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Ask the Pro: Choosing New Leaders - How
Important are Communication Skills?
With Doug Systrom, VP of Talent Acquisition, TJX Companies
Whether you're looking to rise up the ranks in your organization, or looking for a leadership role within a new organization, communication is a key skill that will set you apart from other contenders. In this "Ask the Pro," Paula Lyons spoke with Doug Systrom, Vice President, Talent Acquisition Director, Americas for the TJX Companies, a 20 billion dollar, 145,000 employee global retailer headquartered in Framingham, MA. Doug has decades of experience in HR and Talent Acquisition, and shared his thoughts on the role of communications in choosing people for leadership positions.
Q: When you are interviewing for leadership positions, (leaders and emerging leaders) how important to your selection process are their communication skills?
A: Extremely important. Because we're a large and far flung organization, being able to get the workforce doing the right things; the things that will generate additional sales and revenue, is very important. We have 145,000 associates worldwide. Some things touch all of them; so being able to communicate widely is a very important. Communication skills are critical to all our functions. Our merchandisers have to negotiate every single product buy; our distributors have to get that product to our stores in a timely way; our store personnel have to display it in an appealing way….all of this requires communication on a daily basis at all levels.
Q: What are the common gaps in communication skills that you most frequently see?
A: We have a culture like any organization does. Moving from one culture to another is challenging for new employees. Immersing oneself in that culture, before making changes, is essential. Any time you have a company like ours that has been around for a long time, has great retention of associates, and is consistently profitable, there is a certain amount of resistance to outside ideas. Those who are most successful have great ideas, but can articulate them in a way that builds on our previous successes and is not threatening. That's a communication skill that is not easily learned; but it is usually the biggest gap. We look for people who are patient and can respectfully influence change.
Q: What is the biggest mistake you see new leaders make?
A: Acting on something without touching all the bases, without communicating throughout the organization and helping everyone understand why. If you are not able to communicate throughout the organization in a clear, direct and effective way, a great idea runs the risk of being killed because people don't understand it. Their hearts won't be in it, so they won't implement very well. Leaders need that ability to articulate a message that can be broadly understood. Motivating people in a proper direction is critically important.
Q. When someone talks about their career accomplishments, what are you listening for?
A: Honesty, passion, conviction, patience, values. When you can line up a person's core values to the organization's, you have the best fit. When looking for a person's core values, it's: What do they care about? Who are they as a person? Because that is a guiding principle for how they will show up in your organization.
Q. In the spirit of "everything about us communicates", there's a lot of talk these days about people who either have or don't have Executive Presence. I know it can be an elusive quality. But how do you define it? How important is it?
A. It's a concept that's talked about more today but it has always been important. A person's comfort level at all levels of the organization has always been critical here. It's not just about how executives show up and communicate in the board room, how they hold themselves, their eye contact, their confidence, their comfort. It's also how they talk to the mail room guy, receptionist, or admin. Can they build support throughout the organization so that people feel very good about who they work for and feel comfortable enough to freely come forward with ideas? At a time like this, when cost cutting is important, we need good ideas, no matter where they come from.
Q. In this economic environment, what special challenges do leaders face in communicating with their organizations?
A. Executives have to be careful not to send inappropriate messages when they are trying to think things through. A leader needs to be quiet when thinking about organizational change, layoffs, or downsizing of functions. A leader can't "run those up the flag pole", internally…because the rumor mill will take over. They have to consult only trusted advisors and gather facts before making announcements. But when a leader hears wrong information being circulated, it's equally important to jump on that immediately and let the world know the truth.
Q. What's the one piece of advice you would give a candidate about communication and leadership?
A. Pay attention to it! Pause long enough to think through each of your strategies, identify the things that work toward and against your goals, think through all the touch points that are going to move your goals in the proper direction. Think of how you will communicate in each situation, with that audience in mind. Thinking all of this through is very important - it's critical, really. Only then should you act, and people often forget this.
Other articles for this month include
How to Ignite Energy and Creativity in Your Workforce
Communications - Hard-Wired to the Bottom Line
New, Innovative, Low-Cost Ways to Motivate Employees
The Top 5 Myths About Motivating Employees
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Dow Chemical Co.
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