Bill Whitelaw

Use "double materiality" thinking to assess external impacts, both positive and negative. Use data to quantify them and let the data tell the story...once the data has been sanctioned by community stakeholders. This materiality assessment is also a phenomenal bridge-builder between companies and their communities.

Think in this new paradigm: "Permissions to Produce" (PTP). It's the logical (and appropriate) evolution of "social licence to operate". But PTP's underpinnings come from an orientation of seeking permission, not demanding licence. Permissioning begins from a place of peer and partnership equality and can cast a company's time imperatives and constraints in a different context through which solutions are collaboratively defined to meet timeframes acceptable and amenable to all parties.

Set yourself up as a anti-AI comms shop. Push original content creation by someone who is deliberately not-a-bot. Too many comms agencies are pushing AI tools. AI can make a communicator lazy and diminish original thinking. Entrepreneurs more than anyone else do not need communicative crutch...which AI is when used to provide comms material directly.

It's important to understand the underlying root causes of the behaviour. There are many reasons why an individual might be predisposed to interrupt -- including the belief they're being helpful. First step: take the person aside, ideally independent of a meeting context. Be candid but supportive in asking we they feel a need to consistenly interrupt. Once that basis of understanding is established, a strategy can be developed to mitigate the interruptive impact.

Commit to this with your client: 15 minutes of non-billable time each call dedicated solely to personal catch-up and conversation. Only non-corporate stuff. It's important to replace the chitchat that normally is part of in-person meetings. It builds and maintains rapport and trust.

The notion of "social licence to operate" should be made dead and then buried. Instead, think in terms of "permissions to produce". It configures the company relationship to stakeholders on a humilty-based level field of equals. By seeking permission(s) the relationship which must endure inevitable ups and downs will become more resilient and rooted in an ethos of mutual interest and alignment. Asking for permission is a powerful utility.