TAKE 2

Commentary by Alan De Back

Alan De Back is a career counselor and learning consultant with more than 20 years of experience. He has served as director of global learning for an Internet consulting firm and manager of leadership development for a major aerospace corporation.

Change is constant, but it can become a major issue if the reasons for change are not clearly explained. Within both the organization and the community, any communication must deliver a clear and consistent message. With a nonprofit organization like New Leaf, change is even more difficult. The foundation has experienced major changes in leadership, and the new strategies being implemented were not clearly articulated or understood.

The issues here are directly related to communication (both internal and external) and with trying to make major changes to an established organizational culture.

Meredith is struggling with her desire to do an exceptional job in fundraising without the access to leadership that she needs. She clearly understands how to do her job effectively, but needs regular communication with both Neil and Cara. And her consistent attempts to communicate with both have not been successful.

Neil and Cara don’t appear to be communicating regularly or consistently with the foundation’s staff. When Cara held the all-staff meeting about the proposed new building, she seemed totally surprised by the questions and resistance from staff members. She isolated herself, and had no idea how they would react to the new strategies being implemented.

Neil has yet to meet with the staff to discuss his rebranding ideas. Although they are the ones who will need to support and execute his plans, he has only sent them memo updates. He very much needs to communicate in a way that will get his team on board to support him in implementing the changes.

External communications also have been inconsistent and often inappropriate. Neil’s presentation of rebranding options to the executive committee was not well received by other board members who weren’t present at the meeting. Friction within the board, and between the board and Cara’s team, will create other issues. And a story in the local newspaper about the foundation’s financial problems opened a door to the community about what was happening internally.

And let’s not forget that Neil and Cara appear to have had a previous (and current?) relationship that many within the foundation suspect. If this relationship does exist, it needs to be addressed.

Clearly, new approaches to communication within the foundation are critical.

First, the foundation should hire a communications director immediately. That person needs to be given authority to oversee both internal and external communication. Internal communication needs to flow with transparency if staff members are going to support both the rebranding and the construction of the new building. External communications also need to be controlled to ensure clarity and consistency. A good communications director can build solid relationships with the media in the community, and could help control a story like the one that appeared in the local paper. Without a person in this role, communication will continue to be ad hoc and the messaging unclear.

Additionally, both Cara and Neil need to better understand the importance of appropriate, regular communication. They are both so involved in the changes that they want to implement that they have forgotten that the most critical element of change management is clear, consistent messaging. Cara would not have been so surprised by the reaction at the staff meeting if she had been regularly communicating with and listening to her staff.

If there is a relationship between Neil and Cara, they need to make a decision as to whether Neil’s continued employment at the foundation is feasible. If the relationship is causing a conflict of interest with the work he is doing, Neil should resign.

As for Meredith, she needs to assertively insist on more regular communication with both Neil and Cara. She appears to be attempting to meet with them both on an as-needed basis, but that approach is not working. They are not available when she needs them, and she doesn’t have the information she needs to do her job. She also knows that Neil prefers to communicate by “memo,” so she may want to consider adjusting her communication mode to accommodate his preferences. The case study does not make clear how flexible Meredith has been in choosing her modes of communication.

Without regular communication, Meredith’s ability to do her job is greatly diminished. Her effectiveness is critical to the foundation’s financial solvency. If Meredith is unable to get the consistent meetings and communication with both Neil and Cara, she needs to make a decision about her future with the foundation. She should prepare a transition plan for herself if she can’t get the support she needs, and be prepared to implement that plan and move on to a different organization.