How communicators in the C-suite are staying at the table
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Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios
If there's an overarching theme to Axios Communicators, it's the growing prominence of communicators, who are evolving from scribes restating others' priorities to trusted strategists directly counseling CEOs.
Why it matters: How communicators in those positions are approaching their roles, exerting their influence, and keeping seats at the leadership table revolve around four principles, according to conversations I've had this week with comms leaders reporting directly to their CEOs and advisory leaders who counsel them.
First, operate like a peer, not a provider. This is a big mindset shift, as comms traditionally operates as a client-service function: "Do this, deliver that."
- But, "the modern CCO isn't simply telling the company's story — they're helping determine what that story should be and advising the CEO on the business decisions that shape it," says Linda Roth, chief communications and strategy officer at World Central Kitchen.
- A successful partnership between a CEO and a communicator is built on trust. That comes from engaging directly with the CEO and the rest of the executive team and having the courage to disagree when necessary.
Reality check: "The comms leaders who fall short aren't bad communicators — they're waiting to be briefed instead of being in the room where decisions are made," says Burson CEO Corey duBrowa.
- "By the time they're looped in, they're managing a decision they'd have shaped differently if they'd been there from the start."
Second, take a multidisciplinary approach. Increasingly, government affairs, reputation and risk management, and other practices are folded into the job, and communicators need real-world experience in these areas.
- Hands-on experience allows comms leaders to better "identify and connect issues, assess potential outcomes, develop integrated strategies and serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO," says Franz Paasche, Verizon's executive vice president of corporate affairs.
- That mindset trickles down to the rest of the comms team. By thinking more broadly, communicators better understand the business and the external environment, and become more effective partners, Paasche says.
Third, don't conflate AI's speed with real experience. Comms leaders should lean on that newfound agility, but draw on well-honed instincts for decisions and counsel in the C-suite, especially when it comes to risk and reputation.
- "We've seen communications really step in and be a key voice, if not the key voice, in navigating volatility, getting ahead of risk and being a champion for using AI" to help them do so, says David Benigson, CEO of Signal AI.
- For Benigson, that means empowering smaller teams of experienced advisors that can complement the insights from their AI-powered monitoring tools.
- Newer, leaner advisory firms are taking a similar approach. Penta CEO Jim O'Leary says his firm offers the speed, scale and precision of proprietary AI tools "combined with expert advisors with decades of experience, and the judgment, instinct and creativity that comes along with it."
Fourth, nurture new talent. As the emphasis shifts toward attracting and retaining communicators with elite experience, young professionals worry there will be fewer opportunities.
- Lark-Marie Antón, chief communications and brand officer at USA Today, says that while "AI has the data, humans have the heart and the gut instinct that innovation just can't and won't replace."
- Mentoring helps leaders shape their team with leading by example, whether that's putting in long hours when the work demands it or communicating tough messages and pushback to stakeholders with honesty.
- "We also need to be open to learning from the younger generation," Antón says. "They're consuming news in different ways. They are doing things differently. It doesn't mean it's wrong."
The bottom line: Do these four themes resonate with your experience? What would your fifth principle be?
