No amount of branding can save a leadership team that is directionless and faceless. Unless leaders walk the talk no fancy logo can make any difference to how staff perceives their contribution.
I loved the insights from Adam and Sarika. Adam believes it is a leadership issue and not something communications can do much about. He admits that the leadership team can’t get away from doing what they are expected to do – engage staff. What will work is consistency. Likewise Sarika talks of a lack of understanding among leadership about the function and what value it can add.
To be able to build a favorable perception of leaders among staff the only honest way is for leaders to commit to working for the welfare of employees and showing measureable and tangible progress and results. Leaders need to be trustworthy, available and knowledgeable. Also, be able to demonstrate that they are human – that they may not have all the answers and are willing to learn.
I personally believe that if the leadership team has a great story to tell and know the triggers to rally staff then it translates into positive approval for their effort.
To begin Anil must understand more about why the team exists, what they plan to do and how they intend to engage with staff. He can also dig deeper on the personal motivation of leaders to pull their weight for the best outcomes for the organization. Anil can develop messages about the team’s attributes and get the group to align on what and how the ‘brand’ will evolve. The leaders must be willing to invest time to coach and mentor staff, interact both online and offline and demonstrate interest to get better at what they do.
Branding one team with a logo may lead to a ripple effect with many others groups demanding their share of ‘visibility’ – and it can get messy. Managing multiple logos in the office space can also get overwhelming for staff and for the internal communications team.
Lastly, the team needs to be communicating regularly via progress reports, face to face connections and internal social media. Talking more of the ‘why’ behind the team is often more productive than sharing the ‘what’ we do. I am sure in the long run staff will see the group as effective, approachable and committed to the organization’s goals and play their part.
