How to Influence Leadership as a Communications Professional
Communications professionals in large organizations often find ourselves in a peculiar role: We’re the ones who have to break the news to the world, but we didn’t get to break bread at the decision-making table.
We’re expected to craft the perfect message and just hope the decisions we had no involvement in don’t blow up in everyone’s faces. The expertise we bring to the table? Often dismissed until it’s too late. Then, like clockwork, we’re left holding the mop, expected to clean up the mess with a perfectly worded statement.
But here’s the thing: Good communication isn’t an afterthought—it’s part of making smart decisions. When leadership brings the communications team in from the start, the messages don’t just “sound right,” they connect with the audience, protect the brand and help avoid those awkward foot-in-mouth moments.
This post isn’t about waiting to be heard. It’s about getting into the room where it all happens.
Let’s talk about how you can make yourself indispensable, get leadership to see communication as strategy and not just spin, and ultimately, shape the story before you have to tell it.
Understand Leadership’s Priorities
If you want to influence leaders, the first step is simple: Know what they care about.
Senior leaders have a lot of plates spinning at once—whether it’s meeting sky-high revenue goals, keeping stakeholders happy, or staying one step ahead of the competition in a market that seems to change by the hour. If you can show your leaders how communication isn’t just a checkbox but a tool to help hit those targets, then you won’t just be the person writing press releases—you’ll be a trusted ally.
So don’t just think about what sounds good in a press statement.
Think bigger.
Ask yourself, “How does what I’m proposing support the organization’s top priorities?”
If the business is focused on expanding its market share, don’t just pitch PR campaigns. Frame your messaging as a way to build the brand’s reputation, bring in new customers and stand out from the competition. Make it clear that communication is about driving real, measurable results.
When you position communication as something that protects and grows the organization’s reputation, you’re aligning yourself with what matters most to leadership.
Speak the Language of Data and ROI
You’ve got to speak the language of your senior executives—and let’s be honest, it’s the language of numbers. Senior execs love data like a kid loves cake, and the more you can turn your communication efforts into cold, hard metrics, the more they’ll see you as a key player, not just the person who crafts the “right message.”
In fact, Broadsight was born because its founder wanted to do just that after taking on a new senior communications role. He needed the numbers, so he created the tool that evolved into Broadsight.
When you come armed with metrics, you’re not just talking about abstract strategies. You’re talking about initiatives that actually deliver results. You’re not saying, “This PR campaign went well,” you’re saying, “This campaign improved our brand perception by 25 per cent and increased customer engagement.” Or, “Our crisis response kept public sentiment 88-per-cent positive, avoided reputational damage and reassured our stakeholders.”
Those are the kinds of numbers that make leaders sit up and pay attention.
The truth is, leaders are constantly balancing two things: Minimizing risk and maximizing growth. If you can show them how your communication strategies do both, you’ve positioned yourself as essential.
At the end of the day, numbers don’t lie. When you show that good communication equals good business results, you’re not just a creative—you’re a strategist. And in the boardroom, nothing speaks louder than data.
Be Proactive, Not Reactive
Don’t wait around for something to happen. A lot of communications pros spend their time reacting—cranking out press releases, handling last-minute crises or scrambling to fix whatever just hit the fan. Sure, being quick on your feet is a skill, but if you want to be seen as more than a firefighter, you’ve got to start preventing the fires in the first place.
Proactive communicators don’t wait for problems, they see them coming a mile away. They’re plugged into the public conversation, watching trends, tracking competitors, and they’re always a step ahead. So instead of waiting for that social media storm to hit, you’re the one flagging the negative chatter to leadership before it spirals out of control. When you’re the person pointing out potential risks, you’re no longer just the person who reacts—you’re the one who helps steer the ship clear of the iceberg. This is the key to successful issues management.
And being proactive isn’t just about dodging trouble. It’s also about taking the lead on new opportunities. Spot a growing trend, like a shift toward sustainability in your industry? Don’t wait for leadership to come to you. Pitch a campaign that highlights the company’s eco-friendly practices and ties directly to the brand’s core values.
When you bring ideas to the table that fit the organization’s goals, you’re not just executing someone else’s vision—you’re shaping the organization’s story.
The difference is obvious. Reactive communicators get the job done. Proactive communicators change the game.
Leaders want people who help them avoid trouble and spot opportunities. So stop waiting for your next assignment and start showing how your foresight can drive real value. That’s when you move from being just another player to being the trusted advisor every leader needs.
