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Creating & Maintaining a Successful Employer Brand
Presented to GBRSHRM
June 20, 2013
© James T Stodd, 2013
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What is a “Brand”?
A company’s unique “brand” is the tapestry of:
• Words,• Feelings, • Associations and • Images
that pop into mind when they hear a company’s name!
- Debra S Valle; Marketing U, Inc.
© James T Stodd, 2013
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Characteristics of “Great” Brands
Great brands are intended to generate…
Trust
Loyalty
Passion
Pride
A great brand must communicate:
1. Trusted/Innovative Products & Services
2. Great Customer Service3. Price Points that the Market is Willing
to Pay4. Reputation for Quality
- Debra S Valle; Marketing U, Inc.
© James T Stodd, 2013
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Practical Branding Principles
1. There is no such thing as a great “employer brand”…there are only great “company brands”
2. Small, regional, niche market or even nonprofit organizations can have just as powerful of a “brand identity” as big international companies
3. All great brands start with the “customer experience”
© James T Stodd, 2013
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The “High Performance” Mind Frame1
Provider of
Choice
Employer of
Choice
Investment of
Choice
High Performance Organizations achieve and maintain successful “WIN/WIN/WIN” scenarios
by focusing simultaneously on critical “high performance” initiatives!
1 Adopted from Ken Blanchard, Leading at a Higher Level, 2007
© James T Stodd, 2013
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Some Practical Lessons
Lesson 1: If you are going to get employees to provide the absolute “best” in customer service, you must start by setting an example
Lesson 2: You have to commit to treating your employees with at least the same level of respect, care and concern you expect them to demonstrate to customers (in our case “patients” and families) in order to solicit that behavior amass
Lesson 3: Once you’ve demonstrated a willingness to “walk the talk”, then you can rightly establish your expectations of others and hold everyone (including yourselves) accountable… relentlessly!
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4. Employees are the key to an awesome “customer experience”, and they must have that experience “modeled” by how they themselves are treated
5. Investors cannot be treated frivolously…they must be brought into agreement with the program and realize success.
© James T Stodd, 2013
1. There is no such thing as a great “employer brand”…there are only great “company brands”
2. Small, regional, niche market or even nonprofit organizations can have just as powerful of a “brand identity” as big international companies
3. All great brands start with the “customer experience”
Practical Branding Principles
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10 Steps to Building a Great Brand1. Start by articulating your mission, vision and values…on paper!
2. Get the “buzz” on you…• Why do people associate with you (WIIFM)?• What are their expectations?• How do they perceive your “brand promise”?• Why do some people hesitate to associate with you? Is that
“OK”?
3. Identify the strengths that can be leveraged as well as the weaknesses that are holding you back (Note: for HR this also means understanding both your accessibility as well as your processes for hiring, on-boarding, coaching/developing and termination, references etc.)
© James T Stodd, 2013
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5. Know your competition! Assess their strengths and weakness from the viewpoint of those who might associate with you (or them)
6. Establish your “brand objective”, that is how you want your organization to be positioned in the minds of customers and employees (Note: this may be different for different employee groups , types of customers or product/service lines)
7. Craft , re-craft and communicate your “brand promise”, that is the expectations you want customers /employees to have of you(Note: Remember to leverage strengths and shore-up weaknesses)
10 Steps to Building a Great Brand
© James T Stodd, 2013
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7. Sell your “brand promise” internally first, and ensure commitment, before extending it to the outside world (customers and investors)
8. Execute flawlessly and expect others to do so as well (Note: that means “walking the talk” and leading by example)
9. Use your branding efforts as an ongoing emotional dialogue between your organization and your customers/employees (through conversation, surveys, focus groups)
10. Tie behaviors measured in performance evaluations , incentive plans and other reward programs to your “brand promise”
10 Steps to Building a Great Brand
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Your SpeakerJames T. Stodd, SPHRJT Stodd & Associates/First TransitionsOffice Phone: (225) 290-9866Email: [email protected]: http://www.jtstodd.com or www.firsttransitions.com
Jim offers seasoned experience as a strategic and organizational planning consultant, change agent, and executive. He has assisted numerous clients implement the organizational architecture, structure,infrastructure, and strategic plans required to achieve their visions and goals. In addition, he has assistedother organizations build strategically-focused and highly successful human resource management programs by introducing forward thinking approaches to talent and reward management.
During his career Jim has served as the Vice President of Human Resources for several prominent organizations including BroMenn Healthcare (Bloomington, IL), Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (Baton Rouge, LA), and SCAN Health Plan (Long Beach, CA). He has also been associated with several leading consulting firms including Ernst & Young LLP, Hay Management Consultants, and First Transitions. Jim currently maintains an independent consulting practice under the umbrella of JT Stodd & Associates and serves as the Managing Director of the Louisiana office of First Transitions, a Chicago based firm specializing in corporate sponsored outplacement and organizational development. He has provided consulting services to a diverse mix of clients including those in the healthcare, manufacturing, technology, construction, professional services, petrochemical, finance, education and nonprofit sectors. In addition to his career as a management consultant, Jim also teaches classes in Organizational Leadership and Human Resource Management at Louisiana State University and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Prior to that he taught related subjects at the University of California-Irvine where he received UCI’s “2010 Distinguished Instructor” award. His educational preparation includes a B.A. in Psychology from Saint Louis University and a M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Illinois State University. He also completed extensive post-graduate work toward a doctorate in Labor and Industrial Relations at the University of Minnesota. Jim has earned lifetime certification as a “Senior Professional in Human Resources” (SPHR) awarded by the Human Resource Certification Institute.
© James T Stodd, 2013
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References
Blanchard, Ken; Leading at a Higher Level, Upper Saddle River NJ: FT Press, 2007.
Valle, Debra S., Selling the Brand When It’s You: An Intuitive Guide to Your Distinctive Brand Story; Los Alamitos, CA: Marketing U, Inc., 2003.
© James T Stodd, 2013
