A few months ago, I wrote a post here called ‘Ready…or not?” In that piece, I made a prediction that readiness for communications in 2026 would be less radical shift (to match the breakneck pace of change in business and the world) and more agility, courage and drive.
I revisited that column the other day as part of my regular reading on the topic and, in hindsight, I was only half correct. It wasn’t that the content was inaccurate. The problem is that it was insufficient.
Agility, courage and drive are still critical, but whether these are present individually or together, they’re not enough to be fully ready. On the front foot. In control. Incidentally, I’ve seen a lot written recently about ‘control’ in business and whether it is a state of mind comms (or any) leaders should strive for or if it’s more of a ‘phenomenon’ that creates a false sense of security. Looked at positively, control is associated with a sense of calm that comes from thorough preparedness. In the negative, control can be an illusion that leads to assumptions and blind spots.
One way many comms leaders take control (the good kind) of their topics, brands and stakeholder perceptions is media monitoring and social listening. AI has made this practice easier than ever, though not every tool is the same. For example, some filter social noise better. Others are finely tuned for specific messages, competitors, stakeholder sentiment and trigger points (vs. scenarios –thank you, again, Amit Narayan for explaining the difference).
There’s no question about the value of reporting. But reporting alone –just like agility, courage and drive—isn’t enough for readiness. Readiness requires the collection of relevant data from sources that reveal, by the presence or absence of certain information in key sources and can be actioned. This is different from data insights.
This is especially important for companies (and stakeholders such as investors) during milestones such as brand launches, change, crises, IPO and exit and business-sensitive issues, but should not be limited to these. The same attention to readiness for high-stakes situations should be given to everyday activities and concerns such as reputation, organization and risk.
I’ve done extensive work in this area, including a decade of readiness to support a healthcare multinational through a business-critical issue that hit different markets around the globe in different ways and at different times. Now, and together with a savvy tech partner, we’ve poured this experience into an AI-enabled Readiness Index that is exciting in the many ways it shows how signals from media and web sources not only matter as much as other indicators, like financial metrics, and where and how to address them.
I couldn’t help thinking how advances in readiness, some provided by AI, drive proactivity and underscore the need for, and role of, communications in c-suite discussions early and on an ongoing basis. Early awareness and intervention can influence many trajectories and empower decision-making and action from a position of knowledge and, yes, I’ll say it, (more) control.
Because I work in healthcare, this kind of reminds me how the advances in technology that created improved diagnostics and self-sampling tests is driving a shift from being reactive (e.g. waiting for signs of illness or unwellness before taking steps) to an informed, preventative model drawing on trusted resources.
This is my kind of comparison for the value of readiness and being on the front foot. But I’m sure there are others — would love to hear them!
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