• Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Your Team
  • Services
    • Strategy
    • Strategic Execution
    • Media Relations
    • Media Training
    • Digital and Content Marketing
    • Social Media Strategy and Execution
    • Event PR and Strategy
    • Reputation Management and Crisis Communications
  • Case Studies
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Your Team
  • Services
    • Strategy
    • Strategic Execution
    • Media Relations
    • Media Training
    • Digital and Content Marketing
    • Social Media Strategy and Execution
    • Event PR and Strategy
    • Reputation Management and Crisis Communications
  • Case Studies
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Your Team
  • Services
    • Strategy
    • Strategic Execution
    • Media Relations
    • Media Training
    • Digital and Content Marketing
    • Social Media Strategy and Execution
    • Event PR and Strategy
    • Reputation Management and Crisis Communications
  • Case Studies
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Your Team
  • Services
    • Strategy
    • Strategic Execution
    • Media Relations
    • Media Training
    • Digital and Content Marketing
    • Social Media Strategy and Execution
    • Event PR and Strategy
    • Reputation Management and Crisis Communications
  • Case Studies
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
Blog
Home Client news OPINION: Lead like a human, think like a brand
In:Client news

OPINION: Lead like a human, think like a brand

Mango Jun 7, 2018 0
JOHANNESBURG – If your personal leadership style was a commercial brand, which one would it be?Perhaps this question has you thinking about your favourite brand, or wondering about the most valuable brands in the world which, according to Forbes last year are shown in the graphic above.

As you think about your favourite brand and even as you read each of the 10 brand names shown, inevitably two things happen: you experience an emotional response and you see a picture (or a number of pictures, or even a short movie clip).

Whatever the emotion – positive or negative – take a moment to reflect on why you’re responding the way you are, how your perception has changed over time and what it would take to change how you feel.

This little exercise reminds us that brands exist only in our minds and the considerable numbers in the table above are the result of purchase decisions driven by those pictures in the mind’s eye.

The role of your brand is to ensure that your offering is the preferred choice for your target market. The role of your personal leadership brand, then, is to ensure that your leadership is sought-after and valued by your team. What if your leadership was truly sought after and valued by your direct reports – what if they loved being on your team? If that sounds appealing, perhaps it’s time to start thinking like a brand.

Every successful brand starts with a specific promise that its target market relates to and values, rather than trying to be everything to everyone.

Brand architects understand this and work to clearly define their target market so that they can appreciate what these consumers care about most.

If that sounds relatively simple, the next step is a lot tougher. Successful organisations focus their resources on what they can do better than anyone else in the world (what Jim Collins calls the hedgehog principle) and only make promises that speak to this core ability.

This speaks to the discipline required for consistent fulfilment of the promise over time, because every interaction with consumers has the potential to influence their allegiance. Keeping a promise consistently, more than anything else, determines the value of a brand, because we are simple beings – we trust integrity and consistency and very little else.

Now, if you start thinking like a brand about your leadership, the first lesson is that if your team doesn’t personally experience it, it simply doesn’t exist for them.

Your next thought should be about your specific target market – when recruiting team members, identify the qualities you’re looking for and ensure you’re appealing to those who match the profile.

Third, figure out what you’ve got to contribute as a leader and check that you’re not promising to be anyone else. Lastly, recognise that your brand is only as strong as your leadership is consistent, so focus on being disciplined.

While that is what it means to think like a brand, also remember that your leadership mistakes represent the greatest opportunities to build your personal leadership brand. Why? Because we all know that our leaders are imperfect and we’re a lot more likely to trust those who acknowledge this, than those who try to disguise their mistakes, deflect criticism and project their weaknesses on to their teams.

So, while you’re thinking like a brand, be sure to lead like a human, because, despite the fourth industrial revolution (blurring the lines between the physical, digital and biological), humans still follow humans.

Malcolm Ferguson is Academy Head at TowerStone Leadership Centre.

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.

 

-BUSINESS REPORT

 

Client: TowerStone

Coverage received in: Business Report

Read the full article here

 

Decrypting CryptocurrenciesJun 7, 2018
5 Indoor Exercises To Keep You Fit Through WinterJun 7, 2018

Related Posts

In:Client news

The Maker Library Network – taking it further during Cape Town’s Design Week

Feb 20, 2015
In:Client news

The Maker Library Network – taking it further during Cape Town’s Design Week

Feb 20, 2015

During Cape Town’s unofficial ‘design week’ that coincides with Design Indaba, The Guild, and the Art Fair, the Maker Library...

In:Client news

PREPARE FOR LEGISLATION CHANGES

Feb 19, 2018
In:Client news

PREPARE FOR LEGISLATION CHANGES

Feb 19, 2018

The 28th of January is World Data Privacy and Protection Day, and in a time where large data breaches are becoming...

In:Client news

GAZPACHO SOUP RECIPE

Sep 22, 2016
In:Client news

GAZPACHO SOUP RECIPE

Sep 22, 2016

A low fat recipe for tomato and cucumber Gazpacho Soup               Client: Herbalife...

In:Client news

RESTAURANT FANS CHOOSE THEY FAVOURITES

Aug 4, 2016
In:Client news

RESTAURANT FANS CHOOSE THEY FAVOURITES

Aug 4, 2016

NATIONAL NEWS – SA’s guide to SA’s best food is recognising its readers’ favourite restaurants once again in the Eat Out...

In:Client news

Online video news 101

Mar 12, 2015
In:Client news

Online video news 101

Mar 12, 2015

Dan Calderwood, head of video for News24 discusses online video news – what works, what does not and what the future holds....

In:Client news

Tailored medical distribution software launched

Sep 7, 2017
In:Client news

Tailored medical distribution software launched

Sep 7, 2017

SAP Business One partner, Bluekey Seidor, has introduced a software solution tailored for the medical distribution industry....

In:Client news

THE EAT OUT MERCEDES-BENZ RESTAURANT AWARDS

Nov 1, 2016
In:Client news

THE EAT OUT MERCEDES-BENZ RESTAURANT AWARDS

Nov 1, 2016

The Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards celebrates the culinary artists of South African cuisine. These prestigious awards...

In:Client news

Co-op cane farmers break through certified sugar market

Nov 24, 2015
In:Client news

Co-op cane farmers break through certified sugar market

Nov 24, 2015

Two small-scale sugar cane farming co-operatives in KwaZulu-Natal have become the first to produce Fairtrade-certified sugar...

In:Client news

Want To Buy Programmatically In Africa? Check Out Publisher Coalition SouthernX

Mar 24, 2015
In:Client news

Want To Buy Programmatically In Africa? Check Out Publisher Coalition SouthernX

Mar 24, 2015

South African buyers and sellers knew from looking at their peers in the US and UK that they needed to develop a programmatic...

In:Client news

EXCITING NEW CHANGES FOR SA’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS RESTAURANT AWARDS

Sep 26, 2017
In:Client news

EXCITING NEW CHANGES FOR SA’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS RESTAURANT AWARDS

Sep 26, 2017

The date and venue have been set for the celebration of the year on South Africa’s foodie calendar. On Sunday, 19 November, in...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts
  • The Globalisation of Public Relations
  • Doctor Apffelstaedt at SMILE FM
  • Building Organisational Wealth With Accurate Data For Enhanced Decision-Making
  • Top 5 nutrients: Are you getting enough?
  • How to adapt as a new manager
Categories
  • Client news 232
  • Industry news 10
  • Mango news 13
  • The Incredible Journey of a PR Intern 47
  • Uncategorized 5

MANGO OMC

MANGO-OMC was founded in 2005 with the aim of creating beneficial relationships with both our clients and the media; delivering provable and relevant ROI and results on every project.

Connect

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Linked In

Email

Navigation

About

Services

Case Studies

Privacy Policy

Get in Touch

Let’s talk and see how we can work together.

Loading

© 2020 MANGO-OMC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
SITE BY TWYNE