Gartner Research

Tech CEOs: How Effective Internal Communications Can Demonstrate Great Leadership in the Face of Disruptive Events

Published: 10 May 2023

Summary

Without structured communications, responding to tough news or events can quickly overwhelm tech CEOs. Deciding when and who should communicate will help offset emotional and stressful responses from employees and prevent further negative escalation.

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Overview

Key Findings
  • Knowing when an event requires communication can be ambiguous — and in startup and scaling organizations with no communication professionals or a communication plan — the CEO needs to be decisive on when to act.

  • The CEO cannot achieve all communication objectives alone. While the top-level message comes from the CEO, the individual and team-specific messages need support from others.

  • CEOs showing courage and humility to deliver the honest news with empathy and transparency will always be seen as true leaders. This kind of authenticity wins trust, which can be further enhanced by leveraging other members of the team.

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Tech CEOs

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