As the economy starts to perk up, more visibly in Houston then in other parts of the country, it may be time to measure your customers’ perception of your company. Most companies will know whether they’ve gained or lost market share. But do you know if you’ve lost “mindshare?”

Knowing where you’re positioned in the marketplace relative to the economic recovery is critical to determining how to shift a brand or if any change is needed at all. This is where a brand audit can help.

A brand audit is a holistic way of looking at your business and how your company’s value proposition matches the way it interacts with the rest of the world.

Essentially, brand audits are designed to sort out perceptions about what your company stands for from both internal (your employees) and external customers. Often, the company President or head of HR is too close to the situation to remain objective, so it’s wise to consider an unbiased third party. (hint.hint.)

Mark Healy, partner at Satov Consultants, identifies 4 key components of a basic brand audit:

1. Know what’s included in the scope and what’s going to be left out.
2. Design study areas and questions that will yield results (data).
3. Decide who conducts the interviews and get going.
4. Analyze results. Are there themes or gaps?

The fifth step (which is mine) is assess your company’s brand strengths and weaknesses accurately from the data gathered and apply that knowledge consistently across every communication touch point. Your brand audit is only as good as the strategic thinking behind it.

The complete article can be found at The Globe & Mail.

How does a CEO or business leader create an engaged and productive workforce in times of unparalleled change? Worldwide, we are experiencing a cultural transformation not seen since the Industrial Revolution. At that time in history, people only had to deal with changes in the means of production.

Today, we’re experiencing change on every level: technological, generational, financial. Many organizations are forced to embrace the “new normal” for survival, yet have no clear road map to navigate these choppy waters.

Ken Blanchard, who transformed American business in the 80s with his classic, The One Minute Manager, suggests in a recent newsletter that senior management start by asking, “What are the behaviors I want to see from a perspective of productivity, performance and values?”

By identifying what you are looking for, you are closer to clarifying your company culture. When you clarify your culture, you will begin to attract those individuals who see your vision and embrace your goals. Those within your company who were content to “go along to get along” may no longer fit. As with any dynamic system, those people will leave through natural attrition.

You won’t necessarily be able to set a timetable for cultural change to become part of your corporate DNA. But you can set measurable goals based on behaviors you’ve identified that meet the requirements of a global economy and a multicultural and multi-generational workforce.

Perhaps it’s time to put the “human” back into Human Resources. View our Employee Communications Portfolio to see what that could look like.

Source: “Survey: Job satisfaction lowest in two decades.” The Business Journal of Milwaukee, (Tuesday, January 5, 2010).

Tags: Human Resources

The television time slot after the Superbowl is in a word, coveted. So imagine the surprise when the slot was filled by Undercover Boss, a reality show where high level corporate executives trade in their corner offices for a day and get their hands dirty doing some of the company’s most menial and mundane jobs. In the season premier this Sunday, Waste Management president Larry O’Donnell spends the day cleaning port-o-lets at a carnival ground. It doesn’t get more real than that.

Why would programming like this be compelling enough to follow one of television’s most celebrated events? Perhaps it’s a sign of the times. Despite its title, Undercover Boss focuses on the daily toil of the working class – a significant population of the American workforce affected by today’s poor economic climate and rising unemployment rate. Many Americans blame out of touch CEOs for not knowing what is going on in their own companies. Undercover Boss is a way for executives to try to earn back public favor and goodwill and demonstrate their interest and involvement in company operations from top to bottom. So far, reactions to the show have been positive.

Let’s not also forget the show is marketing gold. The second episode will feature 7-Eleven Inc. executive Joe DePinto on the assembly line making donuts – reminding viewers via voiceover that the chain store carries a variety of fresh food products.

Historically, whatever program follows the Superbowl benefits from the game’s built in audience. It will be interesting to see if America will welcome these executives into their living rooms. I, for one, will be watching.

Tags: undercover boss, waste management

My first “real” job was working as an ad taker in the classified department of a major metropolitan newspaper. I worked part-time while attending college, but this was my first taste of the world of work, rubbing elbows with journalists, sales and marketing and middle management.

One day the supervisor asked me to cover the real estate desk for someone who was out sick. No problem.

Covering the desk again the next day, a coworker sidled up and said, “You don’t have to do that; it’s not your job,” voice lowered to make her point.

In Seth Godin’s latest book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensible?, he offers the antidote to complacency, fear and dispassion – becoming a linchpin – the person who brings her body, mind and soul to the workplace.

“Emotional labor is art,” Godin writes.

I can hear the resistance now. “What? Art in the workplace?!”

Here are a few nuggets quoted from the book to help you reframe your workplace and create a pallet of possibilities:

1. Art is anything that’s creative, passionate and personal.

2. Art is about intent and communication.

3. Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient.

If Shakespeare were alive, would he be blogging? I believe he would be using the technology at his disposal to create, communicate and give to his audience, not unlike corporate bloggers today. “People do their art where they find it,” writes Godin, from cave painters to quantum physicists.

He argues that people have been selling themselves short; depth of knowledge combined with nuanced skills and insight are worth a lot. Those companies who have furloughed half their middle age workforce may have eliminated critical linchpins. The stress points are invisible to the eye but, eventually, those cheaper replacement parts will break down (on some level) and the organization will suffer as a result.

Godin adds linchpins to the typical teams of management and labor. These are the people who create order out of chaos, who figure out what to do when there’s no rule book.

Instead of becoming disposable, he suggests that you become indispensable. How? By pouring your best self into your job and overcoming the resistance that holds people back.

Great bosses and world class organizations hire motivated people, set high expectations and give their people room to become remarkable.

What would the world of work look like if you created exactly what you want?

Tags: Seth Godin, workplace issues

When is employee communications important? Always! When is it critical? During tough times or times of change within the company.

If you set the right communications tools in place, you’ll already have an established channel for when new messages need to be widely distributed. Like all communications, consistency is the key, which is why a regularly scheduled employee magazine or e-magazine is an effective tool. Which format you choose will depend a lot on your employee demographics and available Internet access. Online tools offer the added benefit of adding dialogue through commenting and forums – if more employee involvement is one of your goals. Your e-magazine could even become a cornerstone for other internal communications, such as executive blogs.

An employee magazine makes employees feel more connected, educates them on what’s important to the company and ties together the corporate culture for them. The important point is to do one, and do it well. Showing respect and balance with the content is key – employees see a company that cares (both during good times and bad) as one they can stand behind. Ultimately, more engaged and loyal employees translate into better decisions and performance – something your customers pick up on too.

Pride International "Axis" Employee Magazine

SCI "InsideDignity" Employee Newsletter

Tags: employee e-magazines, employee magazines, employee newsletters, employee retention