One voice, but seemingly limitless ramifications, with communications fracturing across multiple constituencies.
Herein lies the complex dilemma facing companies and their leaders in today's increasingly interconnected and scrutinized world. In times of change or turmoil, employees, customers, investors, and political actors all want to know not just where your firm stands, but how it will act.
Publish a statement and risk angering one group, or stay silent and risk appearing complacent? True, present-day corporate communications can be a minefield, rife with zero-sum outcomes. This reality demands more than just reactive press releases or hasty responses; it requires thoughtful leadership that balances strategy with authenticity.
So how does one navigate when to weigh in?
At Penta, we approach deciding when to respond externally as a two-step exercise, assessing both the relevance and severity of an issue and the context for the company.
Relevance can be measured or established through a context and stakeholder mapping exercise. A strong process should allow a response team to answer key questions:
Actively asking these questions and understanding the views and opinions of all your stakeholders is the foundation for understanding the range of issues or circumstances when you would weigh in.
Severity is a different measurement and more universal across companies, though it has a more subjective dimension. Many companies today want to keep public comments to a minimum after the pendulum swung in the other direction during the pandemic, but it can be tricky to draw bright lines, especially in the face of big events. Having a standard staff meeting on the morning of September 12, 2001 was not an option, and history has not stopped, so there will be events that demand your response in the future.
The most helpful question to assess severity is simple: "How are other companies or leaders responding to this moment?" It doesn't always mean going with the herd, but it will give you a sense of how others view the severity of the event. It can also be helpful to leverage media analytics tools to gain an understanding of the volume of the coverage and the conversation.
Interplay between relevance and severity is how Penta maps out the response. You may respond to something severe, even if it is not relevant, and vice versa.
Within that response, you also have the ability to elevate the response. A public statement from the CEO means something different than a staff note from the CEO means something different than a staff note from the branch manager.
And, of course, ultimately, leadership in communication is about more than responding (or not responding) to what's happening presently. It's about setting a tone that resonates over time, building credibility through consistency and transparency. Whether navigating an internal crossroads or stepping into the public arena, the most successful companies don't just talk—they assess, adapt, and lead with purpose.
That's how you create resonance in a world that's always watching.