From the Bookshelf: Must reads for employee communicators

More than ever, employee communications today is about helping organizations deliver improved performance and results. But to accomplish that challenging task effectively, a professional communicator needs to understand what makes organizations and people tick.

Reading some of the excellent books that have been written on business and employee topics is one of the ways you can broaden your knowledge – and gain the ability to properly align and focus your work on the road toward becoming a high performance communicator who makes a difference.

Here are some books we feel every employee communicator should read. Most of them are available through popular online bookstore web sites.

The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything by Stephen M.R. Covey. Speed wins in business today and an environment of trust in an organization is an important component in producing the level of speed needed to compete and win in the marketplace. The son of famed business author Stephen Covey is an excellent writer in his own right and he describes 13 behaviors that managers need to adopt to help build an environment of trust.

Why is trust important? Covey tells us: “Trust is like an aquifer – the huge water pool under the earth that feeds all of the subsurface wells. In business and in life, these wells are often called innovation, complementary teams, collaboration, empowerment, Six Sigma and other expressions of total quality. These wells themselves feed the rivers and streams of human interaction, business commerce, and deal making.” The Speed of Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey, 384 pages, Free Press. 

Around the Corporate Campfire: How Great Leaders Use Stories to Inspire Success by Evelyn Clark. Employee engagement is a big challenge in the 21st century work environment. The famed corporate storyteller uses real examples at leading companies to show how telling stories brings mission statements and strategies to life, motivating employees to strive for and achieve their maximum potential in the workplace. Says the author: “A leader who is able to identify and develop an authentic corporate story and tell it effectively is similar to a masterful conductor who leads an orchestra through the most challenging musical arrangement. The storytelling leader is able to get everyone to play the same song, to understand the corporate values and to enact those values as part of their daily responsibilities.” The final chapters of the book guides the reader through a corporate storytelling template. Evelyn Clark, 230 pages, C&C Publishing.

Communicating for Change and The Credible Company, both by Roger D’Aprix. If you’re an employee communicator who hasn’t read either of these books, simply do it. D’Aprix is arguably the most influential thought leader in the history of employee communications. The Credible Company: Communicating with a Skeptical Workforce, is his most recent book and discusses employee communication strategy and tactics that work – and fail – in the modern day workplace. But Communicating for Change, a 1996 effort , might be the most important book ever written about employee communications. Here, D’Aprix makes the business case for connecting the workplace with the marketplace. He tells how to build employee understanding of the business fundamental that the marketplace is the driver of change in organizations. D’Aprix offers guidance on how internal communication can be shaped to externalize the perspectives of employees. Communicating for Change, 158 Pages, Jossey-Bass Publishers. The Credible Company, 192 pages, Wiley Publishing.

Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies is a 2008 product of the Harvard Business School Press, a prestigious publisher whose books are widely read in management circles. This book is co-authored by Charlene Li and Joseph Bernoff – two prolific writers on social media topics – and is worth a read by any communicator beginning an exploration into the world of new technology.

In today’s wired workplace, people connect with and draw power from each other. This cultural transformation impacts the work site, too, and the writers teach corporate communication professionals how to use technology to accomplish business goals involving both external and internal audiences. (We also recommend taking a look at books authored by Shel Holtz, the expert who is dialed in to the employee communication profession.)

Groundswell takes a wide look at use of corporate social media, but it does cover some ground in internal communications, addressing issues like, “Why aren’t people reading the CEO blog?” The book provides practical advice on how to evaluate emerging technologies and stay current as online communication continues to change and evolve. Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, 224 pages, Harvard Business School Press.  

More books to consider:

• A Sense of Urgency – John Kotter … helps light the fire under any corporate communicator to get moving.
• Winning – Jack Welch … one of the great, all-time CEO champions of employee communications.  
• Good to Great – Jim Collins … maybe the most popular business management book in the 21 century.
• Simple Solutions: Harness the Power of Simplicity for Results – Tom Schmitt and Arnold Perl … Schmitt was instrumental in the success of FedEx and he talks about the importance of focus and straight talk in achieving organizational success. FedEx Chairman Fred Smith wrote the intro.
• What is Six Sigma? – Pete Lande and Larry Holpp … the ‘how to’ introductory guide on implementing this widely popular system for business improvement.
• 1001 Ways to Energize People – Bob Nelson … a book widely read by the HR community.
• Effective Execution – James Murphy … applying the techniques of fighter pilots for successful workplace project execution.

Personal Development and Communication Skills

• FYI for Improvement: A Guide for Development and Coaching – Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger … great advice for coaching and developing other people.
• What Got You Here Won’t Get You There – Marshall Goldsmith … 20 bad habits that stifle success and how to overcome them.
• The Fast Forward MBA in Business – Virginia O’Brien … cutting edge thought and hard won wisdom of effective executives.
• Crucial Confrontations – Kerry Patterson … tips for keeping tough discussions open and productive.
• The Invisible Employee – Adrian Gostick ... making the business case to managers for employee recognition.
• The Front-Line Guide to Building High Performance Teams – Woodrow Sears … practical tips for transforming a work unit.
• The 8th Habit – Stephen Covey … how to evolve into a great workplace performer.