A new year. I don’t know about you but I feel as though I learned enough lessons in 2009 to last a lifetime. This new year—at least for me – is a time to begin to put these lessons into practice. I said a lot of brave things last year – especially at the beginning of the year when I was hopeful that I would feel minimal impact from the recession. Even though the search firm I had just left was dramatically feeling the effects of the crippled economy, I thought that my brilliance as a search consultant and the nimbleness provided by my new independence would give me enough of a competitive edge to actually thrive in the midst of the economic downturn. Two acquaintances, both extremely successful in business, agreed with me and encouraged embarking "on my own." They were wrong and so was I. It wasn’t until a few months ago that work began to pick up…and even then not in the way that I expected.
This post is not about my success in reinventing myself professionally. To be honest, the year became a lot more about survival than about reinvention! However, I believe that the reflection required by the events of this past year will shape this next year of my life and perhaps many to come, both personally and professionally. I expect that it will be this year, rather than the last, that I will truly experience “reinvention.”
So as is often the case, out of difficulty has come great richness in terms of life lessons. There was much to learn this past year for many of us. As the economy slowly recovers, it would be a travesty to attempt to return to business as usual. Some of us have been invited by circumstances to make significant changes...to become more of who we are really meant to be, both personally and professionally.
This represents a shift in this blog as it will become slightly more personal. I will continue, as a main focus, to share ideas, thoughts and experiences that I think might be helpful to those involved in recruitment, hiring and retention…or building a company that people want to work for. However, I will also from time to time share reflections from my own personal and professional journey when I think it might be helpful to someone else's reflection.
In upcoming posts, I will revisit the idea of reinvention. I think it is an extremely important one! Feel free to comment if you would like to share your own theme for this new year...or any other thoughts you'd like to pass along. I'd love to hear from you.
Happy New Year!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Before Beginning a Candidate Search, Come Up With a Good Story
Admittedly, I like to tell stories, and if I may say so, this is one of my strengths as a recruiter. Storytelling can be a powerful tool in the recruitment process.
If you are embarking on a search to find a new team member, one of the first things I recommend (if you haven’t yet done so) is to think about your company’s story. If your company is a startup, you won’t have a lot of history to fall back on, but you can still have a compelling story...and perhaps even more so because of the excitement generated by a new venture.
Your story may start with the dream or vision that brought the company into being...or perhaps it was an unmet need in the marketplace. At what point and through what circumstances was the idea for the company ignited?
Another part of the story might include when the company was founded and its founding mission. Then, a brief history of what has transpired since the company began, including any metamorphosis of that initial mission. What significant challenges have been faced? Has the company survived a crisis or overcome a failure? What strides have been made?
I always like to include information about the founder and, if these are different people, then also the current CEO, especially as it relates to his/her values or background and how this has influenced the company’s direction and its culture.
Speaking of culture, this is an important part of the story. What are the underlying values that influence the company’s culture? What will a person experience as part of this company? The more you can help the person envision him- or herself in the environment, the more effective the story as a recruitment tool.
The part of the story to think through carefully is the series of events or the central event that led to the current job opening. What need is being met, what problem solved? If you are hiring a replacement for someone who was fired, this is certainly more challenging to the storytelling process than a position that is being created because the company doubled in size over the past year.
However, even if the circumstances are not particularly positive, you can offer a brief, candid explanation of what happened followed by your hope for the future of the position. I am not talking about putting a positive spin on any shortcomings in the company that caused someone not to work out, but hopefully you learned something from the experience and this will be important to share.
A very compelling part of the story will be what you hope or expect the new person to bring to the company. In six months, a year, or longer, how will the company be different because of this person’s contribution? Depending on the level of the position, you may want to narrow this down to one functional area.
If you cover these bases, you potentially have a great story to tell. It will involve some thought, more than you might have anticipated. However, I would venture to say that if you haven’t thought through these things, you probably aren’t in a position to conduct a truly effective search.
My suggestions aren’t meant to be exhaustive. What else should be part of the story?
If you are embarking on a search to find a new team member, one of the first things I recommend (if you haven’t yet done so) is to think about your company’s story. If your company is a startup, you won’t have a lot of history to fall back on, but you can still have a compelling story...and perhaps even more so because of the excitement generated by a new venture.
Your story may start with the dream or vision that brought the company into being...or perhaps it was an unmet need in the marketplace. At what point and through what circumstances was the idea for the company ignited?
Another part of the story might include when the company was founded and its founding mission. Then, a brief history of what has transpired since the company began, including any metamorphosis of that initial mission. What significant challenges have been faced? Has the company survived a crisis or overcome a failure? What strides have been made?
I always like to include information about the founder and, if these are different people, then also the current CEO, especially as it relates to his/her values or background and how this has influenced the company’s direction and its culture.
Speaking of culture, this is an important part of the story. What are the underlying values that influence the company’s culture? What will a person experience as part of this company? The more you can help the person envision him- or herself in the environment, the more effective the story as a recruitment tool.
The part of the story to think through carefully is the series of events or the central event that led to the current job opening. What need is being met, what problem solved? If you are hiring a replacement for someone who was fired, this is certainly more challenging to the storytelling process than a position that is being created because the company doubled in size over the past year.
However, even if the circumstances are not particularly positive, you can offer a brief, candid explanation of what happened followed by your hope for the future of the position. I am not talking about putting a positive spin on any shortcomings in the company that caused someone not to work out, but hopefully you learned something from the experience and this will be important to share.
A very compelling part of the story will be what you hope or expect the new person to bring to the company. In six months, a year, or longer, how will the company be different because of this person’s contribution? Depending on the level of the position, you may want to narrow this down to one functional area.
If you cover these bases, you potentially have a great story to tell. It will involve some thought, more than you might have anticipated. However, I would venture to say that if you haven’t thought through these things, you probably aren’t in a position to conduct a truly effective search.
My suggestions aren’t meant to be exhaustive. What else should be part of the story?
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The Product Behind the Employer Brand
If you have read the past two posts, describing examples of both poor and strong employer branding, you will recall that in the positive example, Cranium’s leaders were focused on creating consistency between the internal culture, a component of the employer brand, and the marketplace brand. Part of the genius of Cranium’s branding was that its culture of innovation, fun and creativity – and a certain clever zaniness – actually drove and sustained a marketplace brand with similar characteristics. While this degree of seamlessness between employer and marketplace brands is not always possible or even desirable, it made perfect sense in Cranium’s case, especially as a lifestyle brand.
The classic definition of employer brand, simply put, is the perception of the company as a “good place to work” -- and here is the important part -- this perception is held both internally and externally! While branding involves telling a story, effective employer branding is as much about enacting that story as it is about the telling.
It seems that the most significant action a company can take to establish an employer brand is to cultivate a positive and healthy internal culture. There are, of course, other actions that will create, promote and perpetuate the employer brand to maximize its benefits for attracting, hiring and retaining desirable employees – as well as fortify the company’s marketplace position. Yet, just as a marketplace brand will eventually fizzle if the product or service it represents does not uphold the image being presented, the same dynamic exists between the company's culture and its employer brand.
Even more so than with its customers or consumers, a company’s leadership team has considerable influence over its employees’ experience. Steps can be taken to create and promote a healthy, positive working environment. Strategic thinking can formulate recruiting tactics and hiring criteria to ensure perpetuation of the desired culture. Policies and practices can guide and steer employee treatment and the benefits derived from being employed by the company. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but hopefully, you get the idea.
The action that I believe will have the greatest impact on a company’s culture and hence its employer brand, is to put communication and feedback mechanisms in place that allow company leaders (including and especially the CEO!) to know what employees are thinking, feeling and experiencing. Without this, vital information is missing about one of the most critical aspects of the organization, crippling its ability to make meaningful decisions in cultivating a highly motivated talent base.
As a caveat, if feedback is being invited, there must also be means of processing and incorporating this information. Having their input ignored could be more demoralizing to employees than being denied the opportunity to offer it in the first place.
Consider the activities involved in launching a new product that perpetuates the company's brand – the time, attention and expense, the cross-functional collaboration and communication, the internal and external feedback processes – all because of what is at stake and what is required to assure success.
The internal product behind the employer brand – the employee experience (including the working environment and organizational culture) – requires the same intentional effort and attention. The result is not only a strong organization to support company mission and goals, but an environment in which employees become strident evangelists and recruiters. While this sort of brand equity reduces employment costs over the long-run, the overall benefits are probably immeasurable.
The classic definition of employer brand, simply put, is the perception of the company as a “good place to work” -- and here is the important part -- this perception is held both internally and externally! While branding involves telling a story, effective employer branding is as much about enacting that story as it is about the telling.
It seems that the most significant action a company can take to establish an employer brand is to cultivate a positive and healthy internal culture. There are, of course, other actions that will create, promote and perpetuate the employer brand to maximize its benefits for attracting, hiring and retaining desirable employees – as well as fortify the company’s marketplace position. Yet, just as a marketplace brand will eventually fizzle if the product or service it represents does not uphold the image being presented, the same dynamic exists between the company's culture and its employer brand.
Even more so than with its customers or consumers, a company’s leadership team has considerable influence over its employees’ experience. Steps can be taken to create and promote a healthy, positive working environment. Strategic thinking can formulate recruiting tactics and hiring criteria to ensure perpetuation of the desired culture. Policies and practices can guide and steer employee treatment and the benefits derived from being employed by the company. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but hopefully, you get the idea.
The action that I believe will have the greatest impact on a company’s culture and hence its employer brand, is to put communication and feedback mechanisms in place that allow company leaders (including and especially the CEO!) to know what employees are thinking, feeling and experiencing. Without this, vital information is missing about one of the most critical aspects of the organization, crippling its ability to make meaningful decisions in cultivating a highly motivated talent base.
As a caveat, if feedback is being invited, there must also be means of processing and incorporating this information. Having their input ignored could be more demoralizing to employees than being denied the opportunity to offer it in the first place.
Consider the activities involved in launching a new product that perpetuates the company's brand – the time, attention and expense, the cross-functional collaboration and communication, the internal and external feedback processes – all because of what is at stake and what is required to assure success.
The internal product behind the employer brand – the employee experience (including the working environment and organizational culture) – requires the same intentional effort and attention. The result is not only a strong organization to support company mission and goals, but an environment in which employees become strident evangelists and recruiters. While this sort of brand equity reduces employment costs over the long-run, the overall benefits are probably immeasurable.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Story of a Seamless Brand
One of the most fascinating and memorable companies that I ever worked with as a recruiter was the game company Cranium under the helm of Richard Tait and Whit Alexander, years before the company was sold to Hasbro. While I was not familiar with the concept of employer branding at the time, I now realize that I was witnessing an excellent example of this.
Cranium produced innovative award-winning products, most notably its flagship game by the same name that created a stir when it became the first game to be sold at Starbucks. What impressed me most during my initial conversation with Richard Tait, Grand Poo Bah (his actual title, known in some companies as CEO), besides his sheer energy and enthusiasm, was his compelling and effective brand strategy. The significance of brand was apparent in everything that the company did and this translated into creating an internal culture consistent with that brand. In fact, when Richard talked about creating a brand or cultivating the culture, he used many of the same terms and concepts – the same language. In describing the relationship between Cranium’s brand and culture to potential employees, I easily used the word “seamless.” This attention to the culture was foundational to creating a strong employer brand, but for Richard Tait, it was also part and parcel of creating a strong and differentiated marketplace brand.
The brand and its integration into the culture were continually reinforced by a common language, a clear and consistent articulation of the mission and a set of criteria that was used to assess everything from prospective employees to product ideas. The criteria were: Creative, High Quality, Innovative, Friendly & Fun (CHIFF). Anything leaving Cranium – every game piece, every press kit, even the letterhead – was matched against the checklist to determine if it was CHIFF. Every job candidate was required to be CHIFF. And, in case you are wondering, yes, even I, had to be deemed CHIFF!
In Cranium’s Secret Sauce, an outline of the philosophy guiding the company, creating a culture and celebrating it every day is one of several key principles contributing to what I would consider to be their employer brand. This means identifying what makes the culture and organization special and also identifying what culture is needed to bring the company’s mission to life. Once the principles and values that team members were asked to embrace had been identified, then the task was to create methods of celebrating and reinforcing these. The goal was to create an environment that people were proud to be a part of and where they (and the company) could win.
The company’s products were zany and fun and this was incorporated into the company’s day-to-day life. Traditional titles were done away with. Business cards sported titles such as Star Search Diva (Staffing Manager), Professor Profit (CFO) and Chief Culture Keeper (Human Resources Director). (Rumor is that Richard insisted on stating his title as Grand Poo Bah on official forms filed with the State of Washington.) The office space was designed to resemble a board game. Company execs could be seen skateboarding down the hallway. In an interview, a job candidate might be asked to join in a game. Because of the high value placed on community and collaboration, there were nooks and crannies throughout the offices that invited employees to cluster. The themes of celebration and creating moments for people to shine were not just concepts used in product development and marketing, but as part of the company’s everyday activities. Creativity, innovation, a sense of discovery, and passion were qualities that were intentionally embraced, promoted and rewarded. People were hired more for how they thought than for what they knew. Richard once said that he could take the same group of people anywhere and be successful.
One result of the company's effective branding was that I, as a third party consultant, understood and could embrace and clearly articulate what I am calling their employer brand using the company's unique language. Several years later, I still can. What I knew about their culture contributed to my being an enthusiastic consumer and brand evangelist among my friends. In my recruiting role, the enthusiasm that I felt for Cranium’s culture, products and brand translated into contagious passion in seeking out potential employees for the company and eliciting their interest.
After interviews, candidates often relayed to me, “It was exactly as I would have imagined."
(I have spoken of the company in the past tense based on my experience with its previous ownership, but the brand is still alive and well under the Hasbro umbrella).
Cranium produced innovative award-winning products, most notably its flagship game by the same name that created a stir when it became the first game to be sold at Starbucks. What impressed me most during my initial conversation with Richard Tait, Grand Poo Bah (his actual title, known in some companies as CEO), besides his sheer energy and enthusiasm, was his compelling and effective brand strategy. The significance of brand was apparent in everything that the company did and this translated into creating an internal culture consistent with that brand. In fact, when Richard talked about creating a brand or cultivating the culture, he used many of the same terms and concepts – the same language. In describing the relationship between Cranium’s brand and culture to potential employees, I easily used the word “seamless.” This attention to the culture was foundational to creating a strong employer brand, but for Richard Tait, it was also part and parcel of creating a strong and differentiated marketplace brand.The brand and its integration into the culture were continually reinforced by a common language, a clear and consistent articulation of the mission and a set of criteria that was used to assess everything from prospective employees to product ideas. The criteria were: Creative, High Quality, Innovative, Friendly & Fun (CHIFF). Anything leaving Cranium – every game piece, every press kit, even the letterhead – was matched against the checklist to determine if it was CHIFF. Every job candidate was required to be CHIFF. And, in case you are wondering, yes, even I, had to be deemed CHIFF!
In Cranium’s Secret Sauce, an outline of the philosophy guiding the company, creating a culture and celebrating it every day is one of several key principles contributing to what I would consider to be their employer brand. This means identifying what makes the culture and organization special and also identifying what culture is needed to bring the company’s mission to life. Once the principles and values that team members were asked to embrace had been identified, then the task was to create methods of celebrating and reinforcing these. The goal was to create an environment that people were proud to be a part of and where they (and the company) could win.
The company’s products were zany and fun and this was incorporated into the company’s day-to-day life. Traditional titles were done away with. Business cards sported titles such as Star Search Diva (Staffing Manager), Professor Profit (CFO) and Chief Culture Keeper (Human Resources Director). (Rumor is that Richard insisted on stating his title as Grand Poo Bah on official forms filed with the State of Washington.) The office space was designed to resemble a board game. Company execs could be seen skateboarding down the hallway. In an interview, a job candidate might be asked to join in a game. Because of the high value placed on community and collaboration, there were nooks and crannies throughout the offices that invited employees to cluster. The themes of celebration and creating moments for people to shine were not just concepts used in product development and marketing, but as part of the company’s everyday activities. Creativity, innovation, a sense of discovery, and passion were qualities that were intentionally embraced, promoted and rewarded. People were hired more for how they thought than for what they knew. Richard once said that he could take the same group of people anywhere and be successful.
One result of the company's effective branding was that I, as a third party consultant, understood and could embrace and clearly articulate what I am calling their employer brand using the company's unique language. Several years later, I still can. What I knew about their culture contributed to my being an enthusiastic consumer and brand evangelist among my friends. In my recruiting role, the enthusiasm that I felt for Cranium’s culture, products and brand translated into contagious passion in seeking out potential employees for the company and eliciting their interest.
After interviews, candidates often relayed to me, “It was exactly as I would have imagined."
(I have spoken of the company in the past tense based on my experience with its previous ownership, but the brand is still alive and well under the Hasbro umbrella).
Monday, April 6, 2009
Do Your Brands Match Up?
Does the image that you portray to your customers, clients or consumers match the image that you portray to potential employees? The answer to this question could be critical to your recruiting success.
As a recruiter, I learned early on that a company’s brand or even its marketplace reputation may be entirely different than its image as an employer. I must admit that I learned this the hard way.
I was excited to finally get my foot in the door to conduct a search for a large toy company; one that was making innovative strides in the industry resulting in a strong track record of growth. The trade journals glowed with praise. Parenting magazines gave rave reviews. Recruiting for this winning company would be fun!
Admittedly, this was before I began doing culture studies as part of a search, but in talking with internal contacts, I came away with what seemed a pretty good handle on the environment. Yes, there had been some growing pains. And yes, the Founder/CEO was a bit of a mad scientist type who sometimes ranted. So, I would adjust the candidate criteria to include being relatively thick-skinned -- not unusual in a fast-paced, rapidly growing environment. I even came up with a great spin on how to talk about the brilliant, yet eccentric, genius who ran the company.
So, I hit the pavement (in a manner of speaking) in search of candidates and was taken aback by the adamant resistance met. The toy industry is a small world; everyone I spoke with must have had a college roommate, a coworker, or someone in their network that had worked for this company, coming away with a horror story. The CEO's outbursts, it was revealed, occurred frequently and were brutal. While senior management bore the brunt of this, the trickle-down effect created an environment that was painfully demoralizing.
Did I complete the search? Yes. On the verge of resigning from the assignment based on my discoveries, I remembered someone who desperately wanted to relocate to the same city as my client to be near her fiancé. I also remembered her to be thoroughly thick-skinned with an amazing sense of humor. I was completely honest with her and she thought the trade-offs would be worthwhile in the end. She stayed with the company for two years.
The company culture did not constitute the employer brand even though the culture contributed to this. The company's employer brand was the set of perceptions, among other things, that influenced people's interest (or lack thereof) in working for the company and their willingness to stay. I could have had a very lucrative client given the turnover at this particular company.
In some industries or settings this would filter into the radar of other stakeholders and impact the company's external relationships. For instance, as a recruiter, I refuse to work with this company and, as a consumer, I will not buy its products.
Now that I’ve given an example of a poor employer brand, next time, I want to talk about a more positive one. Then, in future posts, I’ll share on actually developing a positive employer brand.
If you run a company, you have control over your company’s employer brand. If you have a significant executive role in an organization, you can go a long way in contributing to that brand.
You actually have more influence over your employer brand than you do over your marketplace brand.
As a recruiter, I learned early on that a company’s brand or even its marketplace reputation may be entirely different than its image as an employer. I must admit that I learned this the hard way.
I was excited to finally get my foot in the door to conduct a search for a large toy company; one that was making innovative strides in the industry resulting in a strong track record of growth. The trade journals glowed with praise. Parenting magazines gave rave reviews. Recruiting for this winning company would be fun!
Admittedly, this was before I began doing culture studies as part of a search, but in talking with internal contacts, I came away with what seemed a pretty good handle on the environment. Yes, there had been some growing pains. And yes, the Founder/CEO was a bit of a mad scientist type who sometimes ranted. So, I would adjust the candidate criteria to include being relatively thick-skinned -- not unusual in a fast-paced, rapidly growing environment. I even came up with a great spin on how to talk about the brilliant, yet eccentric, genius who ran the company.
So, I hit the pavement (in a manner of speaking) in search of candidates and was taken aback by the adamant resistance met. The toy industry is a small world; everyone I spoke with must have had a college roommate, a coworker, or someone in their network that had worked for this company, coming away with a horror story. The CEO's outbursts, it was revealed, occurred frequently and were brutal. While senior management bore the brunt of this, the trickle-down effect created an environment that was painfully demoralizing.
Did I complete the search? Yes. On the verge of resigning from the assignment based on my discoveries, I remembered someone who desperately wanted to relocate to the same city as my client to be near her fiancé. I also remembered her to be thoroughly thick-skinned with an amazing sense of humor. I was completely honest with her and she thought the trade-offs would be worthwhile in the end. She stayed with the company for two years.
The company culture did not constitute the employer brand even though the culture contributed to this. The company's employer brand was the set of perceptions, among other things, that influenced people's interest (or lack thereof) in working for the company and their willingness to stay. I could have had a very lucrative client given the turnover at this particular company.
In some industries or settings this would filter into the radar of other stakeholders and impact the company's external relationships. For instance, as a recruiter, I refuse to work with this company and, as a consumer, I will not buy its products.
Now that I’ve given an example of a poor employer brand, next time, I want to talk about a more positive one. Then, in future posts, I’ll share on actually developing a positive employer brand.
If you run a company, you have control over your company’s employer brand. If you have a significant executive role in an organization, you can go a long way in contributing to that brand.
You actually have more influence over your employer brand than you do over your marketplace brand.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The "Real Story"
With the wealth of information provided via the internet coupled with the advent of social media, an organization can no longer attempt to paint a picture of itself in the marketplace and trust this alone to shape people’s perceptions. There are countless sources available to someone wanting to know the “real story.”
That “real story” is paramount in employer branding, a topic that will be covered at length in future Hire Thoughts blog posts. I am becoming more and more convinced that employer branding is essential in attracting and retaining top talent.
Consider this recent experience:
Last week, I discovered a great new startup, the kind of situation that causes my heart to pound when I consider the possibility of helping to build a team. However, before approaching the CEO to make an introduction, I did some research and within an hour, had changed my mind in spite of a compelling service offering and a very spiffy website which included the CEO/Founder’s heartwarming story about how the whole thing started. In a short time, this had all become irrelevant to me.
Through social media, I learned another part of the story, starting with the CEO’s own Twitter stream (history of comments on Twitter). This was obviously not intended to be an “official” representation of the company. However there were a couple of comments in the 10 or so listed that were critical of another person – critical at best, but, really, could be defined as caustic. Not at all like the very nice person whose bio appeared on the company website.
Then, I found a blog post via Google that brought any remaining interest to a skidding halt. A former employee recounted the horror story of working with this same CEO. This was followed by several comments from other former employees with a similar experience. This company is barely a couple of years old and already this sort of history! By then, I wouldn’t touch the company with a 10-foot pole, in spite of my initial heart-pounding excitement – unless, of course, the VC wanted my help in finding a new CEO!
What if I had been a prospective employee, perhaps one that was vital to the company’s next initiative. Unbeknownst to this CEO (and probably the VC), the company's "real story" or at least a part of it – and a negative part at that – might have steered me away.
An employer brand is the image of your organization as a "great place to work" in the minds of current employees as well as key stakeholders in the external market. These key stakeholders include clients, customers, both active and passive candidates, and other stakeholders, people whose goodwill you want to cultivate for your organization's continued success. (Definition borrowed from Brett Minchington, founder of The Employer Brand Institute and author of the classic, Your Employer Brand.)
Perhaps due to the influence of my extensive work in recruiting marketers over the years, I have become a strong proponent of the concept of brand. I have seen companies with comparable products or services experience much different results in the marketplace with one of the vital differences being their attention to building a strong brand. In a conversation with Richard Tait, co-founder of the game company, Cranium, during its earliest years, I asked him at what point he began focusing on “brand.” His response: “Day One.” This company went on to make history with its award-winning games, carving a powerful niche in an already saturated market.
I propose that the employer brand should also be considered a high priority during a company's early stages. Given that a company’s success is acutely dependent on the quality of the people hired (and retained), focusing on the employer brand from the beginning seems like one of the most significant investments a company can make – not just for meeting the immediate need of building a strong team, but in anticipating future growth.
The extensive range of social media options makes it more feasible than ever to establish an employer brand. For the same reason, the need for a positive “real story” to reinforce the “image” has never been more critical.
That “real story” is paramount in employer branding, a topic that will be covered at length in future Hire Thoughts blog posts. I am becoming more and more convinced that employer branding is essential in attracting and retaining top talent.
Consider this recent experience:
Last week, I discovered a great new startup, the kind of situation that causes my heart to pound when I consider the possibility of helping to build a team. However, before approaching the CEO to make an introduction, I did some research and within an hour, had changed my mind in spite of a compelling service offering and a very spiffy website which included the CEO/Founder’s heartwarming story about how the whole thing started. In a short time, this had all become irrelevant to me.
Through social media, I learned another part of the story, starting with the CEO’s own Twitter stream (history of comments on Twitter). This was obviously not intended to be an “official” representation of the company. However there were a couple of comments in the 10 or so listed that were critical of another person – critical at best, but, really, could be defined as caustic. Not at all like the very nice person whose bio appeared on the company website.
Then, I found a blog post via Google that brought any remaining interest to a skidding halt. A former employee recounted the horror story of working with this same CEO. This was followed by several comments from other former employees with a similar experience. This company is barely a couple of years old and already this sort of history! By then, I wouldn’t touch the company with a 10-foot pole, in spite of my initial heart-pounding excitement – unless, of course, the VC wanted my help in finding a new CEO!
What if I had been a prospective employee, perhaps one that was vital to the company’s next initiative. Unbeknownst to this CEO (and probably the VC), the company's "real story" or at least a part of it – and a negative part at that – might have steered me away.
An employer brand is the image of your organization as a "great place to work" in the minds of current employees as well as key stakeholders in the external market. These key stakeholders include clients, customers, both active and passive candidates, and other stakeholders, people whose goodwill you want to cultivate for your organization's continued success. (Definition borrowed from Brett Minchington, founder of The Employer Brand Institute and author of the classic, Your Employer Brand.)
Perhaps due to the influence of my extensive work in recruiting marketers over the years, I have become a strong proponent of the concept of brand. I have seen companies with comparable products or services experience much different results in the marketplace with one of the vital differences being their attention to building a strong brand. In a conversation with Richard Tait, co-founder of the game company, Cranium, during its earliest years, I asked him at what point he began focusing on “brand.” His response: “Day One.” This company went on to make history with its award-winning games, carving a powerful niche in an already saturated market.
I propose that the employer brand should also be considered a high priority during a company's early stages. Given that a company’s success is acutely dependent on the quality of the people hired (and retained), focusing on the employer brand from the beginning seems like one of the most significant investments a company can make – not just for meeting the immediate need of building a strong team, but in anticipating future growth.
The extensive range of social media options makes it more feasible than ever to establish an employer brand. For the same reason, the need for a positive “real story” to reinforce the “image” has never been more critical.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
I Wish This Was Required Reading for My Clients...
Book Review: Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore
How I wish that many of my start-up clients -- some of them no longer in business after a valiant run -- had read this book. Since I seem to be drawn to entrepreneurial and innovative companies like a moth to a flame, this book helps me to better understand the challenges faced by this special breed of client.
While Crossing the Chasm is unabashedly geared toward the high tech industry (as the author states), I believe entrepreneurs in general, and anyone engaged in bringing forward innovative products, services or ideas will probably find value here. Given that high tech is, as Moore describes, a "microcosm of larger industrial trends", the marketing strategies are relevant to almost any organization that seeks to create or increase demand for what it offers.
This book requires careful, but not arduous, reading. Brilliant analogies, dry humor, accessible examples and very lucid explanations help to drive home the concepts. Those engaged in B2B marketing will more readily translate the concepts into their environments, but the translation required by consumer-oriented and other industries is well worth the effort to glean the wisdom found here. You will probably be challenged to rethink not only how you expand your company's presence in the marketplace, but how you even define your market -- or target audience. You may end up with something much different than you would have thought.
One very key concept is that the way you market your product to win early acceptance will be vastly different from how you market that same product (or service?) to cross the chasm to the mainstream market. Mainstream does not necessarily imply "the masses," but rather the long-term users of your product (and we all want these, right?). In fact, the decision-maker you are targeting at one stage is completely different than the person that you are targeting at the next, and the two have a completely different mindset, completely different objectives and a completely different approach to buying into innovation. The difference is so great as to be very astutely called a "chasm." Yet, crossing that perilous chasm is the only way to ensure viability over the long-run. As Moore succinctly states, it's "a do-or-die proposition for high-tech enterprise." This could be said of many other enterprises as well.
Moore cites examples of how, often, it is not the superior product that wins out, but the one that most successfully crosses the chasm. My interpretation: The thinking that initiates success will not necessarily sustain it. GET THIS!
Of the many eloquent analogies found in this book, my favorite is that of D Day. Moore discusses the need to "concentrate an overwhelmingly superior force on a highly focused target" in order to secure the beachhead and expand from there. Brilliant! The applications from this analogy alone make the book worthwhile.
Come to think of it, that analogy might have some application to talent acquisition as well...hmm...let me think on that one.
How I wish that many of my start-up clients -- some of them no longer in business after a valiant run -- had read this book. Since I seem to be drawn to entrepreneurial and innovative companies like a moth to a flame, this book helps me to better understand the challenges faced by this special breed of client.
While Crossing the Chasm is unabashedly geared toward the high tech industry (as the author states), I believe entrepreneurs in general, and anyone engaged in bringing forward innovative products, services or ideas will probably find value here. Given that high tech is, as Moore describes, a "microcosm of larger industrial trends", the marketing strategies are relevant to almost any organization that seeks to create or increase demand for what it offers.
This book requires careful, but not arduous, reading. Brilliant analogies, dry humor, accessible examples and very lucid explanations help to drive home the concepts. Those engaged in B2B marketing will more readily translate the concepts into their environments, but the translation required by consumer-oriented and other industries is well worth the effort to glean the wisdom found here. You will probably be challenged to rethink not only how you expand your company's presence in the marketplace, but how you even define your market -- or target audience. You may end up with something much different than you would have thought.
One very key concept is that the way you market your product to win early acceptance will be vastly different from how you market that same product (or service?) to cross the chasm to the mainstream market. Mainstream does not necessarily imply "the masses," but rather the long-term users of your product (and we all want these, right?). In fact, the decision-maker you are targeting at one stage is completely different than the person that you are targeting at the next, and the two have a completely different mindset, completely different objectives and a completely different approach to buying into innovation. The difference is so great as to be very astutely called a "chasm." Yet, crossing that perilous chasm is the only way to ensure viability over the long-run. As Moore succinctly states, it's "a do-or-die proposition for high-tech enterprise." This could be said of many other enterprises as well.
Moore cites examples of how, often, it is not the superior product that wins out, but the one that most successfully crosses the chasm. My interpretation: The thinking that initiates success will not necessarily sustain it. GET THIS!
Of the many eloquent analogies found in this book, my favorite is that of D Day. Moore discusses the need to "concentrate an overwhelmingly superior force on a highly focused target" in order to secure the beachhead and expand from there. Brilliant! The applications from this analogy alone make the book worthwhile.
Come to think of it, that analogy might have some application to talent acquisition as well...hmm...let me think on that one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
