
"Sometimes reinvention requires staying true to who you are," Wertheim says.
*Be a matchmaker. It can't be emphasized enough: When grooming executives to step into more senior positions, or when facilitating a transition similar to Sun or Charles
Schwab's, make sure that the company's culture is at the forefront of all strategies and decisions. The person should have a deep understanding of customer and brand awareness and
employee engagement, not to mention a keen sense of how to manage talent. These are not skills that can be taught after the fact.
This point is also relevant for building thought leadership platforms around executives. For example, innovation is the perfect platform for someone like Sun's CEO, but it
wouldn't necessarily translate to Charles Schwab.
All in all, thought leadership and succession planning go hand-in-hand to enhance an organization's reputation and position in its industry; it's just a matter of PR execs
playing a role to streamline the process.
CONTACTS:
Karen Kahn, [email protected]; Alison Wertheim, [email protected]; Hani Durzy,
Criteria For Success
Karen Kahn, VP of worldwide public relations for Sun Microsystems, defines the following as criteria for a successful CEO:
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Right issue: "Clarity trumps volume," Kahn says. "Focus on a few big trends that are simple. You can't be the spokesperson for everything anymore."
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Right peer set: Identify the other leaders with whom the CEO would like to be identified.
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Right community position
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Clear, compelling point of view
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Track record
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Hard-hitting promotion
Likewise, Alison Wertheim of Charles Schwab identifies these ?criteria for successful thought leaders:
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Optimistic, creative and fresh
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Based on truth and differentiation
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A track record of performance
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Message consistency and discipline
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Campaign-centric rollout
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Agile
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Touches consumers' ?nerve and need
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Relevant to "me"
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Authentic