CommLog

I posted yesterday about how Thomas Nelson publishing encourages employees to write blogs. The CEO, Michael Hyatt, as published a blog on personal effectiveness for a while now, and he inspired the corporate policy. But here’s something new: Michael has also launched a blog, From Where I Sit (which is available outside the corporate firewall) as a platform for him to communicate directly with Thomas Nelson employees. Talk about embracing transparency. I think it’s a fantastic idea. It’s a symbol of openness, not just to employees, but to current and potential shareholders. And if Thomas Nelson, a publicly traded company, can do this with the approval of their attorneys, other firms can as well. What’s more, the CEO blog in particular has potential as a powerful tool of leadership. It’s an opportunity for a leader to express his or her style, communicate values as well as direction, and not least important, address uncertainty quickly and directly. Witness this recent post by Michael regarding a hiring freeze rumor:

Twice yesterday, I heard, “Management has put a new hiring freeze in place.” I was dumbfounded. Where does this stuff come from? Not from me, I can assure you. Yes, we are trying to be very careful about adding expenses. Yes, we are scrutinizing every new position request. And, yes, we are even asking managers to justify replacement positions. But we have not put a hiring freeze into place—and we don’t plan to. Rest assured, our company is healthier than it has ever been. If you haven’t already, take a look at our operating results through the December 31 quarter (our fiscal third quarter and our most recent reporting period). Revenues are up 8% over the prior year; profits are up 18%. This is healthy by any standard, and I want to keep it that way.

What’s more, once a leader begins to put such an unfiltered face on his or her leadership via such public statements (inside or outside the firewall), it pressures the leader to deliver. In this, blogging can become an accountability mechanism not for the tasks of leadership so much as its character. These reasons are precisely why I’ve been counseling leaders to blog for several years. If only more would follow Michael’s example: their leadership would be better for it.