Building Stronger Relationships between Digital and Senior Management
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Presentation by Matt Wright, Deputy Director of Shelter Communications, Policy and Campaigns. ECF 2014, Digital Leadership Forum, 11 April 2014
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Building Stronger Relationships between Digital and Senior Management
- 1. matt_wright@shelter.org.uk Building stronger relationships between Digital and Senior management
- 3. 3 My view Informed by • >20 years Client and agency side experience • Current role: Deputy Director of Shelter Communications, Policy and Campaigns • 2013: Acting Head of Digital, Shelter (on top of day job) matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 5. 5 “An analogue politician in a digital age" "I want to talk about the future...you were the future once." matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 6. 6 The 7 deadly emotions of Senior Management • Fear – Pace of change • Lack of knowledge • uncertainty • Insecurity – Undermining their experience • Ignorance • Pride • Lack of trust • Defensiveness (e.g. PR) • Resentment: passing the flame matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 7. 7 Management’s response • Downplay: ‘Same old shit, new channel’ – Defensive – Antagonistic – But some truth? • Control: ‘keep it in it’s box’ – run a commissioning strategy • Fight: A power play to own it • Freeze: Timidity/indecision • Empower: (very few) Also known as: ‘They just don’t get it!’ matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 8. 8 So they’re the problem… matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 9. 9 So they’re the problem… …or are they? matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 10. 10 The 7 deadly emotions of Digital teams? Exercise: Do Digital teams have their own prejudices or behaviours that act as barriers to Senior Management? matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 11. 11 The deadly emotions of Digital teams? • Frustration: I can’t get what I want done • Everyone’s trying to do my job for me! • Fear • Insecurity • Ignorance • Pride • Lack of trust • Defensiveness • Resentment Senior Management Digital teams matt_wright@shelter.org.uk • Information = power (over-complication?) • Righteousness • Self satisfaction (even smugness?) • Defensiveness (e.g. against devolution to spokes/ normalisation?) • ‘They just don’t get it’ • Anti-establishment? • Idealism (cf. Pragmatism)
- 13. 13 Transforming the Dynamic “you never really know a man until you’ve stood in his shoes and walked around in them.“ Atticus Finch, To kill a mockingbird matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 14. 14 – What does the world look like to them? – What are their hopes? – What are their fears? matt_wright@shelter.org.uk Transforming the Dynamic
- 15. 15 How do they view Digital? The Finance Director The Marketing Director matt_wright@shelter.org.uk The CEO
- 16. 16 How do they view Digital? The Finance Director The Marketing Director What are they worried about? How do they view Digital? What can you do to overcome their concerns? matt_wright@shelter.org.uk The CEO
- 17. 17 How do they view Digital? The Finance Director – Increasing area of spend – Small scale activity measurable….. – But ROI of new responsive site or CMS? – Social Media unproven/unclear ROI – Fit with my IT team? matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 18. 18 How do they view Digital? The Finance Director – Increasing area of spend – Small scale activity measurable….. – But ROI of new responsive site or CMS? – Social Media unproven/unclear ROI – Fit with my IT team? matt_wright@shelter.org.uk ‘I’ve got an evangelical youngster telling me he needs £200k for the latest kit. The scary thing is, he could be right….but I’ve no way of knowing’
- 19. 19 How do they view Digital? The Finance Director – Increasing area of spend – Small scale activity measurable….. – But ROI of new responsive site or CMS? – Social Media unproven/unclear ROI – Fit with my IT team? Build trust - use evidence from small scale activity matt_wright@shelter.org.uk ‘I’ve got an evangelical youngster telling me he needs £200k for the latest kit. The scary thing is, he could be right….but I’ve no way of knowing’
- 20. 20 How do they view Digital? The Marketing Director – Critical to success – Measurable – Constantly evolving – difficult to pin down – But has to be integrated with my other channels – …and digital talent is getting increasingly expensive matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 21. 21 How do they view Digital? The Marketing Director – Critical to success – Measurable – Constantly evolving – difficult to pin down – But has to be integrated with my other channels – …and digital talent is getting increasingly expensive matt_wright@shelter.org.uk ‘The Digital team are great – talented, creative and enthusiastic. But they’re a bunch of mavericks. I can’t have them going off creating the wild west. And I can’t have them hanging on to this – we need everyone to ‘get’ digital’
