1. The Approachable Leader:
Communication Techniques That Bring Out the Best
IABC 2011 Employee Communications Conference
Breakout Session 1
Linda Dulye, president/founder, Dulye & Co.

2. Outcomes
Focus:
Leader as
Communicator
Takeaways:
A model with practical
tips, tools and
practices for you to
bring to your execs
(don‟t do it for them!)
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 2

3. Sound Familiar?
―We are primarily an
engineering organization,
where soft skills are not as
prized as technical skills,
even in
management.‖
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 3

4. Huge Opportunity to Add Value
Why?
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 4

5. #1 Workplace Challenge
Ensuring employees remain
engaged & productive
--- 2011 “What‟s Keeping HR Leaders Up at Night?” survey
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 5

6. Approachability Drives Engagement & Productivity
Strong tie to bottom line!
For every 1% percent gain in an
executive‟s time spent with at least one
(company) insider, productivity advanced
2.14% .
--- 2011 Harvard Business School research
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 6

7. The Approachable Leader Model
Game Plan
Equipment
Scoreboard
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 7

8. Basis for Our Model
Employee Engagement
2-Way Communications
Pulse Check Measurement™
Leadership Development
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 8

9. Sound Familiar?
―We don’t have any
standard
(communication)
process.
We just assume that
managers know what to
do.‖
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 9

10. Game Plan
Vision
1
Team
Strategy
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 10

11. Change Views and Perspectives about Communications
Clear Vision of
Where
and
What it Takes
to Get There
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 11

12. New Vision: Degree of Difficulty
Harder than ever to connect and make an impact!
Average U.S. worker receives 200+ e-mails,
phone calls, text messages EVERY DAY!
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 12

13. New View: Interactivity
Tell:
Outgoing
message
Transition from
cascades to cycles
2-way, Emphasize listening
closed and learning
loop
Create capability and
culture for direct
Listen/Learn: feedback and
Incoming feedback dialogue
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 13

14. New View: Not an Event
Continuous
Repetitive
Measurable
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 14

15. New View: Takes More Than One Department
Shared ownership
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 15

16. Job Responsibilities: Gov‟t Agency Case Study
Leader as Communicator:
 Reinforce and relate key messages
 Provide context for change and decisions
 Facilitate open dialogue within and between work
groups
 Listen to and learn from the different views and
voices
 Respond to and act on direct feedback
 Model the message: Say = Do
Partner with HR to establish consistent responsibilities in
your organization‟s performance management system.
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 16

17. Core Practices: Defense Contractor Case Study
Formal Practices
• Staff Meetings
• Town Hall Meetings
Establish a
• Skip Levels
steady rhythm
with formal and
Informal Practices
informal practices
• Walkarounds
• Listening Sessions
• Blogs
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 17

18. Concrete Procedures: Defense Contractor Case Study
Staff Meeting Example
• Communicate high-level messages
Purpose • Discuss local importance / involvement
• Share info/ideas between team members
• In-person and web meeting for remote
• Direct reports and key stakeholders
Format • Defined agenda distributed in advance
• 75% focused discussion / 25% open
Frequency • Weekly for 30-45 minutes
• Real-time effectiveness check conducted
Measurement after each meeting
Minimize variation, maximize consistency.
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 18

19. Common Metrics: Private Sector Co. Case Study
Go beyond conventional
audits
Measure outcomes and impact
 Leader performance (engagement, proficiency,
knowledge)
 Workforce performance (knowledge, engagement,
productivity)
 Business performance (quality, cost, customer
service, etc.)
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 19

20. Equipment
Tools
Training
Practice
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 20

21. Don‟t Give Execs a „Pass‟: Private Sector Case Study
Employee ratings of senior leader competency
Thumbs up Thumbs down
Receiving feedback 45% 55%
Giving messages 42% 58%
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 21

22. Core 4 Tool for Skills Development
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 22

23. Relay: Strike a Balance
Mitigate E-overload and educate on media use.
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 23

24. Relate: Simple, Meaningful Messages
“Leaders must
passionately share
the strategies that will get
the business moving…”
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 24

25. 4. Nail Your Message
Relate: Key Message Tool
Main point
Proof point/
Support story
Summary point
Develop content around simple message points.
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 25

26. Relate: Gov‟t Agency Case Study
Customization Tool
Key message
Why is The His/her His/her
this person(s) work customers
important you are team/
to: speaking department
with & company
Connect through „What‟s in it for ME‟ context.
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 26

27. Receive: Sponge Factor
Seek to understand others
or
just to be heard?
Is your leader stuck in transmit?
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 27

28. Receive: How Tuned In? Feedback Practices
How often do senior leaders in your business group
directly ask employees for feedback?
Never 13%
Sometimes 50%
Often 23%
Always 13%
0% 25% 50%
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 28

