OFF-MUTE 🔈
✨ Bringing a new CEO on board is a critical decision for any company.
💯 No matter the reason, it’s a transition you need to get right to avoid situations like these in the early days.
💬 It’s a key inflection point (and rare opportunity) to tell a bigger story about your company and where you’re headed next.
💥 While leadership changes are a normal part of the growth cycle, abrupt or poorly communicated ones can alarm employees, partners, investors and the broader business community.
📝 Here’s what you can do to help manage the business shift with minimal risk and set the exec up for success:
☑️ Be straightforward. Why the new CEO, now? It’s important to share enough information so that your audience isn’t left to fill in the blanks on their own. Stick to the facts in the press release but get personal with the content distributed on your blog, newsletter, podcast and social channels. Consider sharing a short video of the new CEO introducing themselves and explaining the transition in their words. The more personal it is, the better.
☑️ Assess how you want to use the new CEO as a spokesperson. Not all CEOs are right for speaking opportunities or media interviews, and that’s okay. Take the time to fully understand their strengths and weaknesses, and decide what roles they’ll play internally and externally.
☑️ Arm them with data. A new CEO can often signal a story about the company’s growth trajectory (or lack thereof). Gather your data and make sure everyone’s telling the same story.
☑️ Provide media training. Treat every interview like a broadcast interview. Conduct media training when the new CEO joins the company or is appointed. Even if they've been trained before, it’s critical to train them on the specific messages about the transition and the company’s path to growth. The CEO stakes are higher than ever.
☑️ (Re)evaluate the PR strategy and plan. What is the future roadmap and how is it different from before? If the business strategy is changing, be prepared to explain why that's the case in a way that doesn't disparage the previous leader. Get alignment on the top goals and audiences, and adjust the comms plan accordingly.
☑️ Put your people first. While it's easy to focus on how the news will be received externally, it's critical to work in lockstep with your internal communications team to ensure employees are informed, supported and feel favorably about the transition. Avoid having your employees hear about the news for the first time...in the news.
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