Leadership – the foundation of a successful brand
Success in today’s business is easier than ever before. Our markets are far easier to reach than just 10 years ago, and it attracting and cultivating passionate fans to our products and services is now faster and more systematized than we could have imagined even 5 years ago.
Yet, there are so many organizations that do not succeed, in fact many still try to do things that used to work, instead of adjusting to modern life. Technology will continue to change and in just a few more years, the unimaginable will once again come to life. But what are the real factors that determine success or failure?
There are only 2: Branding and Leadership. They are inseparable. And both are really about the same thing… How people feel about your organization and what you do!
As a leader, developing competency and effectiveness in your people is directly related to how passionate they are about your company and their role in filling its promise.
As a brand manager, developing brand loyalty in your market is directly related to how passionate they are about your company and its role in filling its promise to them.
To lead an organization to greatness, branding is equally an internal effort as well as an external effort. Why should your employees trust you? Why should your customers? Why should they feel good about what you are doing? Why should they invest effort and time into your organization?
We often ask for feedback from our customers about our service and products, but how often do we ask the same from our employees, the ones who deliver and create it?
Leading a brand that creates excitement involves the cultivation of a band congruent organizational culture. If your own people are brand ambassadors, if they are involved and allowed to innovate, if leaders have nurtured a sense of ownership… the foundations are set. Not only will these same leadership skills be applicable to external branding, but your people will support your organization to live up to brand exceptions as well as support the marketing department and give birth to winning ideas and processes that when combined with available technology, will explode brand awareness and passion to build tribes of customers.
