To build and keep their contacts – or at least not destroy them –, and keep their careers intact, the CEO of today must master the art of diplomatic communication, Brigitte Kaps writes in an essay for finews.first.
This article is published on finews.first, a forum for authors specializing in economic and financial topics.
«Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.» That quote, attributed to the brilliant physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton is still relevant centuries later. It is something executives would do good to pay more attention to. To build and keep their contacts (or at least not destroy them), and keep their careers intact, the CEO of today must master the art of diplomatic communication. Entrepreneurs who do that well are Changpeng Zhao (Binance), Tim Cook (Apple), or Travis Kalanick (Uber).
Politicians have always known that communication is everything. Take the example of John F. Kennedy. He managed to deflect the possibility of nuclear war during the Cuban missile crisis by not only being patient but showing understanding for the opposing side and being able to compromise. Donald Trump showed just the opposite many decades later. He did not care one bit about the impact of what he said, often ruffling the feathers of his own team.
«Diplomacy never dies»
Communication is an imperative even in times of war when subjects such as military maneuvers, weapons deliveries, and humanitarian aid seem to be the only concerns. In the words of the German foreign minister: «Diplomacy never dies.» («Tagesschau», in German only).
Bestselling author and speaker Stephen M. R. Covey is of the view that confidence in management has changed since the pandemic. There is a clear gap between what CEOs say and what they mean. That has made it harder to trust them. This can quickly become catastrophic given that trust from and by employees is a pre-condition for success. Getting and keeping that trust should be one of the most important priorities for any CEO.
But they need to work for it. CEOs should listen and empathize. They must make decisions and delegate tasks so that as many people as possible are committed to them. That also allows them to understand problems before solving them. That is the only way to engender trust from all stakeholders.
«CEOs must be able to control and steer their reactions in difficult times»
Good diplomacy requires empathy, human understanding, and patience. The most important of all of them is appreciation. Only those who appreciate others have the basis to appreciate themselves.
CEOs are the face and voice of a company; they incorporate the brand. That means that everything they do influences the image of the company. This includes sensitive issues such as diversity and equality, which require a great deal of ethical competence and diplomacy. CEOs must be able to control and steer their reactions in difficult times to prevent damaging the image and success of the company. Being provocative, angry, or having overly strong opinions belong in the past. Particularly when the atmosphere is already tense.
Diplomatic CEOs understand the difference between facts and emotions as well as opinions and feelings. They are all important and they should all be paid heed to. But when it comes down to it, facts are facts. Confident and emotionally agile people understand the legitimacy of their feelings and emotions (and those of others). But they never confuse their personal perceptions with facts.
«The tightrope they must walk is a thin one»
Relationships, whether they are between countries or office counterparts, require diplomacy and tact. That is the only way that they can grow and improve and help solve difficult situations for everyone involved. An important component of diplomatic communication is the ability to show restraint. That means confessing to mistakes while giving others the necessary recognition. Behaving like that leads to loyalty and the feeling that everyone is working towards the same objective, and, ultimately, a successful company.
All companies encounter difficult situations and, at times, open conflict. In those cases, it is up to management, or the CEO, to calm everyone down with a solution that is broadly acceptable. The tightrope they must walk is a thin one. It is important that no one should feel insulted or preferred. The most important thing of all is that the best possible solution is found for the company.
«These abilities don’t simply fall out of the sky»
The communication must take place in a form that convinces everyone in the organization. Honest but not brutal. Tactful but not sneaky. Firm but not merciless. Or just «diplomatic». That is the only way that management will be able to tackle and solve difficult situations in an uncertain world.
These abilities don’t simply fall out of the sky, and they are rarely taught at university. The ability to communicate diplomatically must be learned and practiced. It is a craft that some have more aptitude for, and others less. But for almost everyone, the same thing goes. It is learnable.
Brigitte Kaps is the founder and CEO of Executive PR. She holds a Master of Advanced Studies in Business Communications (HWZ, MAZ & LSE) and a degree in communications science from the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences. She has almost 20 years of international experience in management positions with leading foreign banks (ABN Amro, GE, RBS). Before becoming self-employed in 2015, she was responsible for corporate communications at Cembra Money Bank (formerly GE Money Bank) in her capacity as a member of the Executive Board.
