Why every CEO needs to be a communicator

Sharp, persuasive communications have raced to the C-suite’s inner sanctum as a vital ingredient in attracting and retaining investors, customers and employees.

• Why it matters: CEOs now have to respond not only to their own fires but also societal, global and national crises — all in real time. Just ask leaders at Abbott, Disneyand Delta, writes Eleanor Hawkins, author of our new weekly newsletter Axios Communicators, launching today.

As part of a generational change, CEOs are being pressured by younger workers and potential recruits — plus some shareholders and customers — to take stands on issues they’d normally avoid.

• That includes voting rights, abortion access, guns, climate and LGBTQ rights.

State of play: 73% of chief communication officers told Edelman social issues have changed their communications agenda.

• 81% of the public — and 60% of job seekers — want executives to speak publicly about big issues, the Edelman Trust Barometer

Between the lines: Speaking out pays off.

• 80% of investors in an FTI Consultingstudy said the crises and chaos of 2020 and 2021 brought out the best in CEOs.

The bottom line: No one can hide or dodge in a world in which every customer, employee and investor — current and future — is constantly connected.

Πηγή: axios.com