The Leader's Voice by Portland

THE LEADER’S VOICE

Portland’s guide to leading through communication

THE LEADER’S VOICE Portland’s guide to leading through communication

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION Tim Allan

LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATIONS Sam Sharps

THE WINNING LEADER Alastair Campbell

SHOWTIME: YOUR FIVE MINUTES ON TV Ian King

INFOGRAPHIC AND MEDIA PLANNER

HOW TO GET IT RIGHT

THE SOCIAL CEO

THE AUTHENTICITY GAP

LEADERSHIP IN THE AGE OF YELLING

WASHINGTON RULES

Mark Flanagan

Ed Perkins

THE HELP YOU NEED George Pascoe-Watson

David Bradshaw

Caroline Edgar

Lucy Bradlow

"The success of a leader relies a great deal on how well he or she can convince, encourage, defend, represent, demand, enthuse, reassureâ&#x20AC;Ś"

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INTRODUCTION Leadership is all about communication.

TIM ALLAN Managing Director, Portland

The success of a leader relies a great deal on how well or how much he or she can convince, encourage, defend, represent, demand, enthuse, evince and reassure. What they say or write is a huge measure of how they achieve their goals. At Portland we have worked with some very high-profile leaders in businesses, governments and other organisations, in the UK and around the world. This publication, though, is the first time we have taken a systematic look at what leadership communications is really about. There will never be a truly settled definition of leadership communications, but it is possible to identify some of the categories into which it breaks down. So we have started by giving the Portland guide to the things a leader needs to think about and the threads that might tie them together. Alastair Campbell worked at the heart of government for many years, and therefore knows more than most about political leadership. But his post-government career has seen him working with other types of leaders in business, campaigns, and sport. Here he gives us his insight into the mentality that makes for a successful leader – or in his words, a winner. Our guest contributor Ian King of Sky News is ideally placed to recognise which business figures can cut it on TV, and explains how good leaders get that right. Two of our seasoned practitioners then share their thoughts to how leaders can overcome communications challenges – David Bradshaw’s guide to matching the

right material to a convincing delivery, and Mark Flanagan’s tips for the social CEO. Caroline Edgar has plenty of expertise in recognising an authentic message, and an authentic leader. Ed Perkins, our recent acquisition from the Palace, provides his perspective on how the modern media environment can make communication more difficult, and how leaders can get around that. Portland’s office in Washington, DC sees the worlds of commerce and politics come together. Lucy Bradlow rounds up ten lessons that business leaders might learn from the politicians. To put a bit of data behind the opinion, we spent many weeks watching the media – UK and US, traditional and digital – even more closely than usual to understand how leaders engage, and how they come across. The findings, dotted through the document and in the pull-out infographic, tell us something about the things leaders find important, and something about the different audiences they are trying to reach. We have also provided our quick reference list of media opportunities for leaders looking to get their message over. All of this adds up to a useful leadership communications handbook in its own right, but I hope it also gives you a good insight to the sort of work Portland does every day, something our own George PascoeWatson talks about in our final contribution. If you’d like to discuss how Portland can deliver for you, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

GETTING STARTED

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LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATIONS:

WHAT'S IN THE TO DO LIST? The concept of leadership has a history as long as that of human society. So has advice on being a leader.

Theories of leadership, and definitions of good or bad leadership, continue to fill books and seminar agendas. For business people looking for inspiration, there are lessons ready to be dispatched from the worlds of sport, politics or war. There will of course never be a consensus on what leadership should or should not be, because style, circumstance and taste will always make it a matter of opinion. The precise form of leadership will always be

open to interpretation, but the roles of a leader will nearly always look quite similar. Clearly, those at the very top of an organisation are those most closely associated with leadership. But it is possible to lead from just about any point within a hierarchy, and the communications skills required of leaders, or those who will one day become leaders, apply to a group much wider than those around the boardroom table.

A leaderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s communications portfolio must include the skills to achieve several disparate objectives: Galvanise and deliver performance from the organisation

Employee communications

Sell the organisation to investors

Financial communications

Represent the organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Represent the organisation products or services to to the media customers Corporate

Commercial communications

communications

Negotiate the best possible regulatory and policy environment

Navigate through difficulties when they occur

Political communications

Crisis communications

SAM SHARPS Associate Director

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Each of these roles provides distinct challenges. But a truly effective leader not only has the right plan to deliver each of these elements, but a thread that runs through them. This thread must demonstrate the leader’s character, values and vision. A properly communicated leadership, therefore, starts with identification of the person with the organisation. The audience needs to recognise that connection, and be able to make out the culture and ethos that motivate both. But while that culture might be relatively static, the leader’s task is to show how he or she is changing things and making progress. That sense of continual vision and drive is what really convinces. All of this can only be made possible through finding a voice. The leader’s challenge is not to broadcast his or her opinions and character, but to let them come out in a conversation. Without building a set of relationships with the various overlapping audiences, no leader can really convince. So engaging in a richer discussion and demonstrating the ability to listen and learn can be transformative. Some people find all of this easier than others. But all can improve. It is not the flair, or manner, or natural ability that ultimately makes a difference. It is the thought and preparation that goes into the programme, and the cleanliness of execution. Portland research found BROADCAST INTERVIEWEES/ WERE INTERRUPTED/ ON AVERAGE AROUND/ TIMES/ PER SESSION.

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INSPIRATIONS AND TEACHERS

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THE WINNING LEADER I have been putting the finishing touches to a book looking at winners in politics, business and sport. Unsurprisingly, leadership looms large in all three areas.

ALASTAIR CAMPBELL Portland’s Chief Strategy Adviser

Winners in politics are invariably leaders. So, too, in business where it is powerful individuals who build great brands and global empires. Success in sport, of course, can be measured in athletic superiority or titles won. But it is noticeable how many sporting legends also have the special qualities that reside in the space marked ‘leader.’

a politician. They are actually the views of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. He goes on to say ‘our job I find very interesting because it’s more than being an intellectual. An intellectual guy is a guy who lives for his ideas; a football manager is a guy who needs to have ideas as well, but then he has to show that these ideas work and to transform it into a practical aspect.

In the course of my research, I have read widely and also had the privilege to interview leaders in these different walks of life all across the world. What struck me is just how interchangeable their qualities and approach are.

‘That’s why I find this job interesting: at the end of the day you can check how good your ideas are. I believe as well a leader can be a fantastic person who can influence other people’s lives in a positive way. Therefore he has a great responsibility.’

Look for instance at these words… ‘I would say a person who is a good leader is a person who has ideas and has a vision of the world. To have a vision of the world, you have to have a philosophy of the world and values that are important for you. So the first work a leader has to do is analyse what he wants, what is important to him, and the second step is to make that real.’

These thoughts capture something of the essence of what leaders do in any field and the qualities they need to be successful. Leaders have to believe in what they are doing, and that requires a set of beliefs in the first place. They have to have values because they are what will drive you when times are good, and sustain you when times are challenging. Above all, they have to have a clear idea of what they want – their destination – and a clear sense of how to get there. The rest is hard work.

You might think from the use of the words ideas, vision, philosophy they come from

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"Leaders have to believe in what they are doing, and that means having a set of beliefs in the first place."

And it is hard - and getting harder in an era where deference has disappeared and been replaced by instant and constant communication. Listen to the intellectual Arsenal manager again. ‘We have gone from a vertical society to a horizontal society where everybody has an opinion about every decision you make, everybody has an opinion on the internet straight away. Basically the respect for people who make decisions is gone because every decision is questioned. So one of the most important qualities of a good leader now is massive resistance to stress. Under stress you become smaller and smaller until you cannot give out a message any more and that, of course, is something that is vital. Many people underestimate this challenge.’ He’s right. In the vertical society, leaders led and followers followed. In today’s horizontal society, leaders are surrounded by snipers, doubters and cynics. The result is the pressure is more intense than ever to put the short-term before the longterm and the tactical before the strategic. It was telling, too, how this was a pressure that their counterparts in sport and business thought political leaders were finding harder and harder to resist.

They saw the quality of political leadership around the world as generally low. Angela Merkel was regarded as an exception, in part because she was considered calm, clear about her agenda and focused on the long term. Vladimir Putin is seen as a strong leader, but for the wrong reasons. Narendra Modi in India excited interest because of the scale and timing of his campaign success. But few others even get on the radar. At a time when it is crystal clear that our world needs high-quality political leadership, this is a major concern. The pressures may be more intense than ever but the successful leader’s response should be to put more, not less, emphasis on being strategic. It means understanding that it is no longer possible, if ever it was, to control what people say and think about you and to recognise that you can only control what you say and do yourself. It then becomes easier to separate out the noise that surrounds newsmakers and decisionmakers day and night, and focus on the two tasks that set successful leaders apart in any field – setting a clear direction, and taking the most important decisions to ensure you get there.