Build Relationships with Key Stakeholders
If you really want to up your game as a communications pro, here’s a secret: It’s not just about crafting great messages. It’s about building real relationships with the people who matter inside your organization. The more trust you build with decision-makers, and the more alliances you form across departments, the more you’ll move from being “the person who sends out the press releases” to “the person who shapes strategy.” So, how do you do that?
Cultivate Trust with Senior Leaders
First off, if you want a seat at the decision-making table, you’ve got to earn it. That starts with building rapport with senior leaders. Make it a habit to check in regularly with key executives—not just when there’s a fire to put out, but as part of an ongoing conversation. Find out what keeps them up at night: What are their goals? Their challenges? Their pet projects? Then, tailor your communications strategy to help them meet those needs.
Show them you’re not just reacting to problems—you’re actively aligned with their vision and helping drive it forward.
And here’s a pro tip: Learn how your leaders like to be communicated with. Do they want the details spelled out in a long report, or are they the “give it to me in two bullet points” type? Do they respond better in one-on-one chats, or do they thrive in group meetings? Adjust to their style, and you’ll find it a lot easier to get them to take your input seriously. Consistently deliver the information they need in the way they prefer.
Find Allies Across Departments
It’s not just the execs you need to befriend, though. Building relationships with other departments—like marketing, sales, and legal—is just as important. These teams have a huge stake in how a company communicates with the outside world, and when you work together, your influence grows.
Take sales, for example. By collaborating with the sales team, you can craft messaging that taps into what customers really care about. And when sales sees how your communications help them close deals or better position products, guess what? They become your biggest cheerleaders, advocating for your ideas in the boardroom. Now, you’re not just shaping external messages—you’re influencing product strategy.
Same goes for legal. When you work with the legal team during a crisis, you’re making sure your messaging is not only sound from a PR perspective but airtight from a legal one. And in those high-stakes moments, having legal in your corner only makes your role more valuable to leadership.
The bottom line? By building trust with senior leaders and forming strong partnerships across the organization, you stop being just the voice of the organization—you become the one who helps shape the conversation before it even begins. Leaders won’t just rely on you for communications; they’ll count on you for strategic insights that make the whole enterprise stronger.
Become a Trusted Advisor in Times of Crisis
If there’s ever a time to prove your value as a communications pro, it’s when the sky is falling. Crisis moments are where you can move from being “that person who handles the PR” to “the person who saved our bacon.” When everything’s on the line, your ability to guide the organization through chaos and out the other side makes you indispensable. Nothing wins leadership over faster than showing you can perform when the pressure is at its peak.
Whether it’s a PR disaster, a legal nightmare or an internal scandal, crisis situations are where your skills truly shine. The leadership team is feeling the heat. They’re facing public backlash, angry stakeholders and the looming threat of long-term reputational damage. That’s where you come in, showing them that you’re the person who knows how to steer the ship through the storm.
A well-timed, carefully thought-out response can be the difference between taking control of the narrative and watching it spiral into something far worse. For example, imagine your organization faces public backlash after a data breach involving customer information hits the news. Customers are worried, trust is slipping, and leadership is scrambling for answers.
This is your moment to step up and recommend a smart, swift response that balances transparency with control. You propose issuing a statement that takes responsibility where it’s due—acknowledging the concerns without getting bogged down in blame—while also clearly outlining the steps the organization is taking to secure the data and prevent future issues. You even suggest setting up a dedicated helpline or FAQ page to give customers a direct line to updates and answers.
By getting out in front of the issue with transparency and actionable solutions, you’re not just calming the storm—you’re showing leadership that you can navigate these situations with clarity, confidence and a clear plan.
When they see how your approach keeps the story from spiraling, helps restore customer trust and even manages to reassure the media, they’ll remember who guided the ship through rough waters. That’s the kind of performance that moves you from the background to a trusted seat at the leadership table.
What Can You Do Today?
You don’t have to sit on the sidelines and react to decisions that are made without you. You can be the person in the room shaping those decisions—if you position yourself as a strategic advisor.
By understanding what drives leadership, speaking their language (hint: it’s all about data and ROI), being proactive instead of reactive, building relationships across departments, and being a rock star during crises, you can go from being the one who delivers the message to the one who helps craft it.
It’s time to start making that shift. Talk like a leader, frame your strategies in business terms and show—consistently—how your work has a direct impact on results.
So, here’s your final call to action: Take a moment to think about where you stand right now. Are you influencing decisions, or are you just responding to them? Find one concrete step to level up—maybe it’s booking that regular meeting with senior leadership, building a data report like they’ve never seen before, or offering a proactive solution to an emerging challenge.
Whatever it is, take that step today. The influence you build now could be what shapes your organization’s future tomorrow.
