"Is what he said that he wants you to help him do, really what he means?"

The Situation:
A division vice president wants a communication manager's help, he says. The communicator is unsure whether what he says he needs her help with is really what he means. The communicator relayed the following tale to a communication consultant and asked what she should do. 

The Communication Manager:
"The corporation's chairman and CEO has declared that the corporation will become a better corporate citizen through employees' more active participation in public and cultural affairs. All division executives, the chairman has said, will be held accountable in their job performance and salary reviews, not only for meeting their revenue targets but also for the level of their employee group's participation in corporate-sponsored public and cultural affairs. 

"My client, the division vice president, heads a group of about 75 people whose jobs involve very long hours in the office. Most of them routinely work 12-14 hour days. Many also work half days on Saturdays. As a unit, however, the group always ranks #1 in the corporation for the amount of money that they donate to such causes as The United Way, etc. None of the work group members are active in community groups or public affairs activities sponsored by the corporation. They say that they're too tired and have no time after work for getting involved in, what they refer to as, 'public relations stuff' for the corporation. 

"Until now, my client has accepted his group's refusals to get involved in public affairs. He is known for defending his group's workload to the chairman. He now tells me, however, that he needs me to get his group interested and involved in public affairs activities. He likes me very much, he says, and is certain that I can persuade his group with my 'great' (his word) communication skills. 

"As you can see, I'm a petite female. Everybody knows that I'm a pleasant person who smiles a lot. Most people also tell me that I look at least 10 years younger than I am. It's very difficult for me to disagree with the vice president. 

"I did ask him if the members of his group would get time off from their heavy work schedules to participate in public affairs activities, or if there would be other incentives. His answer was 'No. You've got to convince them that participation in public affairs is a good thing, and the right thing to do. You also need to make sure that they understand that they will be held accountable in their salary and work performance reviews for the level of their participation. Really, all you have to do,' he added, 'is use your great communication skills to get them moving.' 

"What do I do?" 

Question:
What would you have counseled the communication manager to do? Look at What Happened? See what the consultant advised.

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