The Greatness Factor

Being a thoughtful consumer means considering the impact of the brands we support and recommend. While I may not actively analyze every decision, I am naturally inclined towards certain brands. The recent Super Bowl commercials showcased the lengths that brands will go to in order to capture attention. The question arises: is a multi-million dollar stunt once a year sufficient, or does it take a more nuanced approach to truly connect with consumers?

I recall reading Denise Lee Yohn’s What Great Brands Do while working on my master’s some years back. What makes a brand truly great? Denise Yohn had seven principles. Google, ChatGPT, and other books I pulled from deep in my closet echoed similar and even obvious concepts. Still, to this day, one of Yohn’s principles is a core value of mine in the workplace. For me, it all starts and ends in one place. Inside.

As a learning and development professional, I believe that first and most importantly, Great Brands Start Inside. I know, I know – what about the customers or the bottom line? Respectfully, if the inside of the house is falling apart, it will show on the outside. And if the outside looks uninviting, who will want to come inside? I’m a firm believer that if companies do not cultivate greatness within their four walls, the chances of employees delivering greatness to their customers is slim to none. How can a brand ensure greatness from the inside out you ask? They can Make Culture a Priority, Empower Employees and Align Its Stakeholders.

Make Culture a Priority. Culture is key. To state it officially, “culture refers to the beliefs, customs, values, behaviors and social norms of a particular group of people.” As a former people-leader, I can personally attest to the difference cultivating a healthy, inclusive and forward-thinking culture can make on a team or in an organization as a whole. If your company’s core values are rooted in client success, innovation, and integrity in working relationships, then make that known in the day-to-day processes of the job. Find ways for your employees to learn and engage with the brand in a meaningful way. Create a brand toolbox or similar activity that familiarizes them with brand and its principles. Show them how to walk it out in their individual roles. Allow them the space to see how it aligns to their own personal beliefs and values. If your employees regularly witness that you as a leader or leadership team exercise integrity and transparency in communication and customer experience, then the idea is that they will as well. Once they do, it will almost always reveal itself in customer interactions. The brand that connects its employees through company culture will undoubtedly experience results drastically different from those who are simply punching a clock or logging onto the VPN each day.

Empower Employees Teammates. I don’t quite recall when I started referring to my direct reports as teammates as opposed to sellers, reps, or employees. It was likely during my time working on my master’s and learning about employee engagement and brand adoption. Sure, you pay them; it’s their job to complete the tasks assigned to them. However, when I was a people-leader, I saw so clearly that those 10-15 individuals were much more than sales representatives. They’d been hired, either by me or my predecessor because of their uniqueness. Why then, would I choose to stifle what makes them qualified and perfect for the team?

A true leader can recognize in another person what they themselves may lack, but also need to succeed and in turn empower that person to utilize those skills for the advancement of the whole. I was a hands-on leader, but I also knew when to stand back – even if it meant watching someone briefly flail in open water. Through 1:1 meetings, career development sessions, and general daily conversations, I learned who my teammates were as individuals. I uncovered what traits or skills they possessed that would be useful in crunch time or in my absence. Eventually, when summoned for help, I would ask certain individuals, “Well, based on the info you have, and if I wasn’t here, what would you do?” They almost always complained at first because their only interest at the time was solving the issue at hand. Over time, however, they called on me less, and even came to me proactively with solutions they thought could prevent more work or issues in the future. A teammate who can offer an agitated customer a verified solution without needing assistance or approval is a teammate that is providing a seamless experience. And seamless experiences mean repeat visits. Repeat visits add up over time. An engaged and empowered teammate is a prepared and productive reflector of your brand. Never underestimate that.

Align Your Stakeholders. Brand greatness does not stop with you and your direct teammates. No organization operates successfully without the help of some external partners. It is imperative that you ensure your stakeholders are both aware of your brand strategy and aligned in the role they play in executing it. After all, no matter how indirect their involvement, they do have an impact on the end user and the end user affects their business as well.

My current employer went back and forth for months on whether or not providing access to our learning platform was necessary for external partners. There was a process in place for onboarding them and teaching them our way of working, but in a company this size, there are innumerable elements that are lost in translation. Having an immersive external onboarding process that acclimates your partners and stakeholders to your procedures and culture is invaluable. We decided to create a  special portal and process for external partners to onboard, learn and adapt to our way of working. Your stakeholders should be keenly aware of what your brand is and what it is not in order to provide your consumers with a clear and honest portrait of your business. They should also have an adapted version of your brand toolbox that highlights the role they play in the success of the whole. They should see how their actions directly impact the way a consumer interacts with the brand. There should no obvious indication to the everyday customer that John Smith Plumbing is not directly employed by your company. Brand inclusivity can make or break your end-user experience. Make that extra effort to align those who indirectly help paint the portrait of your brand that consumers see in the world.

As originally stated, there are a plethora of ideals that scholars, strategists, and marketing professionals deem as ‘best in class’ or ‘must do’ for brand success. I would not begin to disagree in the slightest with a single statement I found during my studies or on the worldwide web. Where I will always depart from the crowd, however, is the inclusion and recognition of the teammates that make any organization successful. I have worked for multiple Fortune 100 companies and companies not even listed or known to the average professional. What remains true no matter the logo – every key trait or element is, without a doubt, executed by a teammate or group of teammates somewhere in the silos or trenches of each company. Those are the people who matter most. That is where every company’s journey to greatness must start. Inside.

*Definition of ‘culture’ as defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2022

*The ‘Great Brands Start Inside’ concept is featured in Denise Lee Yohn’s 2013 book What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand-Building Principles That Separate the Best from the Rest. Ideas stated are my informal reflections on the text as it relates to my personal and professional experience.