3 tricky questions asked by industry experts

I must admit that I am slightly late on this one! Sorry!

I thought I would do something slightly different…

Rather than choosing a topic to cover myself, I have asked my trusty tribe what they want to read about, what queries they are having about the industry and what they would like to explore.

With that in mind, questions were submitted from a wide range of people, from Internal Recruiters to CEO’s…

Here are the top 3 questions, written and chosen by you, the reader.

• How  can  you  get  your  staff  to  live  the  employer  brand?

It is in this question that the art of leadership meets with the art of branding!

Before I delve into the 3 key building blocks of brand engagement it is important to note that all senior positions need to on-board and lead by example.

As a Senior Brand Ambassador, they will need a sense of duty to ensure that their behaviour adds to the brands value - not undermine it!

Building Block 1: Talk

Talk often, be meaningful and most importantly be authentic (because your team can tell well you aren't!).

It is important to tell your people what's going on and why. The more you do this, the more engaged your team will become.

Whether your'e an SME or large multi national, it is important to be consistent with your messages.  Can't reach everyone face to face? Vary your communications methods to ensure everyone is involved.

Building Block 2: Listen

All good leaders and communicators will tell you that listening is just, if not more important than talking!

Ask your team what they think before you make a decision. This could vary from who you hire next to what CRM the business should be using.

Remember, you hired your team for their brilliance and innovation....so use it!

Building Block 3: Empower

Give them ownership, after all it's their brand too!

Give your team the freedom to plan and act on your brands behalf. You'll be surprised at how many great ideas they have and how involved they want to be.

One thing I hear all the time is that employees are banned on using social media during work hours. This is crazy.

Give them the power to promote the working culture, great products (or service) and business. Let them be your Brand Ambassadors.

If you're treating them right, you'll have nothing to fear.

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I must admit that the blocks are basic, but these actions are what will build your foundation for brand engagement.

If you don't do these 3 simple things than all the reward schemes, motivational posters and flexi-time will not work.

Actions to take...

Whilst saying the the above blocks are simple, it is a lot easier said than done. Especially if you have several teams, Line Managers and departments.

With this in mind, get your leaders and Senior Management to complete communication and empowerment audits. 

This should give each individual enough knowledge to self reflect on how well they are carrying out the 3 building blocks.

Communication Audit:

• How often do you speak with your fellow employees?
• What channels and methods do you use for communication?
• What methods aren't you using that you could be?
• What works well for your employees?....(Ask them!)
• What do you currently share with your team?
• What don't you currently share with your team? Why?
• What do your employees want to keep updated with?

Empowerment Audit:

• How could you give each person more responsibility with their brand behaviour?
• How often do you ask for their ideas and thoughts?
• How do you enrol employees in to getting involved with brand duties?
• What type of relationships do I hold with my team? What quality are they?

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Once those blocks are in place...

Now you and your leaders have mastered the basics. it's time to build on the foundations set....

The best company cultures and employer brands follow through on their brand promises. Think about it, what's the point in having a shiny Porsche if the engine doesn't run?

Below are three ways to start building credibility and loyalty to your employer brand:

1. Stick to your standards - Do what your brand says it does
2. Give feedback and recognition - Constantly engage with your employees by providing feedback and recognition 
3. Set goals - Ask your employees what they want to achieve on both a professional and personal level. And support them in that.  

How do you  ensure  picking  not only a good  employee  but one  less  likely  to  be  a short  term  stayer?

Firstly, being a short term player or ‘job hopper’ does not necessarily mean they will not be a good employee. If you are discarding candidates just because they have moved around many times, you may be missing out on some great talent.

Only write someone off if you feel that they couldn't contribute to the company….look for achievements rather than date ranges.

Of course retention is a key issue and a major factor when building a strong company culture. Try asking the following questions in a 2nd or 3rd interview to gage the candidates mind-set and commitment plans:

• If you find what you consider to be a better job after I hire you, will you give me a chance to keep you?

• We are looking for someone to stay for a long time, what would you consider a long time to be?

• How long do you think someone in this position should work before getting a promotion?

• Do you keep in touch with past co-workers or managers?

How  do  you  create  the  internal  brand  positioning  statement?

First of all, what is a position statement? A position statement is a sentence or short paragraph that tells the world what your brand is about.

Your internal brand position statement should explain what your brand is about to your existing team members, new recruits and potential employees.

If your employees can align their values and missions to yours, they will better connect with customers and business objectives. Thus creating a truly engaged workforce.

Before we jump into the 'Internal Brand Positioning Statement' exercise, remember to keep these three things in mind:

1. Keep it short and simple
2. Ensure it's credible - It should be something your brand can deliver
3. A picture needs to be painted - People should be able to picture how your business is different

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Internal Brand Position Statement Exercise

Perhaps the easiest way of trying to make an internal brand positioning statement is to refer the three key elements that make an internal brand position statement successful:

• Success: Describe what you are trying to achieve, what does success look like to your brand?

• Rules: Describe how you are going to achieve that success, by telling your audience what you are going to provide (products, service, expertise....)

• Benefits: Describe how your customers will be better off with what you do

Ok, so now is the tough bit! We have to take our three written elements and shorten it down to a couple of sentences or short paragraph.

Remember to keep it authentic and something that is a genuine description of you and your brand. 

I would recommend getting your team  to help with this, after all it's their brand too!

For inspiration, here's what I wrote after completing this exercise:

Prince Associates aims to be the best known boutique recruitment agency in the digital space. Helping build unrivalled teams (through consultancy, workshops and service) so our clients can boost business performance.

Here are what some other big brands came up with....

As I previously mentioned, shortening it down is the tricky part, it will take a few go's.


Now you have your first draft, test it with your team, what do they think of it? This statement needs to be able to speak to everyone, from the Junior IT guy to your CEO.


When you and your team are happy with what you've written, place it around the office and just sit on it for a couple of days....you will find yourself (or others!) making slight amendments and honing it until it truly reflects your brand.


And then your all systems go!

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And  that's  all  three  questions...

And there you have it! 

These questions were asked by the people who belong in the Talent Management world and I hope that the answers have been helpful to everyone.

I'd love to hear people's own experiences in respect to the three questions and share their own success stories and methods.

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