The demand on today’s leaders is to be visible, personal and relatable with a clear purpose and a focus beyond the company itself. The call for CEOs and executives to be not just present on the business side, but also to be accessible, real and human on the public side is driving the need for what we call Engaged Leadership. Edelman has worked with CEOs and leaders from a number of corporations, NGOs and academic institutions. Informed by this work, we have developed a global, experience-and relationship-driven approach to build Engaged Leadership. We help CEOs and executives to:
- Craft Their Story: There are new expectations for businesses and leaders. Stakeholders fully expect to hear from leaders frequently and openly about their dual mandate of earning profits and providing societal benefits. Executives should speak beyond spreadsheets and address industry trends and social purpose. Edelman can develop a platform and core content for executives that is authentic, personal, purpose-driven, and interwoven with an organisation’s expertise, brand identity and external communications activities.
- Hone Their Story: People are looking for leaders to be accessible, visible and authentic. CEOs and executives need to communicate with stakeholders in a way that is relatable, approachable and engaged. Leveraging our knowledge of conferences, elite media, employee and influencer engagement best practices, Edelman prepares executives for engagement opportunities – from speaking appearances to interviews, employee town halls or stakeholder meetings. We provide customised, individualised media and presentation training along with leadership coaching.
- Tell Their Story: There is a lack of awareness of CEOs, despite an explosion in communications channels. CEOs and leaders must express their values and purpose through direct engagement with stakeholders — particularly employees — and utilise multiple online and offline platforms to tell a consistent, relevant story that is easily discovered. Further, companies should deploy their most credible voices — the C-Suite, experts and employees — as spokespeople for the organisation’s vision, purpose and performance. Edelman can secure speaking, elite media, digital and direct-to-influencer opportunities that allow the full bench of executives and experts to advance their story with critical stakeholders.