Stay visible. In terms of my role as CEO, communication comes back to the idea of being everywhere all at once.
You need to stay visible as part of communicating. Making visibility a priority as a leader is simply part of what comes with the territory. I never have enough time on the floor, even with the time I do spend on the museum floor. But I need it, because it gives me an opportunity to have face-to-face interaction with all our employees, from our actor-interpreters in our exhibits to housekeeping to retail, to our food-service employees, and get a sense for how things are going, what are their concerns. It’s a way for me to do depth-testing within the organization.
Remember that, in the end, all your communication goes back to being visible. It’s being visible on the floor. For me, it’s about being visible after hours, since the museum has an after-hours life hosting gatherings and banquets. So the accessibility has to do with visibility and acknowledging that there are different weekly life cycles in an organization such as this and trying to maintain visibility across those different life cycles.
Outline your plans. It starts with a strategic plan and, even before that, a set of core values. We’re in our second strategic plan in my tenure. So it starts with examining those core values and what we’re all about, who our audience is and what are those things we believe that are truly important in the visitor experience. That then leads to some goals with measurable outcomes and strategies and tactics.
I also attend the beginning orientation for every employee; I tell my story and the story of the museum. I talk about our core values and strategic plan. I meet with all our employees monthly and talk to them about a variety of issues and topics related to the museum.
Communication doesn’t have to start at the top. Sometimes it does, with a set of shared core values and shared understanding of our day-to-day goals and operations. But ideas can come from anywhere.
As an example, in addition to the pitchfest program, we have an exhibit development program, where an idea for a new exhibit can come from an employee, a donor, up above or down below, and we have a means to assess, evaluate and consider it. Of course, not everyone’s ideas are doable and fundable, but we’ve had some extraordinary ideas come from our staff and our volunteers.
How to reach: The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, (317) 334-3322 or www.childrensmuseum.org
