When the article, "The Myth of the 'Strategic Communicator'" (see the previous three posts) first ran in the Journal of Employee Communications Management a couple of years ago, it struck a chord with readers, generating several letters.
Some were supportive of my thesis: "While my manager often touts the "seat at the table" as the holy grail, I always had a feeling in my gut that I really did not want to be there," one reader wrote. "Now I know why!"
Another spoke of her personal journey: "A little over a year ago, I switched from marketing communications to internal communications and at first thought I wanted, and needed, a seat at the table. Not too much later, I realized I didn't want a seat. Then about 10 months later I realized I didn't need a seat. It was a bit of a journey, but I found I can be just as effective and actually more autonomous."
One relieved communicator wrote, "You have saved me from many sessions -- possibly over a several-year time period -- with my therapist discussing my inability to gain an invitation to the table to eat brie with the other big cheeses . . . It was a very nice surprise to read an article that said it's okay be just a communicator and that I don't need to strive for that Vice President of Strategic Thinking and Communications position. With that pressure off, maybe I can actually do my job."
One reader passionately disagreed with me. "Shewchuk apparently has been burned in his experience as a corporate communicator." he wrote. "It’s sad to see a professional colleague so disillusioned with his lot in life . . . If I had followed Shewchuk's advice 15 years ago, I would have missed out on one of the most satisfying phases of my career. I was a lowly communicator working for a $2 billion business and learning what strategic communication was all about. I shared what I learned with the managing committee of the business, including the chief operating officer. The executives didn’t ask me for my input; I just shared it. By the time I left the position eight years later, I was in fact at the table – not as a decision maker, but as an influencer of the decision makers. They cared what the "lowly communicator" had to say on strategic matters."
It's true. I have been burned by some of my experiences in corporate communciations. But I've also worked with, and successfully given advice to, several smart CEOs who appreciated me. I still believe that the 'strategic table' isn't for everyone, and that it's not nearly as important as it's cut out to be.
Readers, where do you sit on this issue?
Comments