[00:00:05.980] - Imogen
Hello and welcome to Dear Comms, the coffee break podcast where we tackle your biggest corporate comms challenges. I'm Imogen, and I'm Amanda.
[00:00:14.310] - Amanda
We're here to give you practical, no-nonsense advice so you can focus on the things that will really drive influence, engagement, and impact.
[00:00:22.660] - Imogen
Today's question comes from Jordan. "Help," Jordan says, "I've recently got my first head of communications role. What should I focus on during my first 100 days?" So a nice quick and easy one this week.
[00:00:36.390] - Amanda
Indeed. Well, first of all, Jordan, congratulations. Stepping into a leadership role is exciting and challenging. This initial period is crucial for setting the tone and direction of your leadership. It's gonna lay the foundation of how you'll be seen by your colleagues, by your leaders, and by your team.
[00:00:56.970] - Imogen
Absolutely. It's going to put that marker down, isn't it, about how you're going to lead your team, how you're going to align communications with delivering against those— that business strategy. And I mean, no pressure, but these first 100 days are pivotal in establishing credibility, in understanding the organisation's landscape, and laying that groundwork for future strategy.
[00:01:21.420] - Amanda
It's like the honeymoon period, these 100 days. It's a time for listening. Observing and setting your direction. I mean, broadly speaking, your objectives should be to: A, understand the current communication situation. B, build trust with your team and leadership. And C, show your ability to lead, drive positive change, and deliver results. We need to break this down for you, I think.
[00:01:46.580] - Imogen
You have a different term of honeymoon than I think most people. I don't think most people spend their honeymoon.
[00:01:51.660] - Amanda
It's the honeymoon period, isn't it? For the first 100 days, it's where you have the permission to do certain things, I think. You're giving a bit more space and freedom beyond the day-to-day delivery.
[00:02:02.680] - Imogen
I think your work probably starts even before you walk in that door on your first day.
[00:02:08.000] - Amanda
I'm sure as part of your interview prep, you'll already have a sense of the organization, but now you've got the job, I think it's important you do a deeper dive and start trying to get a sense of the company's culture, values, and tone.
[00:02:25.040] - Imogen
Yeah, so spend that time before your first date to review everything that you can. So websites, social media, have a look at the leadership and try and figure out their communication style. So look for interviews or blogs or speeches. If there aren't any out there, that already tells you something about the communication style of the leaders. But listen to their tone, understand how they're trying to tell the story of the company, and, and make note of who they're trying to influence.
[00:02:57.170] - Amanda
Yeah, and what's happening in the industry? What are the market trends, and how are they going to have an impact on the future of the company? Don't forget to take a look at competitors. What are they doing that you can learn from, and where are the gaps that you might be able to fill?
[00:03:11.680] - Imogen
Finally, in this period of reflection, spend some time understanding what kind of leader you want to be. Have a think about your previous bosses. What did you like about their style? What didn't you like? What can you learn from them? How can you position yourself to be the best leader that you've always wanted to be? How are you going to measure success?
[00:03:35.340] - Amanda
Yeah, and you need to reflect on your own competencies and strengths and be clear about what you want to improve. I think everything really needs to be very clear in your head before you start.
[00:03:45.670] - Imogen
So the big day has finally arrived. You've arrived at the office. What do you do in your first hour? If it were me, I'd be tempted to run into my office, close the door, and start fixing things.
[00:03:58.040] - Amanda
If you have an office. It's all open plan these days.
[00:04:00.140] - Imogen
True. But we need to resist that urge of just getting our head down and going. That first hour is fundamental. So grab a cup of coffee, grab a cup of tea, walk the floor, and introduce yourself your immediate team?
[00:04:16.330] - Amanda
I'm a big fan of walking the floor. It's empathic, you'll discover more about your colleagues in that walk than you will in any kind of formal meeting. A kickoff team meeting is a pretty good idea, as long as you're fairly relaxed about it. Try and make this introduction in person if you can. Not everybody is in the office all of the time, but it's great for your first day if they can be. Share information about yourself, your initial thoughts about the role, what the vision might be for the team and function. Be friendly. You also want to listen and make sure that you are sharing how excited you are for this new challenge.
[00:04:59.560] - Imogen
Your objective here is really to build rapport and start the foundation of your working relationship ahead.
[00:05:06.450] - Amanda
By the end of the first day, you should have scheduled one-to-ones with all your direct reports and the leadership team. And, you know, the purpose for those meetings is to understand for your team, what are they working on? What are their current goals and challenges? What are the priorities or key initiatives? What's working? What isn't?