"Our job I find very interesting because it’s more than being an intellectual. An intellectual guy is a guy who lives for his ideas; a football manager is a guy who needs to have ideas as well, but then he has to show that these ideas work and to transform it into a practical aspect. That’s why I find this job interesting: at the end of the day you can check how good your ideas are. I believe as well a leader can be a fantastic person who can influence other people’s lives in a positive way. Therefore he has a great responsibility."

Arsene Wenger

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SET A CLEAR DIRECTION AND TAKE THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISIONS TO GET THERE

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LEADERSHIP ON SCREEN

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SHOWTIME:

YOUR FIVE MINUTES ON TV As Business Presenter of Sky News, I am always going to argue that it is now essential for a successful chief executive to look and sound convincing on television. Yet it would be surprising if those who make the key appointments on Britain’s plc boards had not also reached a similar conclusion.

Look at some of the most recent executive hires. Tesco has just replaced Philip Clarke, a man who for all his abilities, never looked particularly comfortable in television interviews with Dave Lewis who, on the basis of his first round of television interviews, is perfectly at home in the medium. Or Serco, where Chris Hyman – a chief executive who very seldom, if ever, did television interviews – has made way for Rupert Soames, a gifted and approachable communicator who is relaxed with all forms of media. Other recent appointees in the FTSE100 all have the ability to do television interviews with ease, from those running consumer-facing brands, such as Mike

Coupe at J Sainsbury and Gavin Patterson at BT Group to those running businessto-business operators such as Andrew Mackenzie at BHP Billiton, a more outgoing chief executive than his more private predecessor, Marius Kloppers. That is not to say that looking and sounding good on television is the only prerequisite that makes a communications star. Good communications with the shareholder and analyst communities are also essential, as is an easy manner with the print media, while internal stakeholders – what in easier times used to be called the ‘staff’ of a business – also need to be kept onside.

IAN KING Sky News Business Presenter

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"Some chief executives are natural communicators. Others are better at it than they think they are."

This raises the single most important relationship that any chief executive has – the one with his or her chairman. History is littered with examples of a CEO being ousted when they have failed to get this right, and for good reason. The best chairmen, along with other nonexecutive directors, will be subtly passing messages from key shareholders to their CEO on a constant basis and, crucially, reminding them what they need to be telling them and showing investors. On some occasions, they will be doing all the key communicating themselves, such as the day in July 2012 when revelations over alleged Libor-rigging obliged Bob Diamond to step down as chief executive of Barclays. It would have been the easiest thing in the world that afternoon and evening for the bank not to have put anyone up for interview but simply hide behind its communications team and press releases. But Marcus Agius, the then chairman of Barclays, “manned up”, in the words of my Sky News predecessor Jeff Randall, appearing not only on Jeff’s show that night but also making numerous calls to the print media to explain the situation. Some chief executives are natural communicators. It comes to the likes of Tidjane Thiam at Prudential, Steve Holliday at National Grid or Harriet Green at Thomas Cook, to name a few, so naturally that one could easily imagine them working as a television or radio presenter if ever they were tempted to step aside from the exertions of high office. Others are better at it than they think they are: Stuart Gulliver, the HSBC chief executive, has never – to the best of my knowledge – given a television interview. This is a great shame, since he possesses both a ready wit and a knowledge of the banking industry that is almost peerless, making him a very strong communicator. This may be because Mr Gulliver feels

that, as a senior figure in an industry that remains largely unpopular with the public, he might be made a whipping boy for the entire sector. It would be understandable if Sam Laidlaw, the outgoing chief executive of Centrica, had decided for similar reasons to limit his appearances on the broadcast media. Of course, some companies do not help themselves in how they deal with the media, often by inflicting wounds on themselves. A classic example is how some businesses decide they can do without a director of corporate communications but instead put overall responsibility for communications in the hands of the investor relations director or, worse, the group legal director. In such circumstances – and one well-known FTSE-100 company is in the process of doing just that – it does not matter how effective a communicator the chief executive is. A legal director sees their job in terms of stopping bad things from happening. A good director of corporate communications is all about making things happen, whether that is getting out positive messages about a business or, in some scenarios, trying to explain what has gone wrong when bad things happen. And here, it is impossible not to return to Mr Laidlaw. He was barely five months into the job at Centrica when, just two days after Christmas in 2006, four of the company’s employees were killed when the helicopter that was taking them back from a gas rig in the Irish Sea crashed in Morecambe Bay. Within hours, Mr Laidlaw was on the scene, attending a press conference at Blackpool police station and taking leading efforts to retrieve the bodies of the dead men, the pilot and their fellow passengers. It was a classy display that proves good leadership and good communications are, inevitably, intertwined.

