Investing in communication leadership: where professional development comes in

by Adedoyin Jaiyesimi:

With the rapid changes in technology, geopolitical and socioeconomic contexts, there is a lot for communications professionals to keep up with. Placing this against a backdrop where organisations are looking to communications professionals for counsel and guidance, the need for professional development becomes even more crucial. 

Let’s face it – communication leadership requires the ability to process a lot of information, be abreast of the latest news and trends and frankly, there’s just a lot that we need to know. Whether it’s managing a complex stakeholder matrix or shaping effective engagement within a multigenerational workforce, communication leaders across the world need to come to the table with a wide array of skills and competencies. 

For many, these skills and competencies are developed through formal education channels. For others, training and learning on the job are the channels through which they build the required competencies to excel in their roles. While the need for constant learning and upskilling is apparent, it however becomes a burden for professionals who have to balance cost considerations with limited support from their organisations. 

This then begs the question – where should the burden lie with regards to investing in communication leadership through professional development?

A recent suvey on professional development conducted by the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence (CSCE) earlier this year shows that while “professional development consistently ranks as a top priority for communication professionals in research and industry conversations, investment often fails to match this intent.”

It is not strange to find organisations earmark large training budgets for leaders in technical roles and functions but when asked about their training budget for their communication leaders, it is either negligible or it does not exist. In fact, 55% of the respondents of the CSCE survey noted that they do not have a professional development budget while only 7% indicated that their training budget increased in recent years. 

This gap means that communication professionals and leaders have to significantly  shoulder the burden for their professional development but this should not be the case. With the growing demands on communication teams and the increasing expectations from stakeholders within and outside the organisation, it is important for communication professionals and leaders to begin to make a business case for corporate investment in professional development. 

A highly skilled and highly competent communication team will be better positioned to deliver value and strategic counsel to an organisation. While it is true that communication professionals need to adopt a proactive approach towards learning and self-development, organisational support in this area will go a long way in closing competency gaps and prepare more professionals for leadership, especially younger professionals who need to deepen their capabilities. 

For communication professionals and teams faced with limited organisational support in the area of professional development, some effective learning models to leverage include internal knowledge sharing sessions and facilitator-led thematic masterclasses to provide best practices and updated knowledge on industry trends. Mentorship across generations and levels can also be leveraged to bridge knowledge gaps and provide room for practical experience sharing in leadership and being a trusted advisor. 

As the communication profession becomes even more complex and layered, investment in continuous professional development must be prioritised because communication leaders do not deliver strategic value by chance but by competence and sharpened capacity. 

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Adedoyin Jaiyesimi is the Co-Founder of The Comms Avenue, Africa’s largest professional development community for communication leaders.

Based in Nigeria, Adedoyin is a Communications Advisor and Corporate Trainer, and is a #WeLeadComms honoree and a Strategic Columnist.

Written by: Editor