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Transcript of Rallying the Troops
8/19/2019 Rallying the Troops
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aul Riddeli
Comment
Rallying
the
troops Crisis
communication
and
reputation
management
in
financial services
Received ( in revised form): 25th June, 2013
PAUL RIDDELL
is Head of Strategic Communications at AX A Wealth part of AX A Group). He manages the strategic
com mun ications fo r the wealth management arm of A X A U K, whic h covers six separate businesses including
Architas Multi-Manager. A X A Wealth International, AX A Cor pora te Investment Services and A X A Elevate. Paul looks
after b oth e xtern al and internal re lations, including the company s social media, cor por ate responsibility, corpo rate
sponso rship and events, and brand strategies.
Abstract
Mot/voted,
engaged and trusted employees can help a com pany ge t over most crises, but achieving an
engaged workforce is not alv/ays straightforward. E mployees are a company s best am bassadors, and
having them all pulling in th
some
direaion is the first essential of reputation manag ement ßt/t
whether it is a lack of contingency planning, crossed wires between internal comm unications,
PR
and
HR, or just plain panic, the truth is that employees are too often overlooked at the very mome nts they
are most needed. Often, there is a total disconnect between those at the top and tJiose at the bottom
of an organisation, putting a huge amount of responsibility on middle manage ment. C ritically, how do
we get the middle layer to work effectively and be the glue that holds an organisation together, rather
than the vacuu m that can cause it to collapse?
Keywords
financial services reputation, management, employees, leadership, crisis,
staff
communications,
public relations
Paul Riddeli,
Axa Wealth,
Winterthur Way,
Basingstoke, Hampshire
RG2I 6SZ,UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1256 798442
E-mail: pau l-riddell@
axawealth.co.uk
MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES
Motivated, engaged and trusted employ-
ees can help a company get over most
crises, but achieving an engaged work-
force is not always straightforward.
Employees are a company s best am bas-
sadors, and having them all pulling in the
same direction is the first essential of rep-
utation managem ent. But w hether it is a
lack of contingency planning, crossed
-wires between internal communications,
PR and HR, or just plain panic, the truth
is that employees are too often overlooked
at the very moments they are most
needed.
Often there is a total disconnect
between those at the top and those at the
bottom of an organisation, putting a huge
amount of responsibility on middle man-
agement. Critically, how do we get the
middle layer to work effectively and be
the glue that holds an organisation
together, rather than the vacuum that can
cause it to collapse?
222
o HENRY STEWART PUBLICATIONS 204S-855X JOURNAL OF BRAND STRATEGY VOL. 2. NO. 3,222-227 AUTUM N 2013
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CRISIS COMMUNIC TION AN D REPUTATION MANAGEMENT IN FIN NCI L SERVICES
The larger the organisation, the more
complicated the management structure,
and the greater the challenge. This can be
broken down into manageable parts:
• People: Do you have the right people in
the right places and are you treating
them correctly?
• Process: Do you have the right processes
in place to get the best out of people
and get them working together?
• ulture (which is really a combination
of the first two): How do you combine
peop le and processes in such a way as to
create a corporate way of thinking that
best represents your brand?
opl
Do you have the right people, especially
in that crucial layer of middle manage-
ment, who act to a set of shared values?
It is important to remember that for
many, the strongest lnotivation is simply
to be recognised for the work they do —
both internally and externally. If you can
help people to earn the admiration and
support of outsiders as well as colleagues,
you can build pride, engagement and a
sense of wellbeing in the workforce.
Asda is a good example, with its Green
Room website showing how the lines
between internal and external communi-
cations are blurring. In Asda s Green
Room, feedback firom staff and customers
is presented together, so that both play a
part in building and managing the brand.
Th e Asda G reen R oo m allows staff
to
get
together to find out what is happening
around the company as well as share their
own stories, pictures and videos. W hat
makes it unique is that this is done in a
very public
way,
without a corporate fire-
wall, and all stakeholders are invited to
participate. There are of course risks in
being so public, but Asda has ensured its
staff are aware of the dangers of com-
menting in a public domain with a hard-
hitting internal communications
campaign. There are also continued chal-
lenges, not least in ensuring content is
regular, that conversations are developed
and nurtured, and that staff engagement is
optimised. But it remains a bold initiative,
and an interesting example to see develop.