SOME COMPANIES DO NOT HELP THEMSELVES IN HOW THEY DEAL WITH THE MEDIA

INFOGRAPHIC AND MEDIA PLANNER To see a cross section of how business leaders are currently communicating, we monitored over 350 interviews in the UK and United States over the course of a month. Taken from leading print, online, TV and radio outlets, the interviews revealed something about how the media treat leaders, and much about how leaders approach the media. Leaders can have several reasons for appearing in the media. Some are forced on in a defensive mode following criticism or poor results. Others wish to campaign for some outcome, or just support a sales campaign. Others may treat the opportunity as a way to boost their profile and gain goodwill in future. At heart, though, the task is usually the same: project an image of the leader, represent the strategy and values of the organisation, and deliver a few messages while surviving any hostile questioning.

We set out to test whether a few basic elements were present in leaders’ media appearances Do they make sure to mention customers? Do they mention the market they operate in? Do they mention their colleagues? Do they primarily couch their arguments in terms of ‘I’ or ‘we’? Do they talk numbers? From these we can start to build up an idea of how most people do it. This is not necessarily the same thing as identifying the right way to communicate – that’s a matter of style, circumstance and strategy. But an understanding of how your competition does it is not a bad place to start. We have also looked across all media to identify opportunities for leaders to get their message across, and provide a weekly planner for broadcast, print and online.

www.portland-communications.com/tlvinfographic

How you do it is a matter of style, circumstance and strategy.

THE TASK IS USUALLY THE SAME: PROJECT AN IMAGE, REPRESENT THE STRATEGY, AND DELIVER A FEW MESSAGES WHILE SURVIVING ANY HOSTILE QUESTIONING.

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HOW TO GET IT RIGHT The best communicators don’t always make the best leaders.

DAVID BRADSHAW Head of Writing

Skills of oratory won’t hide in the long run the failure to devise the right strategy or the courage to stick to it when times get difficult. But equally the best strategy won’t work unless those who have to deliver it understand what’s expected of them. Nor will an organisation get credit for achieving goals, no matter how difficult, unless the reason they are important has been spelt out. And just ask those companies which responded too late of the benefits of good communication in a crisis. Getting this right takes time and effort. You have to work out the purpose of the communication and the response you want from those who read what you have written or hear what you are saying. You need to decide how you can best achieve it and frame your argument in as compelling way as possible. It is always a challenge to retain a focus on the big picture and what really matters. It is all too easy to get drawn into the detail and find you have lost your audience on the way. The more you know, the harder it can

be to avoid this trap. It is why an outside perspective can often help. Finding the structure, tone and words to land your messages is also vital. The reader needs to be led logically and easily through what you are saying. The language should be clear and the tone authentic. It is not an artform but it is a skill. And, as with all skills, practice definitely helps. Verbal tricks such as alliteration and striking imagery help bring content to life but should not be over-used. Promising to fight your critics on the beaches is fine when facing a global threat to civilisation but over-thetop if complaining about council red tape. Remember your audience and the context. Strengths in a case should be emphasised but the temptation to ignore or skate over weaknesses must be resisted. The likelihood is that you will, in the end, be forced to talk about them later without the opportunity of putting them in the context of your choosing. While all this matters for any communication, it is even more important in a speech whether at a townhall meeting or a formal event. After all, the speech audience does not have the chance

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Leaders changed their message and tone depending on the outlet.

