Hey Reader,

As we approach the end of the year, I’m doing a lot of strategic planning work with clients. Just like our change work, we do this a little differently; we talk about a 5-year vision but only design a strategy for one year (you know what they say about the best-laid plans). We examine business strategy, people, and culture, and ensure that all are given equal weight in the planning process.

And of course, we design change-focused strategies for the year driven by effective and engaging communication.

When balancing an existing mission, vision, set of values, and culture at an organization with change, one of the most important elements to understand is the connection between communication and behaviors.

They are equally important and equally strategic, and yet, both change practitioners and leaders often fail to strike that balance — choosing instead to focus on either behavior or communication — and they tank their change efforts in the process.

Change management consultants

They love to say “change management is not just a communication plan.” They focus on behavior change, hoping that if leaders change their habits and behaviors, everyone else will follow.

The problem: Change consultants coach leaders to make behavioral changes and often leave communication up to the organization for something to think about later. But when you want someone to change, you have to connect your desired change to their “why,” not yours — and leaders often assume that when it comes to the “why” for the business, everyone is already on the same page. So they change, send some announcements later on, and no one else changes their behavior. By then, the consultants are long gone.

Leaders and changemakers

This is where and why the "not just a communication plan" complaint from consultants comes from. Leaders often only communicate, and do it one-way, like making announcements or sending project updates, but their communication doesn’t define or inspire behavior change, it simply informs. What they're communicating has already been designed and decided, and because they left the communication for last, the changes come as a shock to employees.

The problem: No one knows what to do with the information the leaders share. Even if the communication centers the audience and addresses their “why” (and it often doesn’t), a one-off announcement will never result in behavior change (at least not the behavior change the leader is going for).

People designing and leading change must connect words and behaviors — communication and change strategies are one and the same.

You can’t treat organizational behavioral change as a game of “monkey see, monkey do.” You can’t send an email and hope that people will be able to interpret how to act on their own.

If you want folks to change their behavior, they have to know what they're supposed to do instead and why. If you want to tell them something, you can't just shock them with new directives out of nowhere; you have to design change strategies that proactively set your people up for success.

So as we plan for 2024, what behaviors do you want to see at your organization and how will you ensure your people are supported to make those changes? When you look at your values, what actions embody those values? How do those actions show up in your day-to-day work? How can you connect what you would like people to do with their "why"?

Thoughts? Questions? I'd love to hear them. And if you're stuck in your 2024 strategic planning process and want to see real change next year, let's talk about your goals and your team. Just reply here.

Talk soon,

Caitlin Founder, Commcoterie

P.S. — Have you signed up for our January Organizational Change Office Hours yet? The first one of 2024 is Thursday, January 18th at 1:00 PM EST and you can register here. We’re going to talk about how you can kick off 2024 by nurturing a culture of restorative organizational change so that you can build trust, communicate more effectively, use resources more efficiently, and drive people-focused change at your company. Will I see you there?

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What we're reading & listening to

The Leaving Well Podcast "Leaving Well is the art and practice of moving on from a project, role, or job, with intention and purpose … and when possible, joy." - Naomi Hattaway Naomi guides leaders, teams, and organizations through these transitions. I think her work is so unique and necessary. And she has graciously shared her wisdom plus the insight of her talented guests on The Leaving Well Podcast. Listen to The Leaving Well Podcast

Beyond Land Acknowledgment As part of Commcoterie’s 2024 strategic planning, I am thinking about how to not only showcase our values in our messaging, but turn those words into actions. Thanks to guidance from the Native Governance Center, I'm moving beyond land acknowledgment statements and developing an action plan of concrete steps I will take to support Indigenous communities. Read more from the Native Governance Center

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