It is a marathon and not a sprint!

It is very important for companies to brand themselves to their employees, investors and other internal stakeholders as they’d do to lure customers or promote the product or service! Why? It’s because these internal stakeholders are your work horse and promoters of your company! Hence companies should strive first to develop campaigns that make a long-lasting dent in the brand’s culture.

This article might come across as a not-so important or something that’s only for the new-gen start-up entrepreneur, you are heavily mistaken. It applies to every company / firm, big or small. The mission, brand and culture marriage can signal whether the organization has a successful model to build for the future. All three elements have a specific role and purpose, yet they often may intersect: Indeed, Tata’s website announces, “To improve the quality of life