There is not much point in addressing your corporate brand if there isn’t the will to implement the strategy developed. A worse situation is where the upper management have the desire to implement the brand strategy but there is no buy-in among the employees and other stake holders for that matter. When I facilitate my process, “Brand Navigator,” the very first step is to pick the branding team. This group of individuals are made up of the stake holders of the company from the top down. The head of the company who is the visionary is a must attendee. From there, I request other individuals who are not just from the management level. One very important person or persons is what I like to call the wrench. This person is a leader among the employees. They are looked upon as the spokesperson. They are known as a wrench, because they tend to throw a monkey wrench into initiatives they deem frivolous and put upon. The key is to make them part of the solution, they in turn become advocates for the new brand strategy and willingly push it out to their constituency among the stakeholders. Wrenches can be powerful allies. It is key to understand this dynamic. Wrenches are typically good employees as well and they can be quite passionate about the company. It is very important to get them on-brand.
Some companies take it upon themselves to implement internal branding efforts to help their staff buy-in to the strategy. This is done in a myriad of ways including role-playing, internal communications, brand training, etc. Delivering the brand promise from shop floor up to senior management is crucial to the success of your brand. I’ve been a lot of reading this week on this topic and I believe from the examples i read that getting buy-in from employees will be difficult if the initial strategies were developed by senior management exclusively. Selling it after the fact could possibly lead the wrench, to “go throughout the motions” to please management, with the staff walking in step with them. This effort was described as the bridge from developing the strategy to rolling it out. From my perspective, it’s a bridge on a weak foundation. I believe that in order to effectively roll out the strategy the solution has to come from all stakeholders together. This is the way to develop a strategy that resonates with everyone who’s livelihood depends on the success of the company.
I enjoy delivering positioning strategies that the entire company is excited about. They are excited because as a cohesive unit they took the high ground together. Branding can never be a solo act. Every solution I facilitate as a team effort is very powerful.
It empowers everyone and it absolutely resonates with customers. This is when you know it’s the right move to make. It takes much of the risk out of the strategy, regardless of how bold a statement it may be.
The three musketeers had it right, “all for one, and one for all.”
Pingback: The Wrench Is The Key! – Small Business Branding « Technology Consulting
Pingback: The Wrench Is The Key! – Small Business Branding
If you need an wrench in a pinch, then you can use this trick to tide you over until you find a real one. I used this to tighten down my own bike seat. Thanks Roach !!!
@TonyHuff I don’t know how to reply to that one. Thanks for commenting.
Very good post. I agree on you in business strategy is the best tool to make business grow and success.
@joshuaty2010 Thank you for your opinion Joshuaty2010.
@vinfotech Thank you for the the thumbs up!
Great Post ! You have to keep at it day after day to make it happen.
Hi thanks for this great article really like this post of wrench is the key . If you need an wrench in a pinch then you can use this trick to tide you over until you find a real one. I agree on you in business strategy this is the best tool for the business.thanks again for this brilliant post.
@nancyjohn.jandu Now there’s a new service – ‘Wrench in a Pinch’. Thanks for your opinion nancy.
But how you can be sure that the person which is promoted is actually a person who deserve to be like there may be some more efficient employee as well who better deserve to be in role of a wrench but as the managers mainly promote the ones which keeps on buttering with them and not the real one who actually deserves to be there.
Nice one buddy! Good advice really!
But how you can be sure that the person which is promoted is actually a person who deserve to be like there may be some more efficient employee as well who better deserve to be in role of a wrench but as the managers mainly promote the ones which keeps on buttering with them and not the real one who actually deserves to be there.
@mhada The wrench in many cases is still a great employee, it’s just that they are also influential among their peers. As such you want them as part of the solution. Other deserving employees can also be part of the Branding Team, but if only one is desired then the wrench is my recommendation. You shouldn’t call this selection a “promotion” as it is not a permanent position but a committee position. The make-up of the team is crucial to it’s effectiveness.
Now there’s a new service – ‘Wrench in a Pinch’ thanks for sharing..
this is a great post for me, thanks for posting.
Vinyl Banners Thanks for sharing such a valuable information