Leadership communications - make a PACT with them

Leadership is doing things with people, not to them.

One way to achieve this is by making a PACT with them, where you focus on:

People
Attention
Context
Timing

In more detail…

People

Treat your people as people, not things. Ask their opinions. Publicly recognise them when they do well. Make sure you align their personal objectives to what you want them to do. The better you do this for them, the better they do things for you.

Attention

People can tell what you prioritise by where you focus your attention.

So, for your people to feel they’re a priority to you, it’s crucial they feel they get the attention they deserve. Giving your time to them is a good start; as is making sure they see your face, not just your emails.

But it’s more than that. It’s about being ‘in the moment’ with them – making them feel they’re the most important person in the room. It is about proactively approaching them, not just waiting for them to come to you.

Context

People are more likely to embrace your messages when they understand where they fit alongside everything else. So always explain the context. Why will this particular communication help them, their team, your company? Where does it fit with things they’ve heard before?

When you ask them to do something, be clear what you’ll do with it once they’ve done it. After all, when they see the positive ramifications if they do - and negatives if they don’t – it helps motivate them to act.

Timing

Everyone knows the importance of time. So, respect yours and theirs. When you communicate, add value; don’t just add noise. If meetings can take 15 minutes, make sure they take 15 minutes – not an hour because Outlook suggests you should. And, when meetings add nothing, stop having them.

PACT was a concept proposed following research by Professor Gillian Stamp of BIOSS. Whenever I hear new concepts like this, I always ask ‘do I agree with it?’ And then, if I do, which element could I improve fairly easily.

I do agree with this one.

Do you?

And, if so…

Action point

… Which of the four do you think you could improve fairly easily? And which of the four would your team like you to improve?

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Written by NativeEnglish

Native English Spain is dedicated to make learning English simple, fun and affordable for Spanish people.