“…sometimes 80% is good enough..." - Andy Mortimer
This week, we sat down with Andy Mortimer, Head of Communications at Co-op Foundation to talk about how you can use your comms strategy to help tackle inequalities. We take a look at the specific approach the Co-op Foundation took to building out their strategy; explore the importance of understanding the why of communication, not just the how; and, doing all of this without straying away from their golden thread of putting young people and partners at the centre of how they work.
1. How do you approach strategy?
Something that really stood out in the conversation was Andy’s assertion that they approached the strategy going backwards. Delving into this, what he actually meant was they built from the foundations and principles rather than having a hypothesis from the start that they all had to work towards. I suggested that this is actually the way you should be approaching strategy and implies that a lot of us are used to having to create strategies which fit a “top-down” approach within our organisations.
2. Terms and language are important
As a foundation, Co-op wanted to stand out for how they fund, rather than what they fund. This can be seen across different facets of the organisation, and very specifically in the language they use. Organisations that receive grants from the foundation are called “partners” which feels like a positive shift in this dynamic which can often appear dominated by the grant giver.
3. Team work is always important
It is very clear that all of the work conducted, required a big team effort and support had to be given from the top down to allow the necessary time to get the strategy done and allowing the whole team to feel that they really owned the piece of work. However, maybe take heed to Andy’s advice and consider the point that perfection isn’t always necessary and sometimes, 80% is good enough.
We hope you enjoy this week’s episode.
Related episodes that you may be interested in:
E251 - Becoming audience led with Chloe Amstein -
E228 - Amplifying community voices with Claire Richards and Naomi Rubbra
E226 - Media Training Tips with Rob Stewart