90%

83% 50%

37.5% of guests on Wake up to Money or the Today programme mentioned their customers...

of leaders quoted in the Financial Times did so.

of re-reading a passage which is not clear. Few people including politicians enjoy speaking in public but this is no reason to pretend it is not going to happen. If business leaders saw the effort senior politicians, who have spent a career making speeches, and their teams put into deciding the argument, honing the words and, critically, rehearsing delivery they might make more time in their own diaries to do the same. Audiences may not now expect speakers to have written their own speeches. They do, however, expect them to have had the courtesy to have read the draft in advance. Too often it can seem as if speaker and listeners are on a shared journey of discovery. Even the most experienced politician makes sure before an important speech they find the time to read drafts aloud – often to their team – which helps identify passages which are out-of-place, muddled or repetitive and sentences which don’t work or are difficult to say. They mark their scripts, underlining words to emphasise or writing in where they need to pause.

of leaders quoted in the Guardian mentioned their work colleagues…

talked in numbers.

It is true that some people have a natural advantage. Anyone watching the YouTube video of Shakira speaking at Harvard would think she was making the speech up as she went along, so relaxed and conversational was her performance. She wasn’t. Pretty much every word was scripted – with a big contribution from her – but that’s the confidence a lifetime of performing gives you. Tony Blair had the ability to make the most pedestrian script come alive, for which some of us remain very grateful. But he also took an extremely hands-on role in the development and writing of his main speeches. With good communication now so integral to good leadership, it is an example everyone should follow.

75% 20% of those quoted on BBC breakfast radio mentioned the competition…

of those interviewed by the BBC later in the day did so.

"Promising to fight your critics on the beaches is fine when facing a global threat, but over the top when complaining about red tape."

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MAKING LEADERSHIP DIGITAL

THE SOCIAL CEO Many executives feel that social media represents a poor return on time and investment. Others lack the confidence to engage and fear a hostile response. However, the greatest risk posed by social media in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world is being absent from the conversation.

MARK FLANAGAN Partner

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billion people worldwide are now estimated to be active users of social media. What a shame, then, that the vast majority of business leaders are not yet among them.

68% of CEOs at Fortune 500 companies have no social media presence at all, according to a study from CEO.com.

The corporate world is under tremendous scrutiny. Customers, shareholders, employees, media and activists all have an expectation of transparency, and greater engagement. Maintaining your licence to operate relies on audiences being able to understand what your company stands for - in good times and in bad. This means communicating the values and mission of the organisation as well as its operational performance. The job of a leader now is not just to execute a strategy but to narrate it. Digital offers business leaders the chance to go around the traditional cynical media gatekeepers and engage directly. Whether it’s a blog on the company website, through video, or social media channels, CEOs have the opportunity to gain a ‘voice’, explain positions more clearly and, crucially, shorten the gap between themselves and the audience. In a sea of bland corporate accounts, personalising social media around the leader is also more likely to cut through and generate a reaction. This isn’t about turning the boss into a celebrity, but about them being seen to own the business strategy and influence the discussion surrounding their company. Moreover, there’s a perception that CEOs who are active on social media make better leaders. The recent BRANDfog study suggests that social CEOs can strengthen brands, build trust in products and services, demonstrate brand values and communicate accountability. Richard Branson is the clear leader in this field. You could say that’s because he is famous and probably has an army of staff to maintain his social media profiles. However, the key to Sir Richard’s success is being committed to an authentic,

authorial presence which is recognisable. He claims to write all his own blogs and even read the comments once he’s posted. Rupert Murdoch stands out because he is outspoken and ‘unspun’ on Twitter. He makes an impact because he doesn’t just trumpet successes but has things to say which are often divisive. A less well known example is the CEO of Canadian Bank Tangerine, Peter Aceto. On his Twitter feed, Aceto avoids selfpromotion. He also maintains a blog to talk about what he believes in, what makes him happy, sad, or frustrated. This speaks to the argument that social media is a way to humanise a CEO and provides a unique form of ‘outside in’ access. Too often, we professionals obsess about platforms and tools when they are much less important than the message and messenger. Content provides the standout advantage, not platform. Doing social media properly requires thought and commitment. It may be the most public thing you will say, so understand the medium and don’t trivialise it or delegate to the intern. This means crafting a coherent and sustainable content strategy, aligned to the communications strategy, which provides context and explanation for your business goals. It means committing to authentic engagement on social media where difficult questions have to be confronted, not ducked. Digital and social media is an increasingly important part of every company’s communications strategy. Now is the time for today’s executives to lead by example.

