The Communicator

If you are a professional communicator working in a corporate setting, plotting your career path is probably one of your biggest concerns. Don’t worry – you’re not alone. 

Most in-house communications departments operate in a pyramid style: one Director, a handful of Managers and – if they are lucky – a number of Specialists or Coordinators. But while the pyramid is certainly a functional organizational structure, it leaves little room for promotion within the team. Without increasing headcount, someone has to either die or leave to open a space for an internal promotion. 

Often, the only way to advance while staying within your organization is to do a stint in another department to gain valuable ‘insight’ into the business. For most of us, however, this just isn’t an option: we are die-hard communicators, and would rather quit than spend 18 months in HR or on the Sales Force.  

But as communicators, we are also fiercely loyal employees. We are the first line of defence, the head cheerleader, and the executive’s bodyguard. We don’t just ‘buy in’ to the organizational mantra – we create it. So the idea of leaving our organization for another is tantamount to adultery. 

So what can a professional communicator do to progress their career? From my experience, there are three potential paths, each with their own benefits and risks: 

The Stalwart – These are company lifers who see themselves nowhere else but their current employer. While these folks are doomed to play an eternal wait-and-see game for their next promotion, there are still many opportunities to develop their skills within their current role. For The Stalwarts, growth comes from diversifying their capabilities by getting involved in new (but communications-focused) projects and working closely with a mentor who can help them develop their skills. 

The Job Hopper – Never in one position for more than a few years, this group is always looking for the next challenge, regardless of the employer. Advancement and experience is relatively easy to come by, but those benefits come at a price:  reduced security, constant learning curves and the grave suspicion of HR professionals everywhere. For The Job Hopper, real development and career progression comes from choosing positions that compliment – yet stretch – their current capabilities. 

The Entrepreneur – A catch-all for those consultants, independents and some agency staffers who are driven by variety and a deep sense of purpose, The Entrepreneur has taken career progression into their own hands. For this group, the mantra is ‘eat what you kill’ and advancement is less about title and more about personal reputation and client satisfaction. Once they’ve made the leap, Entrepreneurs tend to be much more self-directed and self-aware in their development plans and goals. 

Many professional communicators will find that they move through more than one of these paths during their career. I’ve personally enjoyed all three at some point or other.  But no matter where you are in life, remember that career paths should be fluid and always keep your mind open to new opportunities – no matter where they might come from.

A few years ago – when I was still an in-house communications pro – I took a ten day vacation to the Middle East. After one particularly exhausting but thrilling day in the desert, I returned to my hotel to send a few pictures (me riding a camel) back to the folks at the office. 

“Cool,” replied my boss, “Can you call me ASAP?” 

Had the business gone bankrupt? Had my entire executive team been killed in some horrible industrial accident? Maybe I was being ‘let go’ while on vacation as part of a corporate downsizing exercise…. I – in a classic Pavlovian response – scurried to find a phone and call the office. 

The emergency (of course) wasn’t an emergency at all. But it led me to two important conclusions. The first was that – as a people leader myself – I needed not only to respect my team’s work-life balance, but to protect it. 

The second, and maybe more important, insight was that I needed to make some fundamental changes to my own work-life balance.   

I, like many of my professional communications peers, am an overachiever. I have spent most of my evenings, weekends and vacations in the throes of either furious editing or feverish writing. Where should I draw the line? When does being everyone’s ‘Go-To-Guy’ become a disadvantage? 

For many of us, the answer is not as simple as saying ‘no’. Without the right resources to delegate to or additional team members to pick up the slack, we feel obligated to take work home or to put off vacations in order to get the job done. 

And while that is certainly admirable, the truth is that we all need some time away from the office to decompress and re-integrate into normal society. 

So (keeping in mind that I’m no self-help guru) here are a few tips that I’ve picked up over the years to help me find some balance: 

Block off time: It’s easy to let your day get taken away with meetings and events, but when do you find the time to get some actual work done? I used to block off 8am-9am and 4pm-6pm in my calendar to preserve time in the day for media review, writing, supplier management and those last minute ‘end-of-day’ deadlines. This clearly blocked-off time had the additional advantage of providing space for an urgent but unexpected meeting too. 

Stop eating at your desk:  Whether you are at the office cafeteria with colleagues or outside under a tree, it is important to take a few minutes away from your desk. More than just for digestive reasons, time away from the desk helps you take a step back from the pressures and deadlines, allows you to see the big picture and – hopefully – lets you properly prioritize the rest of your day so that you can leave the office on time. 

Take time ‘in-lieu’: While we’ve all put in the occasional weekend or evening, work with your manager to arrange some work-time off ‘in-lieu’ of your personal time. Not only will you recover some valuable mid-week time, but you are also demonstrating to your team that – while you are willing to sacrifice to achieve objectives – you also value your work-life balance. 

Go abroad: My wife and I tend to gravitate towards destinations with no internet access and sketchy telephone reception. Believe it or not, there are still parts of the world (many closer to home than the Dead Sea) where you can get through a whole day without even being able to get a call from work… 

Need some help with your writing so you can find more time for yourself? Contact Peter at Peter@CommunicationsUnlimited.ca.

Blogging is a wonderful way to build relationships, showcase ideas and motivate audiences. But do blogs work in every industry and for everyone? Certainly not. 

Blogs facilitate the sharing of ideas with like-minded audiences. They can be used to motivate, inspire, educate or placate, but – at the end of the day – their value rests in their ability to communicate ideas and opinions. 

In my very first post on this blog (To Blog or Not to Blog), I suggested that certain industries and functions – in particular those that generate ideas or motivate people – had more to gain from blogs than most other sectors. Here are some examples: 

Not-for-profits: For organizations that depend on public good will, blogs provide an excellent way to motivate donors, inform volunteers and advocate for a cause. Blogs are also great vehicles for improving an organization’s profile with stakeholders, media and the general public. 

Professional Services: No industry produces more thought leadership than the professional services. For consultants and ‘rain makers’, blogs deliver a safe and certain distribution channel that can be branded and reused as business development or marketing collateral. 

Industry Associations and Unions: With a geographically dispersed membership and only the occasional formal interaction with the members themselves, blogs offer trade associations and unions a way to highlight certain issues and motivate the membership around advocacy. 

Politicians: In most democracies, the public likes to know what their elected officials are thinking, planning and doing on a daily basis. Blogs provide a transparent and approachable way for politicians to further their agendas, rally constituents, and win-over their detractors. 

CEOs: Regardless of the type of organization, blogs have a large role to play in Executive and Internal communications. It is critical – especially in times of change – that executive teams be visible, approachable and honest. Blogs can be an excellent way to provide context to corporate objectives, motivate employees around a cause or inspire innovation and collaboration. 

Almost a year ago, I ended my post with the following advice for professional communicators: 

Treat blogs like you would any other communication vehicle. Evaluate their reach, impact, cost and effort against your objectives. And if it turns out that a blog makes sense, the first step should always be to ensure that you have a long-term commitment from your organization, and the right resources to ensure sustainable success. 

And – regardless of your industry – that certainly hasn’t changed.  

Want to talk about whether a blog strategy is right for your organization? Contact Peter at peter@communicationsunlimited.ca.