#100 Alex Aiken – 5 ways to strengthen the value of communications

“I think there are five things which I’ll cover briefly but I’ll offer it to anyone who is looking at leading a communications team or improving a communications operation.

First, you got to have a clearer idea of the destination. Certainly, I said when I took up this role, that government communications should be exceptional. Exceptional in terms of it should run highly effective campaigns that are efficiently delivered. Of course, you can run a campaign with twice the resources, the trick is to run it with limited resources effectively. Being exceptional was our goal and where I want us to get. Certainly, from a leadership perspective, just saying that does tend to reinforce those who want to give their best and does raise the performance of people.

Second is that absolutely rigorous focus on evaluation. While he was in the UK, Jim McNamara sat on the evaluation council which is the group I chair that routinely looks at the performance of government campaigns that says, have they been effective? To a point, how can they be more effective and how can we use the best evaluation techniques? That’s the point about creating value.

Third is that collaboration. It should be just the de facto practise whether you’re local, state or federal level that you cooperate and you learn from one another. Certainly, in the UK, as we got the national public health authority to work with local government on improving people’s health, you can’t just call from Whitehall to improve public health, you have to work with local governments. That practical collaboration has helped.

Fourth, celebrate success, and certainly by championing best practise, we have proved our worth.

Fifth, practically it should be first rather than fifth, but understanding the political agenda and getting alongside the agenda of the politicians because the vast, vast majority of politicians want to do a great job for the people they serve. Understanding their goals and what they want to achieve and showing how communications could be a powerful force for good means that you bring the bureaucracy and the political side together in a way that I hope benefits both.”