Entrepreneurs and Innovators Need Only Apply

There is high demand for entrepreneurs and innovators right now. The race for growth and 'break out' innovation is on as businesses look to future proof offers and grow income streams.

It's a great time for creativity and 'go getting.' New ideas need to prevail despite organisational barriers. Taking a 'leap of faith' into a brave new world is the only option for some organisations with technology changing the playing field.

The future is here now, and the talent gap is widening. Companies are fast-tracking cultural change programs to stay ahead of competitors. The 'shout out' for entrepreneurs and innovators is deafening. It seems to be implied in every job advertisement - our company needs individuals that will help us evolve and grow - Entrepreneurs and Innovators need only apply. 

Establishing a workplace that supports process discipline, entrepreneurial tenacity and innovative creative thinking is a challenging construct. A major leadership engineering task. 

New resources acquired to boldly instigate change coupled with established process enforcers makes for an interesting work dynamic. Motivating individuals and establishing interaction rules needs considered attention. Fostering internal partnerships that collaborate effectively to develop solutions requires progressive management thinking.

Below are some thoughts of management style principles to accommodate the entrepreneurs and innovators that every business is chasing:

• Champion inquisitive and flexible project management practices
• Embrace diversity
• Value and reward contribution 
• Avoid curbing enthusiasm, direct it towards an outcome
• Respect areas of expertise and opposing professional strengths
• Encourage exploring leads/ideas to come to 'own' conclusions
• Be a behaviour moderator - not conformist 
• Check robustness of ideas and set clear decision frameworks
• Navigate cross functional politics and decision hierarchies
• Be a gatekeeper of ideas that do not lead anywhere - allow quirky thoughts and unstructured processes 
• Maintain an external focus on the customer
• Be willing to try new approaches 
• Make process checks pit stops rather than long endurance races
• Manage risk, set a tolerance for failure
• Do not over commit - ensure checks and balances are in place

The call is out for entrepreneurs and innovators.....who answers and who listens will determine future success or failures.

Creating Internal Respect for the Brand Signature

The brand mark is like your signature. Would you sign your signature to a statement, idea or representation that does not reflect your values? The answer would inevitably be NO.  

This simple analogy can be applied to business and personal branding. It is relatable way to engage others in making ‘on brand’ judgements in their day to day roles. Too often brand strategy is presented in an abstract way, where others can’t see the relevance to them or their roles.

Social networking has resulted in a focus on personal branding. Job offers, social community acceptance and even friendships can be influenced by an individual’s on-line image and values. Your personal branding can have an impact without knowledge or warning. Thinking that an objectionable on-line persona is immune to a wider audience is misguided.

The idea of ‘living the brand’ through thinking and acting in alignment with core values builds an image over time. In organisations with many employees and customer interactions it is the ultimate positioning tool. The challenge becomes engaging internal audiences to understand this and consistently align their actions to reflect brand values. 

There are organisations attempting to control brand image and manage risk through having access to employee social media sites. While this highlights the importance of consistent brand representation and associations, education and engagement is a more effective long term strategy. 

Every interaction internally or externally creates an impression of the brand. Individual actions will stand out as the exception rather than the rule for brands with strong equity. Building a collective set of positive experiences and associations over time, rather than micro managing negative ones results in increased stakeholder loyalty.

The following is a guide on ways to create internal engagement for the brand strategy.

·       Accessible brand messages:   Branding theory and language can come across as abstract and detached. Drawing analogies to real life examples builds a compelling rationale and makes it relevant. The growth in personal branding has by default heightened the interest and applicability of ‘values’ based decision making, actions and communications.

·       Everyone can recite the brand values: Every employee must be able to recite the brand values and understand what they mean. Providing tools and easy reference points is critical. Find examples of work or interactions that are ‘on brand’ and ‘offbrand’ to clearly demonstrate.

·       Integrate into performance standards and protocols: A way to make brand values accessible in every day work roles in to integrate into existing performance standards and/or protocols for customer and internal decision making, interactions and service standards.

·      Be specific about how ‘inside actions and choices impact ‘outside' perceptions. State this clearly and where possible discuss examples relating to other companies.

Keep posing the question – Would you place your signature here?