I was struck by a talk I heard a few
months ago given by Tim Leberecht,
Chief Marketing Officer at the design
group. Frog. He made a faiTiiliar point
about modern management — how it is
about giving employees control, and let-
ting them take more responsibility so that
they have a vested interest in the effective
management of their day-to-day affairs.
But Leberecht went on to mention the
alternative, which is occasionally to give
people less control — to surprise them,
which can often achieve unexpected pro-
ductivity benefits.
The contrasting examples Leberecht
mentions actually spring from the same
place. It is about treating employees
s
you
might treat your fiiends: usually asking
them what they would Hke but occasion-
ally being prepared to spring a surprise —
because you trust them enough to risk
their reaction.
The work of Simon Sinek, notably his
model of human motivation that he calls
the Go lden Circ le , is helpful here . He
believes all communications should start
with the key interrogatives why , how?
and what .
Most people, most organisations, know
what they do, but comparatively few organ-
isations know why they do what they do.
When we do not understand why we
think the way we think, or act the way we
ctwe
communicate firom the outside in —
we concentrate on the
what
the visible
manifestation. The most inspired leaders
and organisations, however, regardless of
©
HENRY
STEWART PUBLICATIONS 204S 855X
JOURNAL OF BRAN D STRATEGY VOL 2. NO. 3.222 227
AUTUMN
2013
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RiDDELL
their size or sector, all think, act and
communicate fi:om the inside out — con-
centrating on the
wliy,
the invisible motiva-
tion. Companies Hke Apple and Virgin are
brilliant at understanding the why at
appealing to consumers on an emotional
level, and their success speaks for itself.
In financial services, we need to iden-
tify our noble purpose, our why and the
little things that make such a huge differ-
ence to people s lives.
This
is
where
a lot has
gone wrong
in
financ ial services over
the
past decade
or
more.
The
assumption
has
been that
if
people
are
given enough money, they will
produce their best. This
is
utterly falla-
cious, and if an
everyday example
is
needed,
one
need only think back
to
2012,
when
we
were
all
struck
by the
remarkable contrast between,
on the one
hand,
the
generosity
of
spirit combined
with outstanding performance
of
Olympians
and
Paralympians,
and on the
other,
the
more selfish behaviour
and
inconsistent performance
of
certain
pro-
fessional footballers.
It
corresponds
remarkably closely
to the
difference
in
motivation, between those
who do
some-
thing
for
pride
in
achievement, along
with mutual respect,
and
those
who do it
above all,
for
money.
ro ess
The process covers
the
practical steps
we
can take within an organisation to help
and support people who act in the right
way for the right reasons.
When it comes to
process,
X wealth
has introduced various
things,
in consulta-
tion with staff to improve engagement:
• Breakfast
fuice :
regular seminars over
breakfast to update staff on key activi-
ties/business development, such as new
products
and
learning
and
developing
opportunités for staff. We also run the
Speakers@AXAW ealth program me at
breakfast meetings, with external, moti-
vational speakers such as David
Constantine MBE from Motivation.
David Constantine introduced
Motivation, an international develop-
ment charity supporting people with
mobility disabilities, and offered his
own inspirational story. Following a
diving accident in 1986 that left him
quadriplegic, David, along with Royal
College of Art student Simon Gue
designed a wheelchair suitable for use in
developing countries. Teaming up with
friend Richard Frost, they built their
wheelchair for a disability organisation
in Dhaka — which then asked the team
to produce the wheelchairs on a larger
scale. Motivation was established in
1991 and its products and training pro-
grammes have now reached over 135,000
people in 90 countries. Experiencing
Davids vision and determination, with a
clear focus on meeting the specific needs
of customers, inspired employees to think
about their own capabilities and the dif-
ference that they can make.
