CollectivNews

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

July 2025

The Hidden Toll of a Bad Hire

By Lisa Ryan, Partner, CommsCollectiv

Not every hire is a home run. Some arrive with great resumes and even better interviews, only to quietly unravel under pressure. And while most organizations are slow to act (out of hope, habit, or HR hesitation), the reality is that a bad hire doesn’t just underperform; they unsettle everything. From the first missed deadline to the final exit interview, the clock is ticking… and the cost is compounding.

In communications, the wrong leader can do more than disrupt, they can damage reputations, weaken stakeholder trust, and derail strategic initiatives. Whether it’s building a brand, managing a crisis, or guiding an organization through change, success hinges on having the right person in place. The wrong fit comes at a high price.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, replacing a bad hire can equal 30% of the employee’s first-year earnings. Other estimates place the number significantly higher depending on the level and complexity of the role and its potential impact on revenue. Missed opportunities, reputational risk, and strategic missteps can affect the bottom line for years to come.

When senior communications leaders are misaligned with the C-suite or Board of Directors, the loss of trust is swift and often irreparable. Once confidence erodes, the effectiveness of the role goes with it. The instability is equally disruptive: internal friction, stalled campaigns, strained agency relationships, and, in some cases, the departure of high-performing team members.

It takes time and money to restart a search, onboard a new leader, and rebuild momentum. The average executive search takes about four months. That’s four months of potential drift — in messaging, strategy, stakeholder engagement and organizational visibility while the seat remains unfilled or “misfilled.” Most organizations can’t afford to wait that long.

That’s where fractional talent comes in. A seasoned communications leader embedded on an interim basis can provide critical continuity, strategic guidance, and steady execution while a permanent search is underway. CommsCollectiv’s network of more than 200 vetted senior communications professionals ensures you have the right expertise at the right time whatever the circumstances. Fractional is not a stopgap; it’s a smart solution.

A bad hire isn’t just a misstep; it’s a ripple effect. From morale to money, culture to credibility, the true cost of keeping the wrong person too long is far higher than most leaders ever calculate.

Clarity Amid Chaos: How Strategic Communication Can Help Leaders Navigate Uncertainty

By Emil Hill, Strategic Advisor

In today’s volatile environment, companies, institutions, and leaders are operating under unprecedented levels of uncertainty. From rapid shifts in immigration enforcement to changes in healthcare mandates, tax structures, economic policy, and global conflict, the only constant is change. These shifts reverberate across industries, shaking consumer confidence, slowing economic growth, unsettling real estate development, and triggering market volatility.

However, one truth remains clear amid the turbulence, effective communication can help reduce uncertainty, build trust, and position organizations, not only to survive, but lead.

As a communications professional with more than 20 years of experience, I have advised Fortune 100 companies, advocacy groups, coalitions, and public institutions. I have partnered with organizations to navigate seismic shifts in policy and social expectations. The reckoning brought by the #MeToo movement, the urgency of police reform, and the search for justice during a pandemic, are just a few of the issues in recent times that forced leaders to make high-stakes decisions, often without a playbook.

In many cases, the greatest challenge wasn’t just the issue, it was the absence of a clear, coordinated, and values-driven communication strategy.

The Cost of Uncertainty

Policy instability acts like a shockwave through the economy. Consumer spending slows, investment stalls, and capital markets fluctuate. According to McKinsey & Company, tariff and policy uncertainty amid broader economic volatility has prompted consumers to shift discretionary spending patterns and delay durable goods purchases, reflecting more cautious and value-driven behavior. In January 2023, Pew Research Center reported that 75% of U.S. adults were very concerned about the price of food and consumer goods, while only about 30% had similar concerns about labor shortages or job availability. This suggests a difference in levels of concern between price anxiety and perceptions of the labor market.

In times like these, silence or misalignment creates a vacuum that is often quickly filled by confusion, speculation, and reputational risk. Employees, customers, and investors want clarity. If they don’t hear from you, the worst is assumed.

Communication as Risk Mitigation

Strategic communications is usually an afterthought, reactive rather than proactive. But let us be very clear, the chaos and uncertainty of our current environment make a very strong case for treating strategic communications as a front-line function (an essential and proactive element of risk management) that is most effective when embedded in organizational planning.

In one instance during the height of the pandemic, healthcare organizations that communicated consistently, transparently, and empathetically fared better in public trust and consumer loyalty than those who waited for ‘perfect’ information before speaking. The same held true for companies reevaluating their values and DEI commitments following national unrest.

A Playbook for Leadership

What separates communicators who navigate uncertainty well from those who stumble? A few key practices:

Advance Planning: Scenario planning isn’t a luxury, it’s essential. Building message frameworks, stakeholder maps, and standby statements, in advance, prepares leaders to act fast and stay on-message.

Clarity Over Perfection: The pressure to be flawless often leads to harmful delays. In uncertain moments, audiences respond better to transparency than to silence.

Values Alignment: Communications that are rooted in an organization’s mission and values are more resilient under pressure. When stakeholders know what you stand for, they’re more likely to stand with you. This means you don’t begin communicating your mission and values during a crisis.

Multichannel Reach: Using internal, external, digital, and traditional channels ensures your message reaches stakeholders where they are and when it matters.

Moving Forward with Purpose

The unpredictability of policy likely is here to stay. But uncertainty doesn’t have to paralyze organizations. Leveraging the right strategies, C-Suite leaders can help their organizations move with confidence, clarity, and compassion.

Leaders can’t control global politics, regulatory swings, or market shocks, but you can control how your organization responds, and how we lead.

Emil Hill is a Strategic Advisor helping mission-driven organizations lead through change, navigate uncertainty, protect reputation, and build trust through clear, values-based communication. He is also a member of the CommsCollectiv talent pool.

The Race Is On for Trust in AI

By Monica Talan, Partner, CommsCollectiv

Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself reading more and more about responsible AI, and for good reason. As AI development accelerates, so does public scrutiny. In just the last few weeks, both Amazon and Microsoft unveiled major updates to their responsible AI practices. These aren’t just high-minded principles, they’re operational frameworks designed to guide how AI is built, deployed, and governed at scale.

Amazon’s newly released Responsible AI framework is focused on turning principles into practice, with five pillars that emphasize governance, technical rigor, and impact assessments. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s 2025 Responsible AI Transparency Report offers a rare look under the hood: more than 30,000 employees trained, nearly 700 AI use cases reviewed, and updated tools to manage risk across its entire product pipeline.

These moves aren’t just about technology. They’re about trust. And that’s where communications leaders come in.

Communicators won’t simply explain how AI works, they’ll help shape how it’s perceived, questioned, and regulated. From guiding internal messaging on AI ethics to crafting clear, transparent narratives for key constituents, communication leaders must become fluent translators of both intent and impact.

McKinsey’s Global AI Trust Maturity Survey illustrates the challenge ahead: most organizations score just 2.0 out of 4 on responsible AI maturity. Many still lack standardized metrics, governance frameworks, and leadership alignment. And according to PwC, one of the most overlooked risks? Your vendors’ AI, not your own.

The takeaway is clear: responsible AI isn’t just a compliance issue. It’s a brand issue. A trust issue. A narrative issue.

For communications professionals, this is a defining moment. We’re not just narrating the AI story. We’re shaping how it’s understood, how it’s trusted, and how it’s held accountable.

Responsible AI isn’t a destination. It’s a discipline. And we all have a significant role to play.we all have a significant role to play.