THE JOB OF A LEADER NOW IS NOT JUST TO EXECUTE A STRATEGY BUT TO NARRATE IT

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THE AUTHENTICITY GAP Everyone has an opinion on what good leadership looks like. CAROLINE EDGAR Partner

Throughout our lives we encounter good and bad examples, from the classroom to the boardroom. We see them every day on the TV and in the papers; leaders of commerce, politics and academia. All of them have something to communicate, but only a small percentage of what they have to say actually resonates. Only a few of their speeches or communications bleed into our discussions at work, around the dinner table or in the pub with our friends. So why arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t all leadership communications successful? The way in which they communicate can explain so much. The urgency or consistency of message, strength of argument, endorsement by independent voices, alignment with our personal views and values, timeliness of message, even time of day and channel. All of these things can help to build credibility in the minds of people like us. But the art of getting us to care about what they have to say is far more fundamental. Whatever their message, and whoever the audience, the underlying measure of success in any communication, but particularly leadership communications, is not necessarily whether we agree with what they have to say, nor whether we like them, but whether we believe them. And when trust in business as a whole is in negative equity, that belief is often hard to win. You could argue that through a difficult recession and period of intense anticorporate culture, business leaders have been too reticent to bang their own drums. They have shied away from talking

about their achievements and innovations. Often, their communications have been sanitised, pared back and controlled to the extent to which any emotion or personality was removed from them. Corporate speak, however intelligently written, does not inspire or create empathy. For todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leaders, who need to engage rather than instruct, their messages must now come from the heart. And here I do not mean emotional fluff, I mean credible, believable words and arguments. These days, great leaders are not expected to have the flair of someone like former Sainsbury's CEO Justin King. Not every leader is blessed with the ability to command any audience on any subject matter. But unless they communicate their achievements, identity and point of view - and do so in a way which is genuine and authentic - they will never rebuild the trust that has been lost. The general public will remain none the wiser and just as cynical. The time is right for business leaders to be braver in the way they communicate. To be less apologetic. To give us more reasons to believe. And while being brave in communications terms can pose risks, the risk of remaining silent will be infinitely more damaging. At the end of the day, leaders will be forgiven for getting it wrong sometimes; for not always having all the answers. But the leadersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; voice is the only voice that can genuinely rebuild trust in business today.

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Corpo rate s peak does n ot

inspir e

THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR BUSINESS LEADERS TO BE BRAVER IN THE WAY THEY COMMUNICATE

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LEADERSHIP IN THE AGE OF YELLING It’s pretty easy, these days, to get your opinion out there. Whether that opinion is worth hearing is hardly relevant.

ED PERKINS Partner

As the writer Seth Godin put it, “the less people know, the more they yell”. Of course, the more people yell the less likely it is that anyone is heard at all. After eight years in television news and almost as long working for the Royal Family, it strikes me that while the age of deference is long gone, the art of leadership in communication remains vital. The world no longer sits up and listens simply because an individual occupies a particular position, or indeed because that person booms out the loudest. The current attempts to control the spread of Ebola encapsulate the challenge pretty nicely. On an otherwise quiet Sunday afternoon in October, at the Hospital Barras Luco in Santiago, Chile, the voice came over the tannoy: “Can I have your attention, please. We have a patient who is suspected to have Ebola. Please leave the room and go to another hospital.” Covering their mouths, the BBC reported, patients began to flee, but not before one of them recorded the announcement on a camera phone. Uploaded to YouTube the video was viewed 120,000 times in less than 24 hours. Tens of thousands took to twitter to discuss the possible spread of the virus to the country. Except it wasn’t Ebola at all. Tests revealed a day later that the

patient was suffering instead from malaria and typhoid. Too late for social media, of course, which had already moved on, at a pace faster than the truth could keep up, to some other tale of misinformation. Pity, then, those leaders charged in times of extreme crisis with having to plug the gap with information before panic fills it instead. In the case of Ebola – so rapidly evolving a crisis, in fairness, that the situation is likely to have changed even by the time you read this – the ‘official’ message from the world’s health and political leaders has been largely lost in the volume of other commentary, much of it ill-informed at best and nonsense at worst. All of which poses a major challenge, but it is still possible. True, the media might not engage on half the issues espoused by the Prince of Wales were he not the Prince of Wales, but it is because he is a Prince with an opinion, rather than a Prince alone, that he is listened to. There is substance behind the title. Society may long ago have democratised the right to an opinion, and the internet provided the mechanism for us to listen to them all, but the truth is that not all opinions were born equal. The sheer volume of white noise allows leaders – at least, those with something to say – to rise above it now more than ever.