Cocktail S essions : an
innovative,
pecha
kucha -style seminar format with a mix
of speakers over drinks. Each speaker
has 20 slides, each running automati-
cally for 20
seconds.
Th e challenge is to
keep to
time.
This has proved a popular
and fun way for staff to learn about the
business, without taking up hours of
their
time.
Th e session can cover five or
six diverse subjects but aU be over in 35
minutes.
Diary Room :
Staff are encouraged to
make suggestions about, say, saving costs
or improving customer service via a vir-
tual ideas room with successful sugges-
tions progressing to the next stage, the
Wealth Den
based on the BBC s
Dragons Den,
where senior managers
act
4
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CRISIS COMMUNIC TION AN D REPUTATION MANAGEMENT IN
FIN NCI L
SERVICES
as dragons and listen to pitches and
agree to be in — to back the idea
financially or in kind; or out — to
decline to support. Dragons also fight
over supporting the best ideas.
•
Temperature Check :
Run in addition to
the annual staff satisfaction
survey,
this is a
quick online survey sent out every other
. month, allowing staff to share how they
are feeling about the business, which
helps shape the internal communications
programme to ensure it responds to
employees needs and concerns.
Culture
So how can we all aim to achieve the cul-
ture that will bind employees to the
organisation and make them its ambassa-
dors in bad times as well as good? Culture
is what it is — achieved through people,
our purpose (focused through a set of
shared values and behaviours) and our
comm unications. Th e following are my
everyday basics.
Listen. Th e f irst essential of friendship
is the ability not just to talk but also to
listen
—
you wouldn t have many friends if
you just talked at them. It is the same with
managing
staff
Give them an opportunity
to speak or otherwise contribute.
Be open, honest and credible, internally
and externally.
cover-up culture is only
storing up trouble for the future. If some-
thing goes wrong, hold your hands up and
say what you are doing about it. Invite in
outsiders, whether business consultants or
journalists. If they are impressed with the
way you do things, they will provide the
external, objective endorsement that can
do wonders for internal morale. If their
views lean towards the negative, then it
can give strong insight to help shape cer-
tain practices. Of course, inviting com-
ment from external parties does carry
risks, but it can be very powerful for
building trust and credibility, even if the
parties do not ultimately agree.
Think about communication delivery.
Look at the best way to get your message
out. Social media might reach certain
groups, but they will not reach everyone.
Older employees, by and large, will not be
so keen to use Twitter and Facebook. So
use flyers, bulletins and direct e-mails
when necessary.
Whatever you do , it is essential to make
messages consistent across all media —
internal and external. In the end, if there
is a serious discrepancy between your
internal communications and what is out
there in the mass media, your staff will
probably believe those external, suppos-
edly objective sources rather than you —
unless you respond quickly and defini-
tively, rebutting what is untrue or dis-
torted, and producing the evidence and
the first-hand accounts that will refute
misinformation.
Of course, the best way to reduce the
risk of misinformation is to put out your
own true information first Tell your stake-
holders what is happening before they ask
questions. Use what I call an issues bible: a
document that can support all likely sce-
narios/eventualities with an outline action
plan, key messages and questions and
answers for each audience that can be
adapted accordingly. Th e issues bible
covers all business areas and includes a
response for all anticipated issues, and
guidance for ones that might occur. This
saves valuable time during a crisis.
One way of keeping messages consistent
is by using a single channel for all
employees. AXA Group has introduced a
new communication platform called
One , a new global intranet platform that
has been custom developed. It provides
on e system for all staff in all AXA entities
around the w orld to share news and collab-
orate. It will be launched to U K employees
3
HENRY
STEWART PUBLICATIONS
2045 855X JOURNAL OF BRAND STRATEGY VOL. 2. NO.
3. 222 227 AUTUMN
2013
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RiDDELL
in late 2013, enabling
us to
profile content
and subscribe
to
internal newsfeeds,
or
establish communities
and
blogs.
We
beheve
it
will prove
its
worth
in a
crisis.
IN THE EVENT OF CRISIS WHAT
S
THE PLAN?
