How to Create an Awesome Internal Brand

Photo Courtesy of www.veer.com

Let’s talk branding.

The old-school definition of “brand” is very customer facing. It’s what people associate with your business and its products / services. It’s your image to the external world.

But if you really stop and think about it, your company’s branding can be applied to your people too. It’s how your people feel when they go to work each day. It’s what their job means to them. It’s where they spend a lot of their time. It has a major impact on their life – positive or negative.

Your internal brand is the DNA of your organization. A strong internal brand can help to drive your company’s continuous growth and success, from the bottom up. It can create a positive impact that extends to your people, customers, and community. So, with those benefits in mind, let’s look at three ways you can make it happen:

MOTIVATE

Today’s employees, by and large, have moved beyond the simplistic carrot / stick, reward / punishment model of employment. To be sure, the bottom line is crucial for your people – just as it is for you. But just like you, your employees want more than a simple paycheck; they want to feel rewarded, empowered, and fulfilled.

As this successful business leader points out, there are plenty of ways you can motivate your people: offering praise, sharing rewards, and even creating a more unified organization by eliminating project managers or direct supervisors (after all, nobody wants to let down their team). Adopting these techniques can lead to happier, more productive employees who enjoy their work and the day-to-day challenges of their jobs.

COLLABORATE

Good things happen when talented people put their minds together; innovation and fresh perspectives that challenge the status quo tend to flourish in collaborative environments. Fortunately, collaboration is easier and more convenient than ever. For example, consider using these powerful tools to share files and ideas.

It’s also helpful to remember that ideas are like water. They flow naturally. Each molecule of that idea-laden H20 wants to move around obstacles. Given the water-like nature of ideas, what sort of work environment would be the best to nurture brainstorming and innovation? What would help things flow?

One approach is to create a mindset that encourages collaboration – for example, you could schedule idea-sharing meetings where your employees determine the topics that are up for discussion. Along the same lines, you could also:

• Make everyone feel comfortable showing their quirky and creative side.
• Be adventurous and open-minded.
• Foster open and honest relationships, built on a sturdy foundation of clear communication.

Also consider the actual layout of your work environment. While the cubicle-filled office might be right for some businesses, it’s also important to think about its possible limiting impact on innovation and fresh thinking. The right workspace, on the other hand, can help the ideas flow and flourish.

CULTIVATE

Regardless of how your office is laid out, there are steps any business owner can take to cultivate a great workplace. As the video at the bottom of this insightful post points out, successful entrepreneurs have common recommendations to create a strong internal brand:

• Be humble. Remember that your people have lives outside of work.
• Hire great talent. Smart, talented employees will improve your results – not to mention, make your job more enjoyable.
• Set a clear vision and values. These can guide your decision making, as well as guide and inspire your team.

Think of it this way: You’ve invested your heart, soul, blood, and tears into your business. It’s your baby. But sometimes, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that your employees have their own passions, goals, and dreams. If you keep those dreams in mind, while surrounding your employees with like-minded talent and setting a clear vision for where you’re headed, you’ll create a climate where your people can thrive, grow, and look forward to coming into work every day.

There’s no big mystery in building an internal brand that you and your people can be proud of. Any business leader can motivate, collaborate, and cultivate. Are you ready to take the first steps?

• Social media has also created new opportunities to improve your internal collaboration. Check out this article to learn about tools such as forums and blogs that can help your people collaborate, along with related advice for setting realistic goals as you build your internal brand.

• Write down a handful of traits and qualities that characterize your internal brand, then list the traits that you would ideally like to have. Are there any major gaps? And if so, how can you take action to immediately start bridging those gaps?