CollectivNews

Welcome to a monthly round-up of information relevant
to comms professionals and everyone interested in the fractional model.

August 2026

The New Rules of Communications Leadership
What Executive Recruiters Say It Takes
to Get Hired Today

The people with perhaps the clearest view of the communications profession speak every day with CEOs, boards, and comms leaders about what organizations need next, but they aren’t sitting inside companies. They’re executive recruiters from some of the industry’s premier search firms, and they share at least one remarkably consistent perspective: the communications hiring market has fundamentally changed.

The profession has never been more influential, but the expectations placed upon its leaders have never been higher. That’s both exciting and challenging
Here are several trends defining today’s market.

Companies are hiring business leaders, not just communicators.
The days when exceptional media relations or writing skills alone could propel someone into the C-suite are largely behind us.

Today’s organizations expect communications executives to understand business strategy, financial performance, organizational transformation, public policy, technology, and reputation. Expertise remains essential, but it is no longer enough.
Increasingly, comms leaders are expected to help shape enterprise strategy, not simply convey it.

The most sought-after candidates are those who demonstrate commercial acumen, executive judgment, and the ability to influence decisions far beyond the function.

The modern communicator is both broader and deeper.
One of the more interesting shifts is that companies are simultaneously seeking broader business capabilities and deeper functional expertise.

Communications leaders are increasingly expected to operate across marketing, public affairs, government relations, sustainability, employee engagement, and corporate reputation. At the same time, organizations continue to place a premium on specialists in areas such as internal communications, CEO communications, crisis management, and organizational change.

The “modern communicator” isn’t simply versatile. They know where their expertise creates the greatest value while understanding how their work connects to the broader business.

AI has changed the conversation, but not in the way many expected.
Artificial intelligence is impossible to ignore, but the consensus is surprisingly measured.

Organizations certainly expect communications professionals to understand AI and leverage emerging technologies, however, AI proficiency alone is not what separates candidates.

Knowing how to generate content with AI is table stakes.

What distinguishes leaders is their ability to apply technology strategically, improve decision-making, strengthen measurement, increase efficiency, and create better business outcomes while exercising the judgment that only experienced professionals can provide.

In other words, AI is becoming an expected capability, not a competitive advantage.

Leadership is the ultimate differentiator.
As resumes become increasingly polished (and AI makes it easier for candidates to present similar credentials), organizations are looking beyond technical qualifications.

Executive presence, authenticity, curiosity, preparation, and the ability to lead are increasingly what separate finalists from everyone else.

Candidates who understand an organization’s strategy, demonstrate genuine interest, communicate with confidence, and clearly articulate how they will create value consistently outperform those who rely on generic executive language and overused buzzwords.

The best interviews feel less like rehearsed presentations and more like thoughtful business conversations.

Culture fit matters more than ever.
Despite continued demand for senior communications talent, organizations are hiring deliberately.

The question is no longer, “Can this person do the job?”

It’s increasingly, “Will this leader thrive within our culture, earn the trust of the CEO and executive team, and elevate the organization over the long term?”

Technical expertise may open the door, but trust, judgment, and leadership often determine who receives the offer.

What this means for communications professionals
The profession is entering a new era.

Communications leaders who continue to build only expertise risk falling behind. Those who invest in understanding business, embrace technology thoughtfully, develop specialized competencies, cultivate authentic relationships, and continually hone their leadership skills will be best positioned for the opportunities ahead.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway is this: communications has never been more strategically important. As organizations navigate increasing complexity, rapid technological change, heightened stakeholder expectations, and constant reputational risk, the need for trusted communications leadership continues to grow.

Finding Community

By Jane Randel, Partner

For most of us, community came bundled with a job. You didn’t have to seek it out. It arrived with your ID badge: people to eat lunch with, a shared problem to solve, a reason to be in the same place at the same time, and an identity reinforced every day.

When you leave corporate life, you may look forward to saying goodbye to office politics, endless meetings, and a calendar you don’t control. What you may not anticipate is losing something far more valuable: trusted colleagues, spontaneous conversations, shared experiences, and the feeling of belonging to a team.

That gap used to affect a relatively small number of people. Today, it is becoming one of the defining challenges of the modern workforce. More communications professionals are working fractionally, independently, remotely, or as consultants than ever before. Gallup research shows that roughly one in five employees experiences loneliness during the workday, and those numbers increase significantly for people who work in isolation.

