When Rebecca O. Bagley took over as president and CEO of NorTech, her biggest challenge was learning not only the dynamics of the company but also of the community. This was critical because NorTech is a nonprofit, technology-based economic development organization that serves 21 counties in Northeast Ohio. To overcome this challenge, communication was absolutely critical as she got to know her staff as well as the various constituents in the community that her organization served and worked with. Smart Business spoke with Bagley about how she communicated with her employees and key stakeholders.
What were the keys to effectively communicating when you started?
Being very clear with whether you’re learning and asking questions or you’ve decided on a direction and you’re getting people on board or understanding that direction. It’s important to be clear and concise in your communication and be honest about what you’re thinking at that time. That typically endears people to the organization and gets people on board with what you’re doing.
How do you make sure you’re clear in your communication?
It’s a combination of time and effort spent with the team and what words mean to different people and then going out and bouncing that off of a couple of people who are less familiar with the (organization) or the work.
The biggest thing that I see as an opportunity for lots of people to increase the effectiveness of communication is remember who you’re talking to. It sounds very simple, but talking as a CEO of a larger organization, I don’t typically bring in my PowerPoint presentation. I’ll think of a couple of things I want to talk with them about. Yet if you’re talking to someone who wants to understand more of the detail, make sure you’re giving them that level of detail.
It’s crafting the message for the person who’s listening to it and putting yourself in their shoes in preparation for that and making sure you’re spending a few minutes before the meeting about what the best way to approach it is and not just doing your normal pitch.
You’re not changing the core, but it’s important to be able to do that.