29. Receive: Interest vs. Interrogation
Open-Ended
• Invite unfiltered feedback; Open discussion
• Yield more than a “yes” or “no” response
• “What was the highlight of the IABC
conference?”
+
Closed-Ended
• Deliver brief, specific answers
3V
• Wrap up a discussion (“Can we move
on?”) or quickly calibrate (“Do you
Factor
agree?)
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 29

30. Respond: Follow-Up and Follow-Through
How is feedback….
Collected
Shared
Used
Speed to respond / act on feedback is a
performance discriminator!
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 30

31. Closed-Loop Response: Health Care Case Study
• Leader Road Show (30 sites, 6 weeks)
• Large group, Small group, Walk-around
• Real-time feedback capture, same-day analysis & direct
review with leader promotes action learning
• Rapid response at local & corporate levels
IABC
award-winning
case study
available at
dulye.com
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 31

32. Practice! Online Engagement: Aero. Co. Case Study
 Design content to
Leader as business needs – time
Communicator sensitive, key messages!
Toolkit  Showcase do’s, don’t’s,
success stories–in blogs,
videos, visuals
 Drive interactivity—Reach
/receive feedback on
desktop/mobile platforms
 Engage practice exchange
 Publicize metrics
Design with/for end customer to ensure value (over volume)
and practice of skills in a noticeable way.
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 32

33. Scoreboard
Metrics
Polling
Dashboards
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 33

34. You Can‟t Expect Results or Accountability If….
100%
100%
85% 83%
80% 80%
60% 60%
40% 40%
20% 20%
0% 0%
Manager proficiency is not Fair/poor rating for manager
measured in my organization proficiency for leading effective
communications
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 34

35. Measure 2 Levels of Effectiveness
Practices/Tools/
Training
Impact
Leader performance
Workforce performance
Outcomes Business
Strategy
Business performance
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 35

36. Measure Often through Quick Polling
Multi-media reach. Real-time Data.
Desktop polling via Sharepoint Live polling from
mobile platform
Quantitative
Qualitative
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 36

37. Leader Performance: Private Sector Case Study
Impact Metrics: Leader Accountability Scorecard
Week
Week
Week
Week
Leader Weekly
2
1
3
4
Walk-around Program
Mary Barron
Tom Miller
Marion Jones
Michael Phillips
Chris Arielini
Chip Copeland
John Bulson
Kitt Potter
Peter Nakasian
Aaron Stein
Red = Incomplete Yellow = Late complete Green = Complete
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 37

38. Leader Performance: „Approachability‟ Metrics
3V Leader
Visual
Vocal
Verbal
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 38

39. Leader Performance Metrics: Health Care Case Study
Measure IMPACT on engagement and development
 Presented information clearly
 Encouraged participation
 Answered questions clearly
 Showed genuine interest
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 39

40. Workforce Performance: Health Care Case Study
Impact metrics
2.8
I understand why a new 2.5
Multi-level medical segment strategy
is necessary 2.6
tracking Manager
Supervisor 2.6
I/C (Salaried) Poor Average High
I/C (Hourly) 1 2 3 4
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 40

41. Business Performance: Private Sector Case Study
Outcomes Scorecard: Operational Excellence
Cost
Innovation
Savings
Number and Impact on
nature of ideas operational
(ie., Cross-functional, resource
requirements, speed to implement) performance
Leader walk-around program generated 40 employee ideas
generating $1,000,000 in savings in 1st year.
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 41

42. Live Dashboards: Health Care Co. Case Study
Hard data presented
like operational
measurements
Posted on company
portal for employee
access
Consistent metrics
enable tracking and
best practice
identification
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 42

43. Align with Planning Cycles: Private Sector Case Study
Communications Business Operations
Effectiveness Dashboard Dashboard
Live Dashboard example at
Dulye.com/dashboard
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 43

44. Summary: Approachable Leader
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 44

45. Approachable Leader: Customize This Model
Game Plan
Equipment
Scoreboard
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 45

46. Final Thoughts: Pilot Before You „Roll Out‟
Line of Business
Open Leader
Burning Platform
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 46

47. Final Thoughts: Your Role

Just
Program designer
 Program manager
don’t
 Facilitator
 Functional Partner


CPI Driver
Monitor do it…
 Coach for them!
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 47

48. Thank You. Questions?
The contents of the presentation are considered proprietary to Dulye & Co.
Any reproduction or disclosure requires the consent of Dulye & Co.
For more information, please contact Roger Gibboni, COO, at 845-987-7744, rgibboni@dulye.com.
© 2011 Dulye & Co.
www.dulye.com 48