Good communication skills is one of the most overused terms for professional personal attributes. Almost all job adverts list it as a must and interestingly almost all candidates claim to be masters of it. I infer it goes to show that the ability to communicate effectively is the most important professional and life skill of all.

Corporate management techniques are only as effective as the communication that drives them. This article highlights some core communication skills for management as;

Self – Awareness

A good starting point in improving communication skills is to take time to understand yourself- self-awareness. This will help in understanding your emotions and how to manage them. Empathy for example may be innate but for certain professional decisions it may have to see the way of the corner telephone booth! This introspection will result in a habit of reflecting on your success and failure and keep you ready for new challenges.

Interactive Communication

There is need to aim towards interactive communication across the different categories of staff. The transmitter and audience roles will interchange in this process as either party may inform, listen and question. Some organisations are faced with employees who believe that for them communication is to criticise management and that the role of management is to take action to fix whatever is wrong. Leaders should communicate in a way that is intended to encourage participation, employee buy-in and ownership. Interactive communication encourages stakeholders to take personal responsibility for their own action and inaction. The problem is not that employees run away from the challenges they face in their day to day work but they are simply not asked and guided in facing them.

Always check for employees’ understanding every time you communicate. Be mindful that the job is not done when a message is send-it needs to be heard and understood first before acting on it.

Listening

Challenges may have been experienced in organisation simply because some of those in the leadership seem to be lacking the ability to listen. Listening makes communication effective as it allows learning about what is working and what is not. This will become your departure point in setting context of a shared vision. Every employee comes into the work place with his /her own context, a mixture of cultures, memories, upbringings and experiences. Employees need to understand the bigger picture and their fit into it. There is need to constantly communicate the why behind the business plan and every other business facet and then taking time to listen to all concerned. Professional listening skills require therefore that one listens to the message, listens for any emotions behind the message and be seen as acting on the information given.

Repeat communication

Effective leaders repeat their communication. But the most prevalent mistake by some managers is   the ‘tick –off –the box’ mentality. We tend to see communication as a once off event. Many people naturally need to hear a message multiple times. There is therefore, need to move away from the ‘I have already communicated that’ comfort zone. When effective /great leaders build trust and credibility in their teams it is about communicating a message consistently across multiple touch points. When employees hear the message repeatedly they are more likely to take notice and believe it and most importantly act on it.

Feedback

Complimenting/ appreciating employees is an imperative for great leaders. People work for more than a salary, they want to be noticed and praised for their work. Compliments are generally most effective if they are specific to the situation and in writing. On the other end, customers must be allowed to give feedback on your services and product if organisations are to continue improving.

Body language/ Dressing/ Self Esteem

It’s important to consciously watch out for non-verbal communication. Your intent may be expressed more by non-verbal communication. Voice projection, posture, eye contact etc. are part of non-verbal communication.

Presentation skills

Empirical evidence has shown that presentations have far greater intended success than non-face to face communication. This is another area where practise makes perfect.

Writing skills

Poorly written communication may be frustrating to the readers. Organisations who have invested in training all employees on basic business writing skills have seen the benefits of acquired communication techniques.

Clarity

Another core communication skill is clarity. Always try to think of who, what, when, where and how as you communicate. Explaining the why is vital particularly in regards to deadlines and expected outcomes. Employees may not realise that their job is only part of a series of tasks for a bigger project. Generally people like to know the reason why they are doing something. An overlooked link in communication is making it clear where to get more information if need be.

In conclusion, chances are you will continue learning about becoming an effective communicator throughout your career. Always remember that not communicating is a way of communicating. Spend a bit of time every day learning, reading and practising essential communication techniques. John Powell said ‘Communication works for those who work for it.”

Emmanuel Jinda is the Managing Consultant of PROSERVE Consulting Group, a leading supplier of Professional Human Resources and Management services locally, regionally and internationally. He can be contacted at Tel: 263 773004143 or 263 242 772778 or visit our website at www.proservehr.com

Employer branding is focused on building the brand name of the organisation as a preferred employer on the job market. Just as in corporate branding where the focus is on customer value proposition, here the focus would be on employee value proposition.

