Communications is a vast field with numerous great tools and possibilities – pity that many companies treat the field as a ‘nice to have’ as opposed to a ‘must have’.
We all know that resources are limited. But as a consummate professional, I feel I can’t turn someone down when they come for help, whether it is just a simple proof-reading task or helping with the creation of a product PR plan or communications launch strategy for the company’s brand new corporate identity.
Ideally, we’d have enough members in the team to provide offer full-service communications to any colleague who asks, but this is not the case.
The answer does not lie in saying no. Well, it does, but just saying no still leaves colleagues in difficulty. The Polish say ‘not my circus, not my monkeys’, but don’t we all love monkeys?
The answer is to focus on the most important business goals and direct your limited resources towards helping the company achieve its strategic goals.
One way of doing this is to adopt a tiered approach, meaning the communications team that lacks resources (that probably includes most) determines beforehand what it should work on and what it should turn down.
The manner in which this is done depends on the company – CEB Gartner suggest six tiers, ranging from complete support and funding, to no support at all depending on the importance of the goal. The bottom tiers are not abandoned to themselves but offered a external agency / freelance support through which their (communication) needs can be met.
The list could include PR agencies, creative agencies, social media experts, writers, photographers, taxi companies, and a whole lot more.
Having previously arranged contracts with agreed-upon hourly or fixed rates, business partners within the company do not need to find appropriate agencies, not forge relationships, or get Legal to help with contracts and that sort of work that generally makes matters complicated. Partners know who to contact, and also what costs are involved.
Turning colleagues down and directing them towards a different solution which also involves budget will result in push back. But you know what? You are in a professional environment, not a Kindergarten dealing with an unruly child. And people should act that way.
Dedicate enough time to plan this well – this will allow you in the long-run to focus on what you really need to focus on.
Determine your final goal, possibly your company’s strategic goals, and work backwards from there. Whichever way you go, you have to have a clear focus – if you know where you’re going, you’ll know when you arrive.