It’s rarely a bad call following up on a Brett Minchington thought piece around employer branding leadership, so that’s exactly what I’m doing. The presence of corporate leadership within employer branding was illustrated to me loud and clear late last week as we presented back our value proposition thoughts to a high tech manufacturer.
I have long been convinced, often for entirely pragmatic reasons, that without the endorsement of senior organisational leaders, an employer branding project is doomed to, if not fail, then certainly disappoint, its scope, influence and budget fatally limited.
This is perhaps only half of it. Great employer brands are aligned to corporate direction and they should make it granular clear why talented people should put in discretionary effort in order to make a real (and recognised) contribution to organisational objectives and success. Without, then, the insight, presence and influence of such individuals actively responsible for guiding corporate direction, is a resulting employer brand something of, at best, a well-intentioned guess?
And, at worst, do you risk bringing people into your organisation mis-aligned with where the business is actually driving and intent on pursuing corporate objectives that simply don’t exist? Great employer brands engage, enthuse and inspire people already within your organisation just as much as they entice and attract your external candidate pools – both sets of audiences need to know they are pushing in the right direction – a direction they share with senior leaders with their hands on the corporate rudder.
For our high tech manufacturer, senior figures right at the top of the organisation happily gave of their time both during the insight process and in deciding the ultimate value proposition. As a result, a clear and enticing picture was painted of where that organisation was heading and what sorts of skills and behaviours would help take them there. The employer brand is being built on firm foundations and foundations that are owned by figures right at the top of that organisation.
And during this process, it has been made abundantly clear the belief that senior management holds in the potential delivery of an employer brand as well as their determination to see those deliverables achieved.
Getting to the heart of your employee mindset 