[00:05:29.840] - Imogen
With your leadership team, it's more about understanding expectation. What role do they see for communications? How can communications help them achieve their objectives. You'll also probably want to have a quick look at the current comms strategy, the goals, the KPIs, and if there isn't one, again, that's going to tell you something.
[00:05:53.110] - Amanda
My biggest piece of advice at this time is lead with curiosity during your initial days. Ask loads of questions, listen, and reflect.
[00:06:02.360] - Imogen
End of your first day, well done. You will be filled to the brim with information that you then have to process. And this first week is that processing time. Take a bit of a dive into what tools you have at your disposal. So what's existing? What strategies, channels, metrics, agencies, relationships, what is in place? Ask your team, get them to share their institutional knowledge with you on what works and what the pain points are. I think you can't start to develop a plan for the future and where you want to go if you don't know where you are to start with.
[00:06:43.670] - Amanda
Yeah, that's a good point. You should also not forget your fellow department heads. You know, how is the communication team supporting them or not? How is the team perceived? Is it clear what the communications team actually does for the organization?
[00:07:00.490] - Imogen
I think that one's going to— that's the big question, isn't it?
[00:07:02.750] - Amanda
It's a big question, isn't it, in terms of your value proposition, really. You know, once you've done all that, prep work in the first week, it's really the first month that things start moving.
[00:07:14.840] - Imogen
This is the time where you will identify some quick wins to set a marker that you're someone who gets things done, you're someone who can be trusted. You want to establish your credibility and take ownership of your new role and be seen as someone who can make immediate impact.
[00:07:33.110] - Amanda
Yeah, and your month of curiosity means that you should have a good handle on key initiatives and communications gaps. So what can you do now to address a leadership priority or deliver on the overall business strategic plan? Is there a barrier that your team has that you could quickly remove and, you know, instantly they're performing that much better?
[00:07:57.710] - Imogen
And that's a key point. It's so tempting to want to do something shiny and wow, but you really need to be realistic and stay focused. Your objective here is to tackle the most pressing challenges to help you build that credibility.
[00:08:14.290] - Amanda
Yeah, you really want to help your team focus on work that will show them in the best light. You want to show leadership that you're proactive, connected to the business goals.
[00:08:23.770] - Imogen
By the end of that first quarter, 3 months in, you should have all of the information you need to implement a clear, aligned communication strategy. It will be really tempting to do an all-singing, all-dancing 5-year plan, we're going to change the world, but I would caution to start off slow. So create an initial 6-month plan.
[00:08:51.810] - Amanda
Yeah, you can build on the quick wins that you've already put in place to show early results. Make sure you have clear and measurable objectives in place. And big tip, make sure that you're measuring the things that your leaders care about. You know, this plan isn't set in stone. It needs to be flexible. It needs to be adjusted based on feedback, developments in the business, your team, and your leadership. It's really your initial thoughts.
[00:09:24.210] - Imogen
For me, I'll focus on a few core things. The first thing will be about filling any gaps in your existing communications function. So that could be developing your team with the skills they need, or Or it could be processes, tools, or culture. Secondly, you need to lay out what your priorities are, how they're linked to the business strategy, and what you are going to tackle first. And lastly, have a think about how you can show that you're going to develop the organization's influence, both internally and externally, through your narrative, through your leaders, through your employees.
[00:10:02.570] - Amanda
You know, it's important to be realistic and manage expectations. You can't solve everything in the first 6 months. You know, it all sounds a bit daunting, but you wouldn't have been given the role if they didn't think you were up to the challenge.
[00:10:17.400] - Imogen
Don't be afraid of the fact you can't solve everything, especially if you're coming into a comms function which is slightly dysfunctional. No one's going to expect there to be results straight away, but what are the small things that you can do which will make a measurable difference? In that short amount of time. If you're getting stuck, go back to the fundamentals. Who's your audience? What do you want them to think, feel, or do differently? Who is gonna be the best person to deliver that message to you? How are you going to speak to both their hearts and their minds?
[00:10:50.820] - Amanda
Yeah, you know, your first 100 days is all about a foundation, establishing a base, you know, setting out who you are, why you do what you do, building trust with your team, getting leadership support, and really setting the stage for long-term success.
[00:11:08.350] - Imogen
The one thing you should take away from this episode is approach your first 100 days with intention. Listen, assess, plan, and then finally, at the end, you can start executing.
[00:11:23.900] - Amanda
Do you know what? Embrace the journey, have some fun. The way you lead now will set the tone for effective communication within the organization, but you've got the job you've always wanted.
[00:11:35.840] - Imogen
And that's it for another episode. If you've got a comms challenge you want us to tackle, drop it in the comments and we'd love to help you. But until next time, see ya!
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