Shifting tides at the top: How communicators can navigate a C-suite shuffle

Consistency of communication is key in any comms job. That’s especially true when you’re working to channel the voices of your leaders.

But what happens when the composition of leaders changes?

Whether the move is meticulously planned over time with involvement from outgoing and incoming leaders or it’s more abrupt, keeping messaging within the company’s tone and value set will help ensure a smooth shift.

How to steer through the shift

Karen Testa, director of global communications at Bell Flight, has navigated several C-suite shakeups in her career. In one instance, a CEO stepped aside and was replaced by the organization’s president.

“Although their personalities and priorities were very different, employees knew in advance that the transition was going to happen,” Testa said. “As an internal successor, the president was widely known and visible. The handoff was smooth from a comms perspective because we could plan for it — we had an approved multi-channel integrated comms plan ready to go when the time came.”

The second experience Testa shared wasn’t planned. The board decided to oust the CEO and replace them with the CFO, owing to factors including poor financials and the CEO’s opposition to layoffs to improve finances.

The CIO and COO were also let go at the same time, adding to the tumult. Additionally, Testa said the new CEO mandated that messaging about the move not take emotion into account.

“The change overnight was palpable, and the culture dramatically shifted from people to numbers,” Testa said. “Our messaging was straightforward and unemotional at the new CEO’s insistence. Employees didn’t receive it well because it lacked empathy. It was a jolt for everyone.”

Chelsey Louzeiro, senior internal communications manager at Heifer International, told Ragan that she recommends communicators spend time with the new leader to better learn their personality and how they can make them shine.

“If you know their type of personality and how they lead their teams, you can meet with them one-on-one,” Louzeiro said. “You can help them sharpen their comms style based on their approaches and personalities.”

Louzeiro also shared an anecdote about a C-suite transition in her organization. The comms team helped the new CEO onboard by putting her in front of an employee audience to better understand how all the pieces fit together. This aided her in understanding the everyday work and also getting the employees used to seeing and hearing from her.

“That visibility was crucial. People needed to see her, hear from her, and feel like they had access to her.”

Lean on your partners and trust your training

So what do you need to do in general as a communicator if you’re faced with a leadership transition to keep comms on track? Testa recommends getting the comms situation room together as quickly as possible to tailor the response to the change in regime.

“Go into information-gathering mode and do a situational analysis as quickly as you can, she said. “You have to know and plan for the range of reactions to the change. If it’s possible, research and gather examples of comms from the new leader in their previous role(s) to get a sense of their tone and style of communicating.”

Testa said that the first group she huddles with during a leadership transition is HR, as she finds them to be the best source of truth.

“Discuss the content and timing of the messaging and take into consideration whether a leadership domino effect and follow-up organizational messaging will be required,” she said. “Not all companies want to be candid about the real reasons when they announce senior leadership changes, so knowing ASAP if the news has to be positioned in a certain way is key.”

Testa also recommended that comms pros lean into their years of training as writers and messengers when putting together leadership communication. She pointed to relying on sharply honed writing skills to help new leaders adjust to their roles and get messaging out that highlights their strengths and personality.

“You can’t always get people to agree to your comms recommendations when there is a highly political environment or hidden agenda in play — but trust your instincts.

Keep things moving when the new leader is installed

Your leadership comms efforts can’t end when a new leader takes place —you need to continue to weave them into the fabric of your existing efforts. That means having a deft hand at determining when you can mold a person’s existing personality to the company’s culture or when you need to just let them be.

Louzeiro affirmed that comms pros should guide leadership comms throughout any type of transition and that they have a two-fold responsibility.

“A communicator’s job is not just to push out messaging but to help leadership translate their own voice in a way that aligns with the organization,” she said. “You have to be a bridge. You’re helping leaders understand what employees need, while also guiding employees through change.”

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports and hosting trivia.