- 22. 22 How do they view Digital? The Marketing Director – Critical to success – Measurable – Constantly evolving – difficult to pin down – But has to be integrated with my other channels – …and digital talent is getting increasingly expensive Show Digital is a team player. Information is not power – share it! matt_wright@shelter.org.uk ‘The Digital team are great – talented, creative and enthusiastic. But they’re a bunch of mavericks! I can’t have them going off creating the wild west. And I can’t have them hanging on to this – we need everyone to ‘get’ digital’
- 23. 23 How do they view Digital? The CEO – An area of worry… – An area of threat from new digital entrants… – and a source of x-divisional tension… everyone fighting over this resource – Plus a growing area of spend – Yet critical to success matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 24. 24 How do they view Digital? The CEO – An area of worry… – An area of threat from new digital entrants… – and a source of x-divisional tension… everyone fighting over this resource – Plus a growing area of spend – Yet critical to success matt_wright@shelter.org.uk ‘I don’t have a clear view on where we’re going here! Do we have a joined up Digital strategy? Do we even need one? My senior management team aren’t giving me clear answers....and while the digital team seem really enthusiastic, how much of their plans fit with our bigger corporate issues?’
- 25. 25 How do they view Digital? The CEO – An area of worry… – An area of threat from new digital entrants… – and a source of x-divisional tension… everyone fighting over this resource – Plus a growing area of spend – Yet critical to success Overtly demonstrate how your plans fit with the wider organisational strategy. Be the honest broker in x- divisional power battles matt_wright@shelter.org.uk ‘I don’t have a clear view on where we’re going here! Do we have a joined up Digital strategy? Do we even need one? My senior management team aren’t giving me clear answers....and while the digital team seem really enthusiastic, how much of their plans fit our bigger corporate issues?’
- 26. 26 Transforming the Digital / Senior Management dynamic • Find where you can help – If they’re concerned about their lack of involvement and knowledge, perhaps ask them to mentor some of your team? • Gain their trust – Find the bridges. If they think ‘it’s the same shit, new channels’, how/where is that true? Show you ‘get it’ – and then show them where it isn’t true – Firstbe positive – exceed their expectations – Then be proactive matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 27. 27 Transforming the Digital / Senior Management dynamic • Recognise Digital operates in the real world – affected by petty politics. – It will be fought over. – But you can bring the two Senior Management parties together. • Value the differences. What do they bring? And what do you bring? Value both. matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 28. 28 Lessons from other sectors matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 29. 29 The Advertising industry Significant parallels • A creative, talent driven industry • Full of passionate people • Delivering means (Ads) to an end (Sales)… • Using skills the client doesn’t have matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 30. 30 The Advertising industry The key lesson: matt_wright@shelter.org.uk Humility!
- 31. 31 The IT department A steady transformation • From a curious oddity • To a suspicious consumer of (lots of!) money • …to a strategic driver, trusted. matt_wright@shelter.org.uk 1. Sold efficiency benefits 2. Generated the case studies to prove it 3. Became intrinsic to the operations of the organisation 4. Used that platform to sell the transformational potential of IT 5. Gained a seat at strategy discussions (though sometimes via FD)
- 32. 32 The charity sector itself matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 33. 33 Checklist • Put yourself in their shoes • Emancipate the Senior Manager - take their digital issues away • Excite them • Make it accessible • Transform digital from ‘a worry run by a flaky team’ to a strategic asset driven by a trusted team matt_wright@shelter.org.uk
- 35. 35 Three types of CMO • Traditionalists (37 per cent of marketing leaders) • Social strategists (33 per cent) • Digital pacesetters (30 per cent) The traditionalists are categorised as those least adept at exploiting ‘big data’ and digital opportunities; social strategists are more adept but still have room for improvement, and digital pacesetters are the most effective at harnessing the latest technologies. The latest IBM Global C-suite Study matt_wright@shelter.org.uk