In this role HR professionals and managers need to think like marketers and know how to develop and market what the organisation offers to potential talent as well as current. They also strive to create identity and manage the company image in its role as an employer. The brand becomes a collection of ideas and beliefs that influence the way the current and potential employees view an organisation. It is also about communicating the employer’s culture and values and helping to ensure that employees are passionate about them and fit with them. It is the promise that customers associate with the experience, value and quality of the services extended by the organisation.

As a discipline employer branding has its roots in marketing as well as the HR principles. The strategic thrust of this new intervention is to develop an image of the organisation as an employer of best choice in the minds of existing and potential employees as well as other stakeholders. Through employer branding HR tries to develop emotional link with employees.

How then are HR professionals brand ambassador in organisations?

For people who like to see the world in boxes, Human Resources management is merely and remain a tool for ensuring a good flow of talent into the company and have little bearing on the brand. However, a closer look at the interconnected aspects of branding will prove that Human Resources management is key in the organisation branding. The traditional roles of ensuring compliance with labour laws and employment ethics remain but, now under the new mandate   to ensure that people in the organisation are in sync with the brand image and values of the establishment and also reflect it externally.

It is now the role of HR and management to make an organisation a desirable place to work and elevate the brand from its competitors. HR has to ensure that their organisations consistently evolve to satisfy a change in brand strategy or business goals as they align the HR strategy with the business marketing strategy.

The following HR facets; organisational reputation, integrity, culture, recruitment, orientation, pay and benefits work-life balances, leadership and management, performance management and growth and development impact the employer brand. Branding itself has a magnetic effect. The manner in which an organisation handles recruitment from advertising channels used, the interview atmosphere, who, how and when we communicate the outcome of the process all feed into the employer brand. By being the vanguard of an organisation’s culture through instilling the right values in employees and bringing them in sync with the organisational values and beliefs, HR professionals determine the continuity of the organisation brand at every level. This ensures that each employee becomes the brand ambassador of the organisation.

There is a saying that organisations should look after their employees who will in turn automatically look after the customers and maintain the brand value. Employer’s reputation therefore, also comes from other stakeholders’ experience with employees.

When HR recommends the adoption of employee friendly measures like flexible timings, working from home options, employee awareness programs, to make working more amenable and an exciting experience for employees these initiatives help in building a strong employer brand. Organisations that take lead in adopting such friendly measures will automatically rank higher on employee preference and will have better retention results. Think of the development sector/ international organisations, they generally tend to offer more perks, international exposures, vast learning and development opportunities and rank among the highest preferred employers despite short term contracts they offer in general. When one weighs the benefits and costs, they always see more benefits for working in these organisations. Happy employees translate into brand ambassadors for such organisations thus compelling more talented individuals to join them. HR role in such organisations is to drive the consistent, distinct and deeply held values of the work culture. Organisations that are responsive to employees needs and have defined organisational culture have a higher chance of being branded favourably compared to those that leave an employee asking what is it in it for me? Globally, many organisations use employer HR branding as a bait for attracting and retaining talent.

While HR has this strategic role, it also requires its professionals have what is known as employer intelligence. This is the ability of a company to respond to the changing needs of the talent market and not only of the current employees. The role involves reviewing the company’s annual position as an employer of choice by engaging in comparator surveys as well as participating in employer of best choice surveys to understand what aspects the current and potential labour market will be looking for.

In conclusion, organisations stand to benefit from building strong employer brands which as highlighted above have a direct impact on the corporate brand.

Emmanuel Jinda is the Managing Consultant of PROSERVE Consulting Group, a leading supplier of Professional Human Resources and Management services locally, regionally and internationally. He can be contacted at Tel: 263 773004143 or 263 242 772778 or visit our website at www.proservehr.com

Outplacement is generally defined as employer sponsored services provided to retrenched, retiring and remaining employees to help ease career transitions and trauma associated with such processes. These are offered by companies interested in giving their affected employees the support, counselling and motivation to find new careers and new lives.

