Alison Davis and I recently facilitated a workshop for the IABC Heritage Region and we ran out of time to answer all the great questions we received. So, I’m taking to the blogosphere to answer four of them. Here’s the third:

A communication challenge I have is working with a senior leader who has a “bad” habit of not always collaborating—sometimes sending out poorly done, impulsive things late at night...help! Advice?

As a first step, it’s important to understand if your gut is right. Perhaps employees value these impulsive notes? Perhaps they’re a big help when they start their jobs the next morning? 

But, let’s assume your impulse is correct. Start by demonstrating the impact these notes are having. Conduct one-on-one interviews (or a focus group) with employees to understand how they’re perceived. Gather any e-metrics that are available, such as open rates. 

Share that data with your senior leader. And be ready with examples of best practices, which could include: notes from other senior leaders in your organization (and supporting data), examples from other organizations that you typically benchmark against or a reworked version of his/her most recent communication. 

Since this senior leader takes a DIY approach, share communication principles and practices that resonate with employees. A template may be helpful.

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Have your own question about internal communication? Drop me a note.