At every meeting with my clients I talk about how they are taking steps to bring their corporate brand, their employer brand and their personal brand to life.
But have you ever considered that as a business leader, the actions your people take not only impact how your corporate brand is perceived in the eyes of clients, business partners and other key stakeholders?
How your people behave influences how others perceive your own personal brand.
You see, the behaviour of your team reflects what you as a leader sees is acceptable behaviour - in other words what you are condoning.
As an example, today I was in a meeting with a potential client.
On arriving at the office, I was shown into the Managing Partners office.
The meeting commenced. We were in full flow of a conversation but just then the office door opened. A member of the team came into the office. The Managing Partner continued to talk, the team member came in to shuffle papers behind us, said a few works and then left.
Suprisingly to me the Managing Partner said nothing about the incident. Nor had the team member knocked the door or said "excuse me" or "sorry for interrupting you".
Then ten minutes later the same thing happened agin.
Now perhaps I am being old fashioned, but I was left with a distinct view that this was not professional behaviour.
Have my team members ever interrupted me when I have been in a meeting? Yes from time to time. But they would say "excuse me". However as a way of working, if the office door is shut and I am with a client, then they know not to disturb me unless it is an emergency.
Was the team member wrong to come in unannounced? My belief is yes.
However the lasting impression is that the Managing Partner was in fact impacting his reputation and personal brand in a negative way as this was clearly behaviour he condoned and felt was acceptable.
I wonder if this also happens when they have prospective clients with them for a meeting? How would you feel if that happened to you as a prospective client?
Building a strong reputation and personal brand as a leader and executive, remember to look arounf you in terms of what you are prepared to accept as behaviours in your team and consider if it reflects your personal leadership brand as you would like it to be perceived.
Why not take the chance to review what people coming into your business or meeting your team would take away about how your people behave and therefore what you stand for as a leader?
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