Organisations are aware of the need to enjoy enduring success and in order to do so, organisations need to have core values and core purposes that remain fixed while business strategies and practices endlessly adapt to the changing world. Outplacement will therefore help organisations reinforce these core values to the remaining workforce. The effects of this management initiative have far reaching implications on employer brand and consequently on corporate brand.  Organisations need to know that any radical change in operating practices, cultural norms and business strategies does not mean losing the spirit of doing business their way. Ideals embodied in an organisational credo remain, but the need to constantly revamp processes is crucial. Core ideologies need to be maintained as these transcend product or market life cycles.

Experience has proved that workplace restructuring can be very traumatic and often very unpleasant for both the employer and employees. Human Resources management working on building employer brand have come to realise that there are a lot of things organisations can offer to separated employees so that they start on a new page. These will include counselling, training on investments, project management, negotiation skills, career evaluation and guidance, CV writing, social networking, personal budgeting etc. The remaining workforce can also be counselled, refocused and multi skilled to work effectively in the new structures.

Offering outplacement can make the termination actions easier to implement in organisations. Outplacement strategies also assist companies in improving post employer relations which also reduce the possibilities of litigation and adverse publicity. Additionally, organisations offering such outplacement services are creating brands of being employers of first choice. When such practices are used in organisations, besides aiding in employer branding, they also help improve the unaffected employees’ moral when they see such help being offered to others. By doing so, a company demonstrates to both current and potential employees that it cares for leaving employees. This employer sympathy also demonstrates that the move to undertake the separation was business driven and not a personal attack but a necessary reality for business survival. Such services reduce the emotional confusion associated with job losses through counselling, training and redirecting the employee focus toward the future. While certain organisations may employ such kinds of outplacements right at the point of separation others have seen more benefits of offering outplacement services way before re-structuring takes place.

These savvy employers saw the need to enter into new covenants under which the employer and employee share the responsibility for enhancing an individual’s employability inside and outside the company. The leaders have realised that with the ever-changing market trends and the unstoppable retrenchments, an employee no matter at what level may find themselves in a different situation. Instead of working with a static workforce with static skills, as their outplacement strategy such organisations have started encouraging employees to manage their careers so that they are highly employable. It has become a core competence for managers at all levels to show that they care about their employees whether or not they stay with the company. What they have realised resultantly is a career resilient workforce that can thrive in an era in which the skills needed to remain competitive keep changing as the market trends change.

When redundancies come, they would have anticipated it and would have made themselves flexible by increasing their employability. Organisations have not made this an employee’s sole responsibility but both the employer and employee assume a shared responsibility. While the employee is working on   flexibility on their part, the employer has the role to provide an enabling environment for this to happen.

While outplacement may sound far – fetched to some, a lot of companies are already moving in this direction especially as they together with Human Resources Departments are working on branding their organisations as employers of first choice. Organisations may have different approaches to outplacements, but the good thing is that they all share a common aim- to give employees the power to assess, hone, redirect and expand their skills so that they stay competitive within organisations and on the job market as well as adjusting to new lives.

Finding a new job can be a daunting task hence the need to equip employees with outplacement strategies so that they do not get stressed when they leave a job. Working for a company that truly care for its employees provides hard working employees who are loyal. With the social media providing real time information such acts on the part of the company will maintain its image and increased customer awareness since everything done by a company is publicised. As organisations vigorously embrace the employer branding fad such strategies or services by an organisation inevitably increase loyalty and satisfaction with current employees.

Emmanuel Jinda is the Managing Consultant of PROSERVE Consulting Group, a leading supplier of Professional Human Resources and Management services locally, regionally and internationally. He can be contacted at Tel: 263 773004143 or 263 242 772778 or visit our website at www.proservehr.com

Changing an organisation culture is one of the most difficult leadership roles in organisations because an organisation’s culture comprises an interlocking set of goals, roles, processes, values and communication programs , attitude, beliefs and assumptions. Culture is not just about one thing.