One solution is finding the right professional community.

The first benefit is obvious: connection. There is tremendous value in being surrounded by people who understand your world, have wrestled with the same difficult decisions, and appreciate the unique challenges of leading communications in today’s environment. Those relationships provide encouragement, perspective, and a sense of belonging that many professionals miss far more than they expected.

The second benefit is just as important, even if people are less comfortable talking about it: opportunity.

Your community is where your next client, your next project, your next partnership, or your next career opportunity is likely to come from.

The largest study of its kind, conducted across millions of LinkedIn users, found that career opportunities are often created not through our closest relationships but through the broader network of professional connections who introduce us to ideas, people, and possibilities we would never discover on our own. Success increasingly belongs to those who remain connected.

For professionals working independently, community becomes much more than a social outlet. It becomes a business asset. It is your pipeline, your advisory board, your referral network, and your early warning system all at once.

When someone tells me they are looking for community, I hear someone searching for the professional infrastructure that once came naturally with corporate life and now must be intentionally rebuilt.

Creating that kind of community is much harder than it sounds. You cannot simply gather accomplished professionals together and expect meaningful relationships to develop. Great communities are intentionally designed. They foster trust. They encourage collaboration. They provide the forum for members to contribute, learn, and succeed together.

Going forward, your community will be one of your greatest competitive advantages.

That philosophy has guided CommsCollectiv from the beginning.

Our vision is to build a place where senior communications leaders no longer connected through their companies come not simply to network, but to solve problems, discover new technologies, sharpen their skills, exchange ideas, build their businesses, find exceptional talent, and create opportunities for one another.

Trust Is Becoming the Hardest Part of the Job

By Monica Talan, Partner

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Meredith Klein for an upcoming episode of If I Only Had 10 Minutes, Season 3.

When I asked her to choose one word that describes great communications, she said: trust.

That answer stayed with me, especially after reading the new Burson Pulse 2026⁠ research. The study captures something many communicators are feeling right now: people are anxious, skeptical, and paying closer attention to what companies and leaders say and do.

Burson surveyed more than 1,600 U.S. adults and found that confidence in major institutions remains low. CEOs, large corporations, Congress, and traditional media all earn the confidence of fewer than one in four Americans. At the same time, people still place confidence in friends, family, small businesses, and leaders who feel close, consistent, and accountable. For communicators, that matters.

We are operating in an environment where reputation can weaken gradually, long before there is a formal crisis. Burson found that 48% of Americans have lost their belief in a company without being able to point to one specific moment. That should get every communications leader’s attention. Trust is often lost in small ways: unclear decisions, inconsistent messages, silence when people need clarity, or values that sound good but do not show up in behavior.

And AI adds another layer. According to Burson Pulse, only 30% of employed Americans strongly agree that their employer is being transparent about how AI may affect jobs and roles. Fifty-seven percent say AI is already changing their job whether they are ready or not, and 78% believe AI is growing faster than companies and governments can manage responsibly.

That is not just a technology issue. It is a communications issue, a leadership issue, and a culture issue. Employees do not need every answer today. Most people understand that AI is moving quickly and that organizations are still figuring out what it means. But they do need candor about what is known, what is still uncertain, and how decisions will be made. Silence creates room for fear. Overly polished messaging can make people more suspicious. Clear, steady communication helps people stay grounded.

One of the strongest findings in the Burson research is that people want consistency. They want leaders who are honest when news is difficult, direct even when people disagree, and clear about what the company stands for before pressure hits. That is where communicators can bring real value.

This is also where AI should be handled with care. AI can help us move faster, analyze more information, and create better systems for listening. It can help teams understand stakeholder concerns earlier and respond with more precision. But AI cannot replace the judgment required to build trust. It cannot decide what an organization should stand for. It cannot make employees feel respected if leadership is treating communication as an afterthought.

The opportunity for communications leaders is to help organizations connect AI adoption to trust, not only productivity. That means asking better questions:

• How are we explaining AI decisions to employees?
• Are we being clear about what will change and what will not?
• Are we giving people a chance to learn, adapt, and participate?
• Are our external messages aligned with the internal experience?

Are we communicating before anxiety turns into distrust?

As Meredith reminded me, great communications comes down to trust. And trust is going to matter even more as organizations navigate AI, change, and rising expectations from employees and stakeholders. Season 3 of If I Only Had 10 Minutes is coming soon. In the meantime, you can catch up on previous episodes here.