Rolul comunicarii intr-o organizatie / The role of communication in an organisation

Imi amintesc o idee centrala in jurul careia s-au desfasurat mai multe speech-uri in cadrul conferintei PR Forum de anul acesta. Sala plina de oameni de comunciare, toti cu aceleasi frustrari si cu aceleasi ambitii. In stanga si-n dreapta mea oameni care inca mai spera la marea reusita, lupta sa ajunga importanti si sa fie luati in seama. La prezidiu, cativa dintre cei care au reusit deja, care acum impart din experienta dobandita. "Luptati pentru locul vostru in Board"...
Am plecat cu convingerea ca e un lucru simplu, ca deja managerii romani au inceput sa inteleaga rolul comunciarii... Si totusi, cat de departe suntem de acest ideal. Cat de greu le este inca managerilor obisnuiti sa taie si sa spanzure dupa bunul plac sa se consulte cu "negrii de pe plantatie" cand au ceva de spus sau de comentat, in interiorul sau in exteriorul companiei. Si asa, dupa ce ai reusit cu greu sa dovedesti ca esti mai mult decat "a pretty face", trebuie sa lupti in continuare atat pentru a mentine statutul cu greu dobandit, dar si pentru a fi mai mult decat un operational amarat care face ce i se spune si ce se decide fara a fi consultat, nici macar in aria ta de expertiza.
Si asa ajungi sa faci planul de comunicare in jurul bugetului deja stabilit, sa schimbi mesajul pentru ca nu merge cu contextul urmarit, si apoi, intr-o zi, sa gasesti niste declaratii ale companiei postate pe nu's ce site fara stirea ta, sa constati greselile facute, sa inghiti in sec si sa modifici iar, a cata oara? planul de comunicare.
Si cateodata iti vine sa-ti iei campii, sa pleci, sa cauti alt job care la prima vedere pare locul de munca ideal, si la a doua vedere iti ofera aceleasi eterne frustrari.
Si o iei de la capat, over and over again...

***

I remember a central idea around which several speeches at this year's PR Forum conference revolved. A room full of community people, all with the same frustrations and ambitions. To my left and right people still hoping for the big break, struggling to become important and be counted. In the chair, some of those who have already succeeded, who now share their experience. "Fight for your place on the Board"...

I left with the conviction that it's a simple thing, that already Romanian managers have started to understand the role of communication... And yet, how far we are from this ideal. How hard it is still for managers who are used to cut and paste as they please to consult with "slaves on the plantation" when they have something to say or comment on, inside or outside the company. And so, after you've managed to prove yourself to be more than "a pretty face", you have to keep fighting both to maintain your hard-earned status, but also to be more than a poor operative who does what he's told and what is decided without being consulted, even in your area of expertise.

And so you end up making the communication plan around the budget already set, changing the message because it doesn't go with the intended context, and then, one day, finding some company statements posted on some website without your knowledge, noting the mistakes made, swallowing dry and editing again, for the umpteenth time? communication plan.

And sometimes you just want to get out, leave, look for another job that at first glance seems like the ideal job, and at second glance offers the same eternal frustrations.

And you start all over again, over and over again...

Chestie de comunicare interna / Internal communication matter

Imi place la nebunie atmosfera de la munca! Poate asta e unul dintre cele mai importante motive care ma tin in loc cand ma apuca dorul de duca si pofta de schimbare, sau cand urla revolta in mine din cauza divesilor factori stresanti din viata oricarui angajat constiincios si dornic de afirmare. Au trecut 6 luni de cand eram pusa in fata unei adevarate "mission impossible" inca din prima zi de lucru. Cuvintele alea m-au urmarit vreme buna, si cu siguranta vor ramane intiparite in memoria mea mult timp: "Ai trei luni la dispozitie sa arati ce poti face pentru noi. Vreau sa vad oamenii zambind pe holuri". Si uite, dupa 3 luni lumea zambea, dupa o jumatate de an deja rade, glumeste, canta, leaga prietenii :). Greu de demonstrat, dar e si meritul meu. O stiu eu, o stiu ei, o stie si cel care mi-a predat sarcina imposibila. Am noroc deci ca nu trebuie sa demonstrez. M-a costat multa munca, mult timp, o gramada de lecturi suplimentare, o tona de creativitate, si, cel mai dureros, un fir de par alb, rasarit exact in crestetul capului. Pretul e mare, dar merita: dai un ban, dar stai in fata! Pot sta in fata si pot arata rezultatele, cu fruntea sus. Dar lupta e abia la inceput. Am demonstrat ca oamenii comunica, daca le pui la dispozitie instrumentele necesare, ii inveti cum sa comunica si le arati ca nimic rau nu se poate intampla din asta. Am cladit ceva, si nu a fost asa de greu cum imi imaginam. Acum incepe munca de consolidare, de intretinere, de grija ca totul sa nu se naruie dintr-o greseala stupida. Important e ca-mi place, ca am sprijin si ca inca ma mai tin puterile sa ma lupt cu toti si cu toate, pentru a ajunge acolo unde-mi doresc.

***

I love the atmosphere at work! Maybe that's one of the most important reasons that hold me back when I get homesick and hungry for change, or when rebellion is screaming inside of me due to the various stressors in the life of any conscientious and assertive employee. It's been 6 months since I was faced with a real "mission impossible" from the first day of work. Those words have been with me for a long time, and will surely stay with me for a long time: "You have three months to show what you can do for us. I want to see people smiling in the corridors". And look, after 3 months people were smiling, after half a year they are already laughing, joking, singing, making friends :). Hard to prove, but it's also my merit. I know it, they know it, the person who gave me the impossible task knows it. So I'm lucky I don't have to prove it. It cost me a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of extra reading, a ton of creativity, and, most painfully, a white hair, sprouting right at the top of my head. The price is high, but it's worth it: you give a penny, but you stay ahead! I can sit up front and show the results, with my head held high. But the fight is just beginning. We have proven that people communicate, if you give them the tools, teach them how to communicate and show them that nothing bad can come of it. We built something, and it wasn't as hard as I imagined. Now begins the work of consolidation, of maintenance, of making sure everything doesn't get damaged by a stupid mistake. The important thing is that I like it, that I have support and that I still have the strength to fight with everyone and everything to get where I want to be.