In any work place all elements fit together as on mutually reinforcing system and naturally combine to prevent any attempt to change. This is why single fix changes may appear to make progress for a while , but eventually interlocking elements of the organisation culture take over and the change is inexorably drawn back into the existing organisational culture. Changing culture of an organisation is a large scale undertaking and all organisational tools for changing minds will need to be put in play. However, the order in which they are deployed   has a critical impact on the likelihood of success. Generally, the most fruitful success strategy is to begin with leadership tools. Leadership practises play a central role in achieving the desired change.

Frequent mistakes in trying to change culture have included;

• The overuse   of power tools to coerce parties
• Leaders beginning with a vision, but failing to put in place managment tools that will cement the behavioral changes
• Beginning with power tools even before a clear vision or story of the future is in place.

If management is not prepared to experence a complete change / turnaround in them, they should not bother embarking on the change. Management support of the change is critical.They need to Model the way by walking the talk. As   change drivers, manages need to be mindful of their ability to influence their teams by pioneering new management skills. Leaders should enable others to act by showing support for changes while demonstrating   that support when communicating and interacting with staff. There is nothing worse than sending mixed messages to employees . Treat others with dignity and respect, be preapred to listen to diverse points of view and support staff decisions.

Ability to create a case for change is paramount. Involve employees in the process of identifying the need to change. Employees are typically   closest to the processes any way, their involvement and understanding are therefore vital. Employees should feel free to be as candid as possible without the fear of possible victimization. The process will encourage creative thinking  that potential derail creative solutions.

When you implement the program, set out timelines and   institute follow ups to assess how the change is working.Some changes exceed   expected targets but there are occassions that changes just do not work as planned.Publickly acknowldege   it and make adjustments until the desired result is achieved.

Inspire a shared vision by enlisting others to share in that dream by breathing life into their own vision , while engaging all people to visualise the possibilities and become excited about the change. When you do so as a leader make sure you build your own persoonal strings by keeping your drive and energy up.Radiate self confidence and regularly ask staff for feedback.Let them all share a common purpose.

If there are any barriers, they could be departmental or other employees or lack of training, get rid of them by availing the needed resources to make it happen.Unnecessary rules and cumbersome reporting processes are not needed . Try and streamline the work wherever you can.

Employees need to be moved out of the comfort zone gently. As employees try, do not blame but rather focus on positives .Human tendency is to play it safe and not take risks. Rather focus on why of the process or plan went wrong not who is responsible.

Continuously encourage the heart, offering praise for a job well done and make it a point to let people know of others’ confidence in other ability. Celebrate the changes no matter how small builds momentum for bigger changes and encouraging other employees wanting to particiapte.

Take a cue from the World Bank which has been trying to effect changes over a period of almost half   a centrury under the various leadership.World Bank empirically represents a particular difficult case of organisational culture change.It   is argued that its formal goal –development is ambigous .As an institution, it has a peculiar mix of philantrophic foundations initially as university to a bank.As an international organisation, it is also owned by governments of the world.

However, the several change attempts in the institution have provided a blue print to many change attempts. Lessons from the World Bank blueprint among others are:

• Any personal scandals bring change efforts to a screeching halt. Do not create space for your favourites. Relatedly any change process should not be preceded by any reorganisation.Never parachute a new team of top managers , rather work with existing managers and   have people who share your vision.
• Instead quickly develop and put in place new systems and processes that support and reinforce your vision of the future drawing on the practices of   dynamics   linking. Consistently   introduce and reinforce the new values of radical transparency and continous improvement and employing horizontal communication and never top down commands(double loop communication ).

Give them all a full picture and not just   what you think they need to know. Employees should not be at the mercy of management to inform them of the changes. Poor communication, rumour milling about the change process do create resistance. To successfully communicate use all means, team meetings, emails ,notes staff meeting and memos. Demonstrate your belief in their competence so that they also build trust in themselves to handle the process.

Emmanuel Jinda is the Managing Consultant of PROSERVE Consulting Group, a leading supplier of Professional Human Resources and Management services locally, regionally and internationally. He can be contacted at Tel: 263 773004143 or 263 242 772778 or visit our website at www.proservehr.com