Feet in both worlds

I have been fortunate to realize two big dreams in my professional career—running a successful business doing something I love and completing a doctorate in leadership that helped define our business philosophy every step of the way. There are big synergies in combining the practical, day-to-day issues we deal with at Desautel Hege Communications and understanding the theory and philosophy of leadership and communication. It has helped us grow and serve clients with a lot of up-to-date communication tools, and we have fun doing it—more about that later.

High-performing companies

I have studied over the years how excellent organizations communicate and have adapted the principles to how we do things for our clients. Big aha moment: There is no perfect formula. But there are at least three things excellent organizations build into their communications systems.

• Top leadership recognizes its role in the communication system and its own and others’ strengths and weaknesses. I always have surrounded myself with people from whom I can learn and who support me in all things. If you’ve met my husband, Jim, our founder; our staff; and my other partners Michelle Hege, Andrei Mylroie and Sara Johnston, you know what I mean.
• Successful organizations build trust and balance through all of their actions every day. I can’t think of a time in my 35-plus-year career when this has been truer. Your employees and customers better trust you, or you have lost them for sure.
• And high-performing organizations invest in systems to communicate clearly and consistently. This includes good and bad news. Making this commitment and investment is part of what makes them high-performing organizations.

Having a lot of tools

In our business and in my life as a small-business owner, wife, community volunteer, teacher, parent and grandparent, I have found it best to rely on a full tool kit to succeed. I have a habit of over-preparing—then I can relax and have fun with our team. Winging it is not usually a good plan. When we need to be adaptable—this is where the tools come in. Deep breathing, exercising every day and a great team help too.

Love my work

Sometimes I can’t believe we get paid for doing what we love—not that it isn’t grueling work. But there isn’t a day I get up that I’m not excited to come to work, see what’s new for the day and be part of the energy of our business. That’s my hope for my children and grandchildren—that they have work that is creative, fun and makes a difference. My husband said it best in one of what we call his Jimisms: You can be a zealot about your work, but if you don’t have a life, you better get one. That’s what counts in the end and what works for me.

BIO:

Cher Desautel is president and CEO of Desautel Hege Communications, a Spokane-based public relations and marketing firm. A native of Canada who became a U.S. citizen in the early 1980s, Desautel worked in public relations in Spokane for about 20 years before she and her husband, Jim, founded their own firm in 1996.

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