It is every business owner and leader’s goal to build a company that is both valuable and loved. It’s an easy goal to state; but not necessarily easy to realize.
And now here are the 2019 top five most loved brands according to Morning Consult:
Amazon – 4th most valuable
Google – 2nd most valuable
Netflix – 38th most valuable
Facebook – 5th most valuable
The Home Depot – 32nd most valuable
Note the crossover with the most valuable brands and most loved? That is a result of branding. So how do you create a company that is both valuable and loved?
You create an authentic brand.
Branding can mean different things to different people, so let’s clarify this and the value it can bring to your brand. Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from that of your competitors.
Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be. How clearly and consistently it’s delivered at every point of contact is vital to how strong the brand can become.A strong brand creates brand equity, which is one of the factors that can increase the financial value of a company.
If your company invests in its brand, you can achieve and enjoy the following benefits, to name a few:
Higher price points and less pricing pressure
Greater market value
Reduced competition
Increased business opportunities (partnerships, licensing deals, acquisitions)
So how do you get there?
We say it all the time, strong brands don’t happen by accident. Investing in your brand requires taking a close look at who you are and what you stand for, and then committing to delivering on that promise at every touch point.
Your brand must be both differentiating and emotionally relevant. Ask yourself, what do you do? How do you do it? What makes you different? These answers are the seed for your brand story, which becomes the litmus test for everything you say and do as an organization.
If an experience has your company associated with it, then it offers a specific and meaningful promise. It’s what your target audience (both customers and prospects) should expect, and it’s the culmination of feelings they have after an experience with you.
If your brand consistently delivers on its promise, then your target audience will come to trust it, and trusted relationships develop into emotional bonds that are hard to break. This loyalty to your brand means greater business success and reduced competitive threat.
The process we use to draw out and solidify your brand and its story is an extremely valuable effort for stakeholders and employees alike. If your brand needs some direction, we can help!
Sometimes I think the myth of work/life balance was designed to drive people crazy. People are encouraged, prodded even, to give all aspects of their life equal value and equal effort all the time. Be awesome at work! Have the neatest, tidiest house on the block! Be the perfect spouse!
It’s exhausting. And to a life-long worrier, it’s like cat-nip. If cat-nip was addicting but not at all enjoyable.
It should be called a work/life balancing act – something that is dipping from one side to another, always in flux. The word “balance” alone implies that you should shoot for a neat state of equilibrium all the time. And that is ridiculous.
It is human nature to think that the grass is greener on the other side.
I always look at other people with envy and awe at how much better at adulting everyone else around me seems to be.
Only snippets of people’s lives are visible to us. We don’t see our co-workers frantically trying to hustle their kids out the door in the morning because they’re late for school, or their hour-long commute to work, or the guilt they feel for ordering pizza for dinner because they are too exhausted to even think about making dinner.
Often, we only see people at their best, not at their frantic worst. Everyone, everyone, has rough spots in the lives. No one sails through life on a perfectly calm sea.
Acknowledge that life is like that sometimes
My mom often said “Life is like that sometimes” when I was kid and it drove me crazy. I remember always thinking, “Well, maybe life shouldn’t be like that mom!” Well, my mom was right. Life is messy and the sooner we can accept this, the better.
I don’t think its any coincidence that the first three letters in acknowledge are A-C-K.
Figure out an everyday ritual or routine you can carve out each day
I find that when I take the time in the morning to have some quiet time to myself, have my cup of coffee, journal a little, and read, I feel a lot better. It’s a nice way to start off my day and when the rest of my day goes sideways, as it inevitably does, I can take some solace in having done something for myself.
This ritual can look different for everyone, and it doesn’t have to be the first thing in the morning. Maybe at the end of the night, you can have a mini-spa moment and slather on all the skin-care potions you want. Or start your day with prayer and a moment of gratitude. Whatever your ritual looks like, it can serve as a calming mental anchor when everything else in your day is beyond your control.
Exercise a different part of your brain
I am fortunate that my work involves a variety of tasks and projects. One day I might be designing some graphics for social media, another day I might be writing a marketing plan. I find that being able to switch between two disparate tasks helps with my well-being immensely. If I feel like one task is turning into a brain drain, I can do something else completely different.
What if your job doesn’t involve a lot of variety? Take up a hobby. And I don’t mean watching endless amounts of YouTube (guilty). I think when people hear “hobby” they think of buying a ton of art supplies and painting the next Mona Lisa.
