Personal Brand V Business Vision

Personal Brand V Business Vision

Most businesses are aware of the considerable benefits of having individual staff members with strong personal brands; and this is now often regularly cultivated and encouraged.

As well as the practical benefits of having a strong business brand having team members who have an existing established personal brand or seeking to grow their individual brand gives organisations that certain extra edge and a more human aspect to their business.

We are normally drawn towards people who we can build a rapport with. For this reason, most businesses are keen to invest further in staff who either have or seek to strive to have a good online presence and following.

From a business perspective, however; there comes a point where an individual’s brand can become less of an advantage and more detrimental to the culture of the business. This can be due to several reasons, including:

 ·      The individual’s brand could start to be perceived to be overshadowing the business brand either internally by colleagues or even externally. The team member may believe that they are a ‘rock star’, and begin to act ‘not in the best interest’ of the overall business.

·      The team member could be abusing the resources and the platform given to them by their employer. This may be for their own personal advantage of self- promotion, rather than in the interest of the business.

·      The team member may also feel that they are being held back and have outgrown the role and the business and decide to move on.

Regardless of some of the perceived risks or disadvantages – the simple truth is that business are better off encouraging a personal brand, as opposed to actively suppressing it. In a world where our social media presence can make or break a career, most attuned team members will be trying to develop their unique identities regardless. And when they have reached ‘success’, you will want them on your side as long as it remains in the best interest of the business.

The key is to take a balanced approach, and sometimes this is easier said than done. It all boils down to the relationship, and the stronger the bond between you and your employee, the better- for both parties.

Give time, and genuine respect to your team members, and encourage them to turn them into even greater brand ambassadors, who truly respect the business and would like to see it (and ultimately, themselves) succeed. As the saying goes, “a customer cannot truly love a business until its employees do”. So, it is worth valuing this relationship, meaning respecting the fact that their personal brand is important to them. Whilst being associated with this person, as their reputation grows, so will yours.

 Thank you once again for your time.

 Saf

Safaraz Ali