1 Your teams aren't all rowing in the same direction.

Everyone used to work side by side, celebrating wins and learning from losses together. Now, as the company grows and teams differentiate, teams are collaborating less and silos are starting to form. Previously reliable information flows are no longer sufficient to keep everyone informed and aligned.

2 You're having internal comms fire drills.

Raise your hand if: (a) Internal comms fire drills -- “Wait! We need to tell the team!” -- happen on the regular. (b) You have no idea who is listening. Do employees read/watch all communications from the CEO? How about the COO? CMO? Should they? (c) You often have to send updates to important communications within a few days or weeks. (d) All of the above.

3 Internal comms are taking up a lot more of your time.

You used to be able to call everyone into one room/zoom, make an announcement, take questions, and get back to work. Now, to ensure everyone is informed and understands, that same announcement requires a carefully worded email, FAQ document, a follow-up All Hands (don’t forget about the folks in APAC and EMEA), and a sequence of sub-team meetings. Just as your executive bench is busier than ever, keeping employees informed and inspired requires more planning and diligence than ever.

4 Your culture is feeling more corporate.

You worked hard to build an amazing company culture, but between scaling the team and WFH, that culture is losing its mojo. Culture will take on a life of its own if it’s not nurtured, and, on the flip side, it will feel corporate if you push it too prescriptively. As a company grows, the way that you express your values and integrate them into your communication becomes just as important as the values themselves.

5 COVID and the unpredictable world around us.

When there is uncertainty in the world, employees need to hear from leadership more than ever. This is true for COVID, social unrest, public policy changes, natural disasters, and more. Your employees are human beings who need information so they can plan ahead, inspiration so they don’t burn out, and empathy for their personal experience. How you show up in these moments defines who you are as a company even more than your bottom line.