A culture that binds together its people
and process management will be a power-
ful bedrock
in a
crisis.
So what should
be
done when
the
crisis comes along?
• Act quickly but stick to the facts Be the
official place where all stakeholders
can be kept updated. To do this, you will
need to act quickly to establish clear
communication channels with employ-
ees and other key stakeholders. While
speed is vital, be careful not to speculate
or to repeat unofficial news updates that
may or may not be accurate.
•
Show your face
Be visible. Never under-
estimate the power of senior managers
being seen and looking in control, even
though their time will be hniited, as
they will be dealing with the crisis as
•well as being responsible for communi-
cating it to their teams. An absence of
senior management can unsettle
employees during a crisis.
• Establish immediate communication needs
Get rapid feedback from employees
to
help plan your communication priori-
ties. Keep
it
simple, such
as
three
key
questions:
—
H ow are you feeling about the news?
-What is your biggest concern?
— What do you need to know more
about?
Getting an early snapshot means you can
address the key issues quickly and be
really responsive. It is the only way to
know
if
your communication
is
having
the desired outcome.
Moving beyond instant response, what
else should be considered?
• Be
hon st
and credible
A cover up culture
is only storing up trouble for the future.
Avoid the temptation to keep staff
morale high by fudging messages.These
are invariably self-defeating. Nothing
will destroy trust more quickly than
your employees discovering they have
been kept deliberately in the dark.
• Use all available communications channels
Never forget to use all your existing
channels during a crisis to tell everyone
what is happening — but do not squeeze
out all other content. It helps for employ-
ees to see that business as usual is carry-
ing on despite the crisis. While it may
make sense to puU forward a deadline or
tw do not create a suite of specially-
branded crisis channels — this might be
counter-productive and alarming.
In the end there is no substitute for reaUy
knowing what is happening within your
organisation, and the only way to do that
is to be in regular contact with your staff.
That word regular should be emphasised.
You will not be able to engage people in
bad times if you have ignored them in the
good, and vice versa.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
By
way of
conclusion,
it is
notably worth
considering the John Lewis Partnership
as
an example
of
getting
it
right.
No doubt there
are a few
people
who
have
had bad
experiences with John Lewis,
but they
are
massively outnumbered
by
those
who
have positive experiences,
who
find helpful
staff,
quality goods
and a con-
sistency
of
service that
few of the
rival
stores
can
match.
The
partnership model
o
HENRY STEWART PUBLICATIONS 20 15-85SX JOURN L
O
BR ND STR TEGY
VOL. 2 NO. 3
222-227 AUTUMN 2 13
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CRISIS
COMMUNIC TION
AN D REPUTATION MANAGEM ENT IN
FIN NCI L
SERVICES
may no t be right for every organisation but
most can learn something from the way it
works. Producing outstanding results year
after
year
its success is entirely based on the
idea of looking after its people. Tha t
includes making avaüable its own country
estate at Leckford in Hampshire to every
mem ber of staff and every partner.
The partnership model is by no means
infallible. Decision making can be labori-
ous, underperformers can be hard to shift,
and changes happen slowly. But when
every employee can enjoy what would
normally be exclusive privileges, along
with an equal voice in the company s
affairs, and a share of the profits, it is no
surprise that they willingly pull in the
same direction. For the moment at least,
the results speak for themselves.
So here is the John Lewis Partnership
message, and it is one to ponder.
Remember that employees really are your
greatest asset. Remember it every day;
make sure you give those employees a
voice in your affairs; look after the man-
agers and make sure they have the support
they need. Trust them, and they wiU trust
you in return.
Then, when a crisis comes along, you
have a solid foundation to work from.
Th ink from the inside out. Take care of
the why, and the what and how will look
after themselves.
Reference
1 )
Sinek, S. (2009) Start Wit h Why: How Great
Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action ,
Penguin, N ew York, NY.
© HENRY STEWART PUBLICATIONS 204S-8SSX JOURNAL OF BRAND STRATEGY
VOL.
2. NO. 3 222-227 AUTUMN 2013
7
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