Previous contributions: Rudi Bogni, Peter Kurer, Rolf Banz, Dieter Ruloff, Werner Vogt, Walter Wittmann, Alfred Mettler, Robert Holzach, Craig Murray, David Zollinger, Arthur Bolliger, Beat Kappeler, Chris Rowe, Stefan Gerlach, Marc Lussy, Nuno Fernandes, Richard Egger, Maurice Pedergnana, Marco Bargel, Steve Hanke, Urs Schoettli, Ursula Finsterwald, Stefan Kreuzkamp, Oliver Bussmann, Michael Benz, Albert Steck, Martin Dahinden, Thomas Fedier, Alfred Mettler, Brigitte Strebel, Mirjam Staub-Bisang, Nicolas Roth, Thorsten Polleit, Kim Iskyan, Stephen Dover, Denise Kenyon-Rouvinez, Christian Dreyer, Kinan Khadam-Al-Jame, Robert Hemmi, Anton Affentranger, Yves Mirabaud, Katharina Bart, Frédéric Papp, Hans-Martin Kraus, Gerard Guerdat, Mario Bassi, Stephen Thariyan, Dan Steinbock, Rino Borini, Bert Flossbach, Michael Hasenstab, Guido Schilling, Werner E. Rutsch, Dorte Bech Vizard, Adriano B. Lucatelli, Katharina Bart, Maya Bhandari, Jean Tirole, Hans Jakob Roth, Marco Martinelli, Thomas Sutter, Tom King, Werner Peyer, Thomas Kupfer, Peter Kurer, Arturo Bris, Frederic Papp, James Syme, Dennis Larsen, Bernd Kramer, Armin Jans, Nicolas Roth, Hans Ulrich Jost, Patrick Hunger, Fabrizio Quirighetti, Claire Shaw, Peter Fanconi, Alex Wolf, Dan Steinbock, Patrick Scheurle, Sandro Occhilupo, Will Ballard, Nicholas Yeo, Claude-Alain Margelisch, Jean-François Hirschel, Jens Pongratz, Samuel Gerber, Philipp Weckherlin, Anne Richards, Antoni Trenchev, Benoit Barbereau, Pascal R. Bersier, Shaul Lifshitz, Klaus Breiner, Ana Botín, Martin Gilbert, Jesper Koll, Ingo Rauser, Carlo Capaul, Claude Baumann, Markus Winkler, Konrad Hummler, Thomas Steinemann, Christina Boeck, Guillaume Compeyron, Miro Zivkovic, Alexander F. Wagner, Eric Heymann, Christoph Sax, Felix Brem, Jochen Moebert, Jacques-Aurélien Marcireau, Ursula Finsterwald, Claudia Kraaz, Michel Longhini, Stefan Blum, Zsolt Kohalmi, Karin M. Klossek, Nicolas Ramelet, Søren Bjønness, Gilles Prince, Salman Ahmed, Peter van der Welle, Ken Orchard, Christian Gast, Jeffrey Bohn, Juergen Braunstein, Jeff Voegeli, Fiona Frick, Stefan Schneider, Matthias Hunn, Andreas Vetsch, Fabiana Fedeli, Marionna Wegenstein, Kim Fournais, Carole Millet, Swetha Ramachandran, Brigitte Kaps, Thomas Stucki, Neil Shearing, Claude Baumann, Tom Naratil, Oliver Berger, Robert Sharps, Tobias Mueller, Florian Wicki, Jean Keller, Niels Lan Doky, Karin M. Klossek, Johnny El Hachem, Judith Basad, Katharina Bart, Thorsten Polleit, Bernardo Brunschwiler, Peter Schmid, Karam Hinduja, Zsolt Kohalmi, Raphaël Surber, Santosh Brivio, Mark Urquhart, Olivier Kessler, Bruno Capone, Peter Hody, Andrew Isbester, Florin Baeriswyl, and Michael Bornhaeusser, Agnieszka Walorska, Thomas Mueller, Ebrahim Attarzadeh, Marcel Hostettler, Hui Zhang, Michael Bornhaeusser, Reto Jauch, Angela Agostini, Guy de Blonay, Tatjana Greil Castro, Jean-Baptiste Berthon, Marc Saint John Webb, Dietrich Goenemeyer, Mobeen Tahir, Didier Saint-Georges, Serge Tabachnik, Vega Ibanez, David Folkerts-Landau, Andreas Ita, Teodoro Cocca, Michael Welti, Mihkel Vitsur, Fabrizio Pagani, Roman Balzan, Todd Saligman, Christian Kaelin, Stuart Dunbar, Carina Schaurte, Birte Orth-Freese, Gun Woo, Lamara von Albertini, Philip Adler, Ramon Vogt, Andrea Hoffmann, Niccolò Garzelli, Darren Williams, Benjamin Böhner, Mike Judith, Jared Cook, Henk Grootveld, Roman Gaus, Nicolas Faller, Anna Stünzi, Thomas Höhne-Sparborth, Fabrizio Pagani, Taimur Hyat, Ralph Ebert, Guy de Blonay, Jan Boudewijns, Beat Wittmann, Sean Hagerty, Alina Donets, Sébastien Galy, Lars Jaeger, Roman von Ah, Fernando Fernández, Georg von Wyss, Stéphane Monier, Stefan Bannwart, Andreas Britt, Frédéric Leroux, Nick Platjouw, Rolando Grandi, Philipp Kaupke, Gérard Piasko, Brad Slingerlend, Dieter Wermuth, Grégoire Bordier, and Thomas Signer.
