I have been very fortunate to work in organisations where the employees have all been immensely intelligent, very highly educated, passionate, committed to their work and cynical beyond your wildest imagination. From a communication and engagement perspective, these audiences – often to be found in technology companies and academia, as we discussed in one of our master classes this week – are a massive challenge. They can be suspicious, arrogant and selfish and can put up a seemingly inpenetrable wall of opposition to any people focused initiatives.
But they also provide a unique and fantastic opportunity. Involve them in the design and rollout of your programme. Their input can help you build robust plans for employee resistance, which will ensure your eventual success. Include them, consult them, listen to them and convert them to your cause. You will then have the strongest ambassadors possible to help you convince the rest of the employee base.
Sure they can be difficult and contrary, but learn to love your cynics – they will give you perspective and help you to succeed.