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02 GET YOUR

Democratisation of the conversation – in which everyone has a say – means the value of authority can seem diminished. But a really successful leader leverages both the prestige of their position and the stock of respect built up from being part of a multilateral discussion. Even as social media chatters to itself it will still hush to take direction, but only if that is as part of a conversation.

The role of the leader in communications is to be swift and bold but it is also to be sure. Clarity of thought beats speed of delivery every time (unless of course we take a day to deliver a message that might reasonably be dispatched in an hour).

ENGAGE

The leader trying to communicate in this new environment has to fulfil three sets of incompatiblesounding tasks

MESSAGE RIGHT

ADAPT TO THE CHANNEL The leader has to cultivate relationships with the media while at the same time interacting, engaging and understanding the audience directly. The ‘old’ and ‘new’ media worlds demand different approaches, but fundamentally, even in the digital age, so long as human beings continue to write, tweet and broadcast, human relationships matter. On the strategic level, that centres around how the leader gets on with their public; how well they connect with their audience. At the tactical, it falls to the relationships with the media of their advisers and advocates.

WASHINGTON RULES: TEN LESSONS FOR LEADERS

Politics and business are different disciplines. But just as business leaders can look to sport, war or even fiction for inspiration, there are some clear lessons they can learn from the political world.

YOU’RE ON SALE AS MUCH AS YOUR PRODUCTS.

Politics is a personality game. Much of the public votes on whether they like the candidate. Teams go to painstaking lengths to humanize candidates and present them as ‘likeable’. Businesses are often unwilling to project their leaders as an entity on their own, but a strong public profile of a CEO can change the whole image of a company. The personality of the leader is often more important than the structure he/she is leading, and therefore a strong public profile of a leader can influence the image of the company as a whole. 2 BE FLEXIBLE.

Politicians are adept at recognizing the mood of the populace and reacting to it. This doesn’t mean you have to compromise your core principles, but rather that there is value in being willing to compromise and re-negotiate. Sticking to a firm corporate line won’t always work. Companies need to be willing and able to adjust to different cultures and environments. 3 ACCEPT FAILURES AND WORK

TO CORRECT THEM.

LUCY BRADLOW Associate - Washington, DC

Politics proves that people are forgiving. If you own up to your mistakes and show clearly how you are working to fix them, you won’t necessarily lose support. You need to look no further than Bill Clinton’s re-election to prove this. Refusing to accept failure can have a devastating impact on a company. Getting out ahead of an issue by accepting a mistake and working to correct it can limit any negative consequences. 4 REMEMBER THAT PERCEPTION

IS EVERYTHING.

Politicians understand (perhaps too well) that their actions are judged according to their reputation, not the other way round, and they work to ensure that their public image is as controlled as it can be. A strong reputation is the best way to withstand any potential crises. Companies often think that their work will speak for them. This is simply no longer true.

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A company’s public perception needs to be constantly massaged and managed to ensure that the public perception accurately reflects the reality. 5 DON’T BE AFRAID TO TAKE

A STAND.

Politics is about opinions. From the moment a politician first starts campaigning, he or she sets out exactly what they stand for, even if they know it is going to alienate some voters. This is the most fundamental way of attracting voters. Business leaders are sometimes afraid to take a stand on issues, believing it is not their place to have an opinion. But the public now expects the opposite and business leaders need to recognize that acts of omission or inaction can be more damaging to the bottom-line than acts of commission. 6 UNDERSTAND THAT THE POWER

LIES WITH THE PEOPLE.

Good politicians have mastered the art of engaging with the ‘everyman’. Politicians understand that they need to appeal to everyone to gain support, hence the photo-ops at barbecues, duck hunts or baseball games. If that seems authentic, it can show that the politician understands the public. If it seems forced, the effect can be excruciating. Business leadership too often lies above the fray. Social and online media gives business leadership the opportunity to communicate directly with their stakeholders. Business leaders should take advantage of this opportunity and use it to establish direct rapport with their stakeholders. The public is much more likely to stay loyal if they feel they have a relationship with the leadership. 7 PUT THE AUDIENCE FIRST.

Politicians base their campaigns around finding the small grey zone between what they believe in, and what the public wants them to believe in. A successful politician uses their constituents to help shape their policies and priorities. Businesses need to use the resources available to them to ask what their customers, or wider stakeholders, actually want. Effective business leaders spend more time making strategic plans, not operational ones.