The key to having an enjoyable hobby is to make it sustainable – a hobby that doesn’t take up a lot of time, mental effort or physical space. I used to paint and draw, but honestly, it feels like such a task to break out my paints and brushes sometimes. So, I read or rip into my bajillion magazines and make a mini-collage. Very satisfying and with minimal fuss.
You gotta let that stuff go
Julie says this to me all the time, in a variety of situations. And you know what, it’s true.
Do I think I am going to create the next great invention out of the detritus of my life? No. Do I think the best things often come out of the messiness and happen-stance of life? Yes.
For example…
I was a military child growing up and that meant moving a lot. From Kindergarten to High School, I changed schools nine times and moved six times. As a teenager, I remember thinking to myself “when I grow up, I do not want to marry a military man because I don’t want to move around a lot.” Then Fate said, “Hold my beer” and I married a railroader instead.
We have moved four times in eleven years and have never lived in one place more than four years. Moving around so much can be hard (getting a house ready to sell is exhausting). But I have made some great friends along the way and built my skillset in a way that has helped my career immensely.
And all that moving around as a kid was good for me too. It’s how I met my husband.
In college, I was worried about what in the world I was going to do with a History degree. One day, I literally stumbled upon a poster in the College of Arts & Sciences building that listed all the career fields you can go into with a liberal arts degree. And one of those fields was Public Relations. That set me on the career path in marketing that I am still on today.
In the moment, it’s difficult to see how all of this will play out in the end
It’s only in looking back that we can see that the hardest times can create fortitude, a skill or a friendship that helps us in the present. My first real job out of college, working for a PR agency, was like a PR bootcamp. It was hard. It was stressful. But I learned so much and there are skills I picked up during that time in my life that I still use today.
Plus, it’s how I met Julie. And thirteen years later, when she was looking for someone to join her agency, and I had just moved back to Texas, it all came together.
No one knows how life is going to turn out. Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. So, instead of trying to chase down something that doesn’t exist and seemingly only serves to drive people crazy – like work/life balance – embrace the mess and accept the uncertainty. Your house will be a wreck, you will miss your kid’s soccer game, you will blow it at work.
It’s in the small, everyday efforts and messy moments of life that you are building up to something greater. You just don’t know it yet.
Without a defined marketing strategy, a company runs the risk of chasing marketing tactics that might not work. It’s tempting to chase every trend or try to do #allthethings. But it’s far better to focus on executing a few things right than to try to do everything and accomplishing nothing.
Take a step back and give some serious thought towards your marketing strategy.
Strategy First
The terms strategy and tactics are frequently used interchangeably but they are not the same thing. A company’s strategy will define the marketing tactics they should use, not the other way around.
At the core of every marketing strategy are five things: goals, a value proposition, target audience, competition and your marketing messages.
Goals Choose goals that are SMART, or Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. Having SMART goals keeps you and your team accountable.
Here are some examples of SMART goals:
Grow e-newsletter list to 50,000 subscribers by the end of the year.
Increase website traffic by 50% with SEO and content efforts.
Convert and capture at least 1,000 leads over the next three months.
Value Proposition What value does your product or service bring to your customers? How is your company different from your competitors?
Target Markets “Everyone” is not a target. Think about the annual income of your target customer, where they hang out online, age or stage of life, what industries they work in, education level, and their motivations for buying your product.
For B2B customers, this may look slightly different. What is the annual revenue of your target client? Who makes the purchasing decisions for the product or service that you sell?
Competition Identify and know the competition. Run a competitive analysis and/or create a competitive profile matrix. Know what your company is doing that is both different and better than the competition. Define your competitive advantage.
Marketing Messages Your marketing messages should be tailored to all your target markets. A message directed at a CTO of a Fortune 500 company will look different than a message for the CMO of a tech startup. Adjust your messaging accordingly.
Tactics Second
Now we get to play in my sandbox, marketing tactics. Here are a few tactics to consider:
Social Media I’m surprised by how many businesses are still wary of using social media to promote their organizations. If you don’t think that your target customer is on social media, check out these stats from the Pew Research Center:
69% of U.S. adults use Facebook. And its not just for kids anymore – among Americans 65 and older, almost half use Facebook.
73% of U.S. adults use YouTube. YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world behind Google.
