Leaders as the Curators of Their Messages

What if, as leaders, we were effective curators of our message? What if we coached our employees to be effective curators as well?

The origins of the word “curator” are from the Latin word curare meaning “to care.” In this world where there is simply too much information to digest, leaders must find a way to help employees make sense of the barrage of information that inundates them every day. If leaders don’t curate their messages, others will assign meaning for them. And sometimes this leads to mistakes and misunderstandings. In today’s workplace, no leader can afford that type of fallout.

Curating isn’t the same thing as gatekeeping. Gatekeepers decide what information does or doesn’t “get out”. Gatekeepers hoard or pass along information; curators take the time to consider how the audience will receive the message. Curators analyze, sift, sort and arrange the content– with the recipient in mind.

Here are five benefits for leaders-as-curators:

1. When you curate something, you automatically have to prioritize, which helps you stay focused on your department and team’s goals.
2. Curation helps your team make sense of the huge amounts of information in the data stream.
3. Curation helps employees cope with the feeling of “too much”– too much information, too many emails, and too many meetings to attend.
4. When someone curates something, it shows that they care about the intended audience, which in turn, builds employee loyalty.
5. Leaders who curate their message help employees connect the dots and create clarity about their company and departmental mission.

Have you been curating your leadership messages to their best advantage? The next time you have an important message to communicate to your team, think about how you can organize the information in a way that is most helpful to your team members. Find a way to curate (and “care for”) the messages you send and the payback will surprise you.

 

photo credit: istock photo Copyright : gajus