8 ACCEPT THAT THERE ARE

THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW.

Successful politicians choose their teams based not on what they know, but what they don’t know. When President Obama brought on Harper Reed to run his online campaigning, Reed had never worked on a campaign, but knew about digital communications, and Obama did not. Reed’s work was instrumental in Obama’s success and his methods changed the way campaigns are run. 9 BE SELF-AWARE.

The media scrutiny of a political campaign requires a candidate to constantly be self-aware. Politicians and their teams are constantly working to understand not only how their audience will react to a decision, but also why, and are utilizing this information in their decision making. Businesses too, benefit from assessing and evaluating their strategy on a regular basis. Without looking back to see what has and has not worked in the past, it is very difficult to develop the best strategy for the future. 10 BE PATIENT AND RESILIENT.

No political leader got to the top without coming up against roadblocks. If you look at leaders like Hillary Clinton you will see that part of her current popularity is her ‘rising against all odds’ reputation. It takes time and testing for any leader to make a tangible impact. Patience and resilience are key for any leader. Many of these tips may seem selfevident, but it is surprising how often they get a candidate elected, or boost a popularity poll. Conversely, ignoring some of these tips has been the downfall of many a business leader. Portland’s recently launched Washington D.C. office combines extensive experience with business leaders with and understanding of Washington’s political buzz, to help our clients develop communications strategies that combine the best of both worlds.

"A strong reputation is the best way to withstand any potential crisis."

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THE HELP YOU NEED In my time at Portland I have worked with major brands, governments, campaign organisations and high-profile individuals.

GEORGE PASCOE-WATSON Senior Partner

Our clients can look very different from each other but at heart what they all want is to tell their story clearly and successfully. As we say in this document, leaders have to have know how to do all sorts of different communications disciplines: financial, internal, corporate, crisis, commercialâ&#x20AC;Ś there is no shortage of advice on how to excel at each of these. But leaders come to Portland because we cover them all, and combine them into a compelling whole. In my experience, too few leaders play to their strengths. They often allow external

advisers to push them into saying things that work for a particular audience, or react to external pressure. But what people want from a leader is authenticity. They need that leader to tell a story which makes sense and feels true. The services we provide start with deciding the story the leader needs to tell. We work with you to find a set of messages and a voice that are authentic and compelling. We then develop a programme for telling the story to different audiences in a joined-up way. And we help implement that programme to get maximum results.

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In doing so we draw on our experience with some of the biggest brands and names around business in the UK and abroad. We also have an unrivalled team, including:

TIM ALLAN Tim is a former director of communications for BskyB and has spent 13 years at the forefront of the communications profession in the UK and abroad with Portland.

GEORGE PASCOE-WATSON George brings his unique experience of journalism and politics to reputation management. This incorporates campaigns, corporate strategy, messaging and execution in public affairs and communication.

MARK FLANAGAN

DAVID BRADSHAW

Mark was a digital adviser to three Prime Ministers and leads Portland’s work with clients to develop and promote first class content to support their reputation or campaign.

David has written speeches and opinion pieces for some of the world’s most influential business leaders, following a decade at Downing Street.

CAROLINE EDGAR

ED PERKINS

Caroline has advised iconic global brands including Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Speedo and the Discovery Channel. She currently oversees programmes for clients including Nestlé, Nestlé Waters and Hyatt Hotels

Ed was until recently the head of communications for three of the most famous people in the world: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

VICTORIA WALLIN

PAUL DUFFY

Victoria specialises in business to business communications for global organisations across the property, retail and professional services sectors.

Paul works across several sectors advising clients on reputation and media strategies. Prior to entering consultancy, he was a senior journalist at the BBC for almost a decade.

info@portlandcommunications.com www.portlandcommunications.com @PortlandComms

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London 1 Red Lion Court London EC4A 3EB t: +44 (0) 20 7842 0123 f: +44 (0) 20 7842 0145 New York 437 Madison Avenue 4th Floor, New York NY 10022 T: +1 212 415 3036 Washington, DC 1717 K Street NW Suite 900, Washington DC 20006 T:+1 202 787 5758 Nairobi 4th Floor, Cavendish Building 14 Riverside Drive Nairobi, Kenya T:+254 (0)20 4231 528 info@portland-communications.com www.portland-communications.com @PortlandComms