A quarter of U.S. adults use LinkedIn. The growing network is a great place for B2B marketing leads, growing thought leadership, and finding your next employee.
So, basically, if your ideal customer or employee is breathing, it’s time to pick a social media channel or two and start getting social.
Influencers If you can’t build a huge audience, then buy it: this is the thinking behind influencer marketing. But, the right influencer for your company doesn’t have to necessarily have the biggest following to be effective.
Influencer marketing isn’t just for lifestyle products like makeup or the latest diet fad. Check out how this welding products company created their own influencer program.
Video More than 50% of consumers want to see videos from brands – more than any other type of content. There are many different types of videos a company could create: demo videos, expert interviews, explainer videos, and list goes on.
It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day demands of your company. Most entrepreneurs are too busy working “in” their business to work “on” their business. But, don’t you think its time to work on your business?
It’s summer halftime, and the heat is on – both literally and figuratively. June came and went, the first half of July is near, and we are on point through the end of August.
How are our working parents doing at halftime? My current status:
Because traffic is lighter in the summer (fewer cars & less business), it’s the perfect time for travel, lazy days and sunshine. Spend extra time with family and friends, but don’t take your eye off the remainder of the year.
Soon enough the temperatures will cool down (we hope), but with the arrival of fall, business will heat up. The halftime of summer also marks the halftime of 2019. Time is going by fast, isn’t it?
Here’s your two-minute warning
If you already have your second half marketing plan set, congratulations! We hope you rock it! If not, now is the time to start researching, planning, and executing.
When life and business get busy, a plan serves as a tool to keep you on course.
As you know, you simply can’t hope people will find you or do business with you. Being a successful business owner means constantly marketing and promoting your business.
We huddle at halftime
Here on the Porch, after we travel, relax by a body of water and spend a little extra time with our people, one of our favorite summertime activities is writing and facilitating marketing plans. So if you aren’t quite ready to score in the second half of 2019, give us a shout.
Tomorrow marks the 4th of July, the day that our country dons the red, white and blue and celebrates its independence from Great Britain.
Every year, we gather with our friends and family to celebrate the anniversary of our freedom and enjoy our togetherness and our traditions. Regardless of whether you celebrate the 4th with a small group of family, a large group fireworks event, or a beautiful beach-town parade, it’s an exciting and spirited time in the United States. The sights, sounds and smells are familiar and comforting.
Here are a few of my favorites of July 4th:
Parades! Kids on bikes, dogs in wagons, marching bands, dancing girls, music, floats, crazy patriotic outfits … I love it all!
Popsicles. On a hot day, there’s nothing better.
Barbeques – the smell of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs is everything.
4th of July themed desserts – who doesn’t love some creatively spun sugar?
Lee Greenwood’s Version of “God Bless the USA.” It makes my cry. Every. Single. Time.
Watermelon cut in slices. Quintessential summer. And so delicious.
Sparklers to kick off the firework lineup. So many childhood memories center upon waiving sparklers through the air.
Fireworks. Duh. The more, the better.
Togetherness. Family togetherness. Friend togetherness. Community togetherness. The 4th of July brings us all together, doesn’t it?
The reminder of how lucky we are to live in America. Like seriously, seriously lucky.
From everyone here on the Porch to you, may your 4th of July be filled with joy and celebration. Happy Independence Day, everyone!
GivingTuesday is December 3 and North Texas Giving Day is just around the corner – September 19. Is your organization ready for this nonprofit marketing challenge?
Giving Days are a celebration of philanthropy. GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that kicks off the charitable season, when many nonprofits focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day is an annual giving event that empowers everyone to give back to their community by supporting local nonprofits and causes they care about in an easy-to-use platform.
Criticism of Giving Days
There has been criticism of Giving Days like GivingTuesday. One, GivingTuesday is in December, usually the best fundraising month for most nonprofits. Two, many nonprofits use GivingTuesday as an excuse to get spam-ey:
“And what is in these #GivingTuesday appeals and communications? A great new story? A special giving opportunity that I can be a part of to do something powerful, unique or impactful? Again, generally speaking, no. They are cash grab emails. Give today. Donate now. Make your donation. Why you might ask? Well… uh… because it’s #GivingTuesday seems to be the response.”
Giving Days are not a giving bonanza. That’s a lot of pressure to put on one day. But, they are a great way to raise funds and introduce yourself to new donors. And, local Giving Days are often during the more fundraising fallow parts of the year, so as not to take away from end-of-year giving.
Plus, local Giving Days are often organized by foundations or organizations that have resources and tools to promote philanthropy in ways that small nonprofits often do not have the funds and manpower to do. These larger organizations reach out to media, offer marketing tools, and some, like Communities Foundation of Texas, give out bonus funds to organizations who accomplish certain goals during North Texas Giving Day.
I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but in light of some sobering statistics on U.S. giving, it is important to take advantage of Giving Days in a strategic and focused way. The Fundraising Effectiveness Project found that while overall giving went up slightly (1.6%) in 2018, this was largely driven by major gifts (donations of $1,000 or more).
Revenue from smaller gifts decreased. Donations of $250-$999 dropped by 4%. Gifts under $250 fell by 4.4%. And, perhaps most serious of all, the overall number of donors fell (by 4.5%) as did retention rates (a 2% drop) and the number of new donors to an organization (a 7.3% drop). This means that:
“Giving is increasing because of larger gifts from richer donors. Smaller and mid-level donors are slowly but surely disappearing – across the board, among all organizations. Philanthropy should not and cannot be just the domain of the wealthy, and the entire sector needs to look at how we reach out to and engage these donors.”
So, now that we’ve got the bad news out of the way, lets get to planning. Because as my mom says, people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.
First Things First – Focus
A winning Giving Day strategy has a focus. Organizations who focus their Giving Day goal on one program or initative – say, a new Maker Space for a library or a fund that supports afterschool programming for underserved kids – tend to do better than those who do not target donor giving.
Increasingly, donors want to know where their funds are going and its much easier for people to wrap their mind around one thing – a program or a new piece of equipment – than the dreaded “General Operating Costs.”
Light a Match
I had a boss once who said that having a donor match was like throwing a match on gasoline – it really lights a fire for giving. People love a deal and donor matches make it feel like they are doubling their money. Find a local company who is willing to sponsor a match – you can even offer marketing incentives like putting their name and logo on your Giving Day emails, social media, and website.
Marathon, Not a Sprint
Make a plan for the months and weeks leading up to your Giving Day. Luckily, both Giving Tuesday and Communities Foundation of Texas provide great campaign timeline tools to help you get started.
Also think about:
Get some “ringers”: Assign advocates for your organization who can promote your nonprofit on social media and can make a donation in the early hours of your campaign. People like to join a bandwagon that has some momentum behind it.
Be specific: Paint a picture with your gift amounts. For example a library can say a $50 donation buys 10 new books or $100 donation supports 3 hours of afterschool tutoring.
Make it easy: Look at your donor giving page. Is it easy to use or is it cluttered and clunky? Clean it up before the big day. Giving Days are digital by nature and people are most likely to give online. If it takes a long time to make a donation or the process is confusing, your donor will “abandon cart.”
But the Day Itself is a Sprint
Giving Days are very social by nature – social media that is. Acknowledge your donors on the day of (with their permission of course.) Push out social posts promoting the focus of your fundraising for the day. Interact with your ringers. Let people know how far along your are to your goal and how much match money is left. Talking about how much match money is left creates a sense urgency. And, of course, celebrate and thank your donors.
Giving Days are a great way to acquire new donors, engage with current donors, and of course, raise money for your cause. But you have to have a plan. Giving Day campaigns are a marathon (except on the day of, when its a sprint). Are you geared up? If not, we can help.
We preach the importance of being authentic – personally and in branding.
Part of being truly authentic means not pretending that life is sunshine and roses when it isn’t. Last week on the blog, Jacqui (aka The Back Porch Rocker) offered her thoughts on recovering from life’s unexpected storms.
One of her suggestions is another familiar refrain on the Porch – to have and give grace.
In the spirit of authenticity, her post hit me hard. We often encourage our followers to have grace, but I realized that in my forty-something years, I have never, not once, asked for grace – personally or professionally.
That doesn’t mean I haven’t experienced it. There have been times I received grace without having to ask for it. And there have been times I extended it to others. But I can see that there have been times I probably should have asked for grace. There are times I should have extended it to others without them having to ask.
Admittedly, I was born with the “suck it up, buttercup” mentality. I have always considered my ability to keep things together, for myself and for others, one of my great strengths.
That all changed for me a little more than four and a half weeks ago when a personal tragedy shook me to the core.
A “suck it up, buttercup” mentality would not have shown grace – which was desperately needed – to my family, my friends or myself.
Something had to give professionally. I had to take a step back. I had to ask for grace at work.
The entire Front Porch Marketing team responded without hesitation. Our clients and business partners who knew what had happened did the same.
I was extended grace in many, many ways. And I am thankful for it.
So the next time grace is called for, try doing these thing to show grace to a team member, client, partner, or even a boss:
Anticipate and delegate needs. If you are aware of a project or deadline, consider how you or others may be helpful to get it completed or postponed. Communicate and/or delegate those needs accordingly.
Forgive mistakes. Forgiveness is always important. Mistakes during this time are understandable.
Don’t take things personally. During a time of crises, jovial people may become short-tempered or normally talkative people may go radio silent. It is not about you or their feelings toward you. Don’t take it personally. See number two, above – it applies!
Provide a “free” zone. Offer a listening ear. Make it known you are a judgment-free. When a team member needs grace, give it freely without questions, expectations, or conditions.
Life has a way of rocking us unexpectedly.
Strive to build work environments that allow every member of your professional tribe to feel safe in asking for grace at work when they need it.
Like most people in the Dallas area, I have spent the past few days reeling from the destructive, unexpected storm that hit us over the weekend. The loud, powerful downburst morphed a sunny, beautiful sky into a threatening, frightening tempest that wreaked havoc on our landscapes and our lives.
It seems a particularly pertinent analogy for life’s tenuous nature. Occasionally, we are hit by an unexpected storm that knocks us down, be it personal, professional, or physical. Whatever the cause, the resulting derailment can cause us to feel simultaneously overwhelmed and paralyzed.
So what can we do to stay afloat?
Gut Check: What’s Important
When you’re moving through life unencumbered, it’s easy to try to be all things to all people and spread yourself too thin. When things get real, you no longer have the luxury or the responsibility. Check in with yourself and identify what your priorities are. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … let everything else fall away.
Live Where You Are
Are you sad? Be sad. Angry? Relieved? Frustrated? Whatever it is you are feeling, let yourself feel it. When we try to fight against our feelings, it often leads to a longer, more drawn out suffering/healing cycle. You have to live where you are. You just do.
Just Start
Get going. You have things to do and a life to be lived. If it feels like you’re spinning, take 15 minutes and Brain Dump. Write down everything that comes to mind. No structure. No numbered lists or categories. Just write everything that comes to mind in a free flow fashion – you can make sense of it later.
Life can be a beast so be kind to yourself and to others. It’s an instant mood-changer. Smile. Breathe. Look for the positive and the good. Gratitude improves every situation – there is always something to be thankful for.
Strength is the Silver Lining
Whatever has challenged you, knocked you down, or thrown you under will be the seed for tremendous growth. It may be hard to see, but one of life’s greatest gifts is the fact that life is difficult, because in dealing with life’s unexpected storm, we build invaluable strength.
Design and build your brand. A branding exercise can help you define essential elements of your brand. Explore who you are, what your vision is for your brand, and how it is relevant to your target audience.
2. Define your USP.
Once you understand how you fit into your target market, determine how your brand is different from the competition. This is your unique selling proposition (USP).
3. Build the cornerstone.
Use your USP and create a short message defining your brand position. The message should be subtle and easily recognizable to your audience. Use that message as the cornerstone of your marketing.
The best ambassadors for your brand are its team members. Collaborate and communicate with them. You need them to buy-in and be trained for any interaction to maintain brand consistency.
Create standards and policies to use internally outlining how marketing materials are to be named, stored, and utilized. These include logos, slogans, previously used concepts, etc. Guidelines can help your brand maintain consistency and stay efficient in times of employee turnover.
5. Build a community. Develop relationships.
Social media has become a principal source of customer service. Engage consistently and continuously with your audience to build a connection and a reputation for authenticity.
Influencers can be a strong ally in growing your brand. As with any relationship, you have to make sure the influencer is a good match for your brand and then work to keep the relationship healthy and growing.
6. Protect your investment.
Your brand’s reputation is hard-earned. Once you’ve developed it, protect it.
Set up Google Alerts so you may be instantly informed if there is news impacting your brand. Be vigilant on social media.
Crises will happen. Take ownership. Be honest and transparent with the information you have and how you are working to mitigate any damages.
7. Update and polish regularly.
Track the results of any marketing campaign. If needed, polish existing fixtures and upgrade as needed.
We would love to help you design, build and manage all aspects of your brand!
I have been to plenty of conferences before, but I don’t think any a conference has resonated with me quite like this year’s Nonprofit Communicators Conference. Judging from the theme alone, “Communication for Social Good, Impact, Authenticity and Executive Presence”, the conference could have been six hours of well-worn clichés. Instead, I came away with a lot of great insights.
Authenticity Matters
When I hear words like “authenticity,” it sounds like one of those touch-ey feel-ey phrases that make me roll my eyes. Why should we care if a company is being authentic or not?
We live in interesting times. Globally, we are experiencing a lack of trust in institutions, including schools, media, government, and yes, nonprofits. With the share of Americans donating to nonprofits in decline, this lack of trust is disturbing news.
For-Profit companies cannot afford to ignore this reality either. Almost two-thirds of the consumers around the world based their purchasing decisions on their beliefs.
Authenticity is knowing your story and owning it. It is your history and your values. These values must be proven over and over again. A company’s history, story, and values are how they can inspire others.
Here are a few authentic brands. Is your brand an authentic reflection of your company?
Leadership Models are Changing
When I saw that there would be a workshop on executive presence and internal communication, I thought it would be someone telling us to “power pose” our way through work. The workshop turned out to be much more than that.
I used to think of a leader as a hard-charging person who was often the loudest or the most extroverted. Sort of like a bull in a china shop, but more charismatic. More of drill sergeant than a coach.
This “command and control” model of leadership is changing. People spend more than 90,000 hours of their lives at work. Our work and personal lives often blend into each other; with many workers who are expected to be “on” 24/7. I think these people deserve better than a drill sergeant for a boss.
Leaders listen, are constantly learning, they always ask for feedback and they are other-centered.
Leaders also have a “magic sauce” called Executive Presence.
Executive Presence is Crucial
What is executive presence? It’s the qualities of leadership that
Character – Qualities of a leader as a person that are fundamental to who they are and give us reason to trust them. These qualities include integrity, concern for others, and humility.
Substance – Cultivated qualities of mature leadership that inspire commitment, inform action and lead to above-and-beyond effort. These qualities include practical wisdom, composure and vision.
Style – Over, skill-based patterns of communicative leadership that build motivation and that shape and sustain performance. Behaviors like intentionality, inclusiveness and assertiveness fall into this category.
Executive presence is an inside>out process, it starts with inner work. The workshop presenter described executive presence with a flight analogy – executive presence is like “putting on your oxygen mask first.” You must know who you are – your story, your voice, your values – before you can expect to lead others.
You can’t bluff your way through executive presence. True leaders are difficult to come by for a reason. Anyone can bark orders at people. Few people can actually inspire others to act.
I know which type of leader I would like to follow and which type of leader I aspire to be.
The Power of Storytelling
Human beings are wired for stories. Stories are a universal language. They carry weight, often even more so than facts because stories can make us feel something – joy, sadness, anger, etc.
Both organizations and individuals must know their story to make an impact in this world. A few questions to think about when contemplating your own story:
What is the story you are telling the world? Do your organization’s values match your deeds?
Whose story are you telling?
How will you tell your story? Does your story lend itself to video? Social media? A podcast?
Stories matter – they inform our world view and they can inspire others to action. What’s your story?
Corporate Culture Communicates a Lot
Today’s workplace asks a lot of its employees, and employees are looking for more in return. In fact, as many other institutions are losing the public’s trust, people are increasingly placing their trust in their employers. Globally, 75 percent of people trust “my employer” to do what is right, significantly more than NGOs (57 percent), business (56 percent) and media (47 percent).
Culture is a kind of communication; it conveys what your company values. When your corporate culture is aligned with your values, when your company “walks the walk,” your employees are more engaged. An engaged workforce is a productive workforce.
And a word of caution from the conference: “Social media has raised the stakes of internal organizational culture.” You don’t want one of your employees becoming so disengaged from their work that they pull an … emergency slide.
The conference resonated with me for a few different reasons, but they basically boil down to this: I feel like I am at a point in my life where questions about authenticity and leadership are becoming more and more important. How we present ourselves to the world, whether it’s in a professional or personal setting, matters. The stories we tell are important. And whether we are being true to our authentic selves, is paramount.
Now, if you will excuse me, I’ve got some inner work to do.
