Twitter’s communications staff is busily planning for their new CEO and all the changes that comes from the shift from a public company to a private one.
Musk has already signaled plans for Twitter. It isn’t Musk’s first rodeo as CEO and he’s not a blank slate. He comes to Twitter with a long list of speeches, interviews, Tweets and other postings – many of which signal abrupt changes, policies, and procedures that have evolved over time at Twitter. He has already publicly criticized current senior executives. So, the Twitter team actually may be able to get ahead of the changes.
But what about communicators in other organizations? Does Twitter’s about face make you think about what would you do if a controversial figure/change agent assumed the reins of your organization – whether it’s a through change in ownership, a crisis that forces rapid replacement of a CEO, or just the normal selection of a new leadership team. We are not fans of the “It can’t happen here” syndrome.
How do you quickly adjust a brand proposition, policies, procedures, message templates? Is it your place to point out to new leaders how original policies were created and how they were crafted, tested and approved? How can you gain the confidence of a new leader when communicators are often tied to the old team?
Assuming you want to stay with the new leadership team, here are CommCore’s suggestions:
- Be able to succinctly and neutrally explain the existing culture, policies and procedures.
- When asked probing questions, don’t be defensive or try to defend the prior leaders. Stay objective.
- Don’t take any negative comments personally.
- Try and avoid the “we’ve never done it that way before” idea because new leadership usually ushers in change.
- Work on being a consensus-builder because there will likely be conflict within the organization.
- …and if all else fails, keep your LinkedIn profile up to date
Senior leadership changes do happen and they can be sudden. . It’s worth considering how you would respond. An interesting perspective comes from Kate Zacker, a character in the Showtime series, Billions. When asked how she would respond to the mercurial whims of her boss, she said: “All I can tell you is what a good lawyer does. Obey your clients wishes however ill advised. But keep all options open in case they come to their senses.”