Executive reputation may be one of the biggest opportunities that are left untapped by brands and executives alike.
I saw an article the other day about how people trust businesses, but they also expect CEOs to drive social change. And recently I read another story from Ken Jacobs about how executives can create and retain followers.
That got me thinking about the CEOs I’ve worked with and for over the years, and how many executives today fail to understand something. They have a brand whether they like it or not.
For the low to mid-level professionals, personal branding has become a big thing in recent years. It helps them set themselves apart from others in crowded industries, especially as we’ve gone through the Great Resignation.
But how important is personal branding for executives and the C-suite?
The answer – very important.
How Important is Executive Reputation?
Sure, for the individual executive, but for the organization as well. Executive reputation is linked to organizational reputation.
Brands are still in the hot seat. That fact isn’t likely to change anytime soon. But this is more of a “people” issue that some realize, with executives being held accountable more so than even the brands they represent.
This has been an evolution over the last couple of decades as audiences hold organizations (and people in that organization) accountable. First, brands and businesses had free reign to do just about whatever they wanted.
Then people started to demand more of the brands they support and buy from. But along the way these audiences started to understand that the people behind the brand are making the decisions, and with access to those executives through digital and social media, it’s become easier to get access to those executives.
Think of Yourself as a Public Figure
If you’re an executive in a large, or sometimes small, organization, you might as well consider yourself a public figure. Your brand’s audiences will find you on your social media handles, and even if you don’t have them, they’ll find ways to ensure they talk directly with you through those channels.
So, even if you want to hide from it, you have a brand and it’s something you can ignore and suffer from, or embrace and use in a positive way.
People will continue to trust (or not trust) brands, but we’re a social species, and those people want to feel a connection, so they look for people to connect with. That desire is especially important when they want to impact change in some way.
Simply put, they can yell at an “organization” all day long and get nowhere. But yelling at a person, or people, takes on a different meaning for them, and for the person being yelled at.
And it’s not just the CEO of the organization. Leadership teams needs to keep this in mind and embrace the idea that they have a brand and reputation they need to support.
Embracing Your Brand
When you embrace this idea, you can find ways to enhance your brand and leverage it for your benefit, and the benefit of the organizations you represent.
This is especially true for the industries you represent as a professional. Your HR executive can play an important role in the HR space. The same for marketing, communications, legal, operations and so on.
And if these markets are important to your organizational success, then you have an even bigger interest in ensuring your team has a good reputation within them. Even if it’s not a big part of your key stakeholders or audience, it just takes one member of the executive team with reputational issues to affect the entire organization.
So, if nothing else, this can be a proactive reputation management exercise to save headaches down the road.
So, how do you work on it?
Personal Branding Tips for Executives
I want to provide some ways to leverage communications and public relations to ensure members of your executive team foster a positive reputation among key stakeholders.
Think about your platform
Every executive should have a platform. Maybe it’s a part of the industry that you’re passionate about, or some aspect you think you can affect. But it should underscore who you are as an individual executive, as well as align with organizational values.
Get Involved
Make sure you’re engaged in the associations and organizations that represent the industry. Yes, this will require some extracurricular activity, but it will pay dividends when you need your reputation to pull you out of a jam.
Be A Thought Leader
Think about how you, as an executive, can contribute to the industry. Are there OpEds, contributed articles, profiles, or other ways to convey your expertise and platform? Perhaps it is finding the right social media channel, utilizing an organizational blog, or investing in some sort of owned media channel where you can control the storytelling.
Get Social
This one can be tough. Social media used to be important for engaging with customers, and now it’s also a place for key audiences to learn more about the bands, and individuals, they support and give their money to. So, executives have a chance to tap into that in a positive way. But of course, tread lightly and have a plan because this can spiral quickly.
Get To Know Your Teams – All Of Them
First, make sure you’re connecting with the teams you lead so they understand your platform and leadership style. But also find ways to connect with teams outside your department. Internal stakeholders (employees) are the best source of advocates you can find, so make sure you’re connecting with them the right way.
Thanks for tuning in – be sure to check out more strategic thoughts, and we’ll see you back here again soon.
More Strategic Thoughts
Here are some recent posts to help as you create your Strategic Communications campaigns, including the importance of having a strategic communications plan:
– Don’t Leverage The Disaster
– Why You Should Take the “It’s THEIR Platform” Mentality for Social Media
– Leveraging Leadership Principles for Communications
– 3 Thing You MUST Consider During A Crisis Not Directly Impacting Your
– Do I Really Need A Strategic Communications Plan?
– A Meaningful Message, Or Pandering Without Purpose
– Pitching Media Like The Pros
– How to Create Content That Engages Audiences and Builds Brand Trust Quickly
