JUST OUT: Telecoms – Global Reputation Report 2024 – download it here

Many will consider the terms “corporate branding” and “reputation management” as recent – or not-so-recent – buzzwords in the worlds of business, marketing, and communications. I happen to think they’re both highly important and fully developed disciplines within business management. That’s probably not surprising, given my role as a corporate brand and reputation consultant.

What is surprising is that even those companies and leaders who take these disciplines seriously often fail to build positive perceptions of their business in the marketplace and consequently miss out on opportunities to improve performance through stronger customer relationships and stakeholder advocacy.

This failure happens for many different reasons:

To succeed in forming positive perceptions and securing sustainable support from customers, employees, and other stakeholders – companies and their leaders need to take an integrated approach to brand and reputation management and focus on building strong and lasting character.

“Just as character matters in people, it matters in organizations,” some say – and I couldn’t agree more. And while it’s a long-term effort, there are clear steps to follow:

Articulate character: Find your true identity and your unique purpose – what makes you tick as an organization and what makes you different from others – and articulate it in a clear and inspiring way. Yes, it would require looking inside the company: at the culture and competencies, at your past and heritage, and at your future and growth prospects. But listen also to your various stakeholders and what they see as your true identity – this is often a better reflection of who you really are than who you think you are internally.

Demonstrate character: Work hard on aligning your purpose and values with the organization: its customer experience, stakeholder engagement activities, business strategy – and most importantly, culture and behavior. Make sure that your belief system (purpose, vision, values, and any other elements reflecting it) really serves as a filter and guidance for decision-making at every level of the organization.

Stay true to character: Herein lies the prize – to make your corporate character truly strong and lasting, you will need to manage it carefully over time. This means ongoing dialogues with stakeholders to inform and adjust internal decision-making in a structured (rather than ad-hoc) way; management tools such as KPIs to ensure ongoing goal-setting and evaluation on both personal and company-wide levels; identification of, and preparation for, potentials risks; and integration of your corporate character across the organization’s silos so that it’s managed effectively in concert.

This type of prescription often feels easier said than done, but with CEO commitment, collaboration at the top of the company, and staff engagement – this process is not only realistic but also healthy and inspiring for the whole organization.

So, is corporate character yet another buzzword? Some will surely claim it is. But however you look at it, one thing is clear: just like people, organizations that are driven by their very own purpose and act with integrity win the trust and affection of those around them, and that makes them stronger. This is a simple fact that’s hard to dispute – and organizations of all kinds will benefit from taking note.