Overview

A focus on business communication has emerged as well. Solid communication vehicles have been put into place to ensure that everyone involved in any way with the business is kept abreast of what is going on and has access to everyone in the firm. It is the only way to ensure that Your Business, Inc. is leveraging all its resources to the fullest.

This chapter focuses on a results-focused communications program. As Figure 7.1 suggests, this program provides the communication element of the pie. Communicating relevant information to all with a need to know is the single most important thing a company can do: it builds trust among employees; gains the confidence of the investment community; and establishes solid relationships with customers and suppliers and all other stakeholders. However, communicating relevant information to all with a need to know is extremely difficult to accomplish.

Figure 7.1: Filling in the communications piece.

Why? Because most management teams believe they already do a fine job of communicating. After all, senior leaders make a point of ensuring that elaborate memoranda go out announcing all of the important stuff:

And, let us not forget the annual meetings. Every year company personnel are gathered together (sometimes in an exotic locale, sometimes not) and, reminiscent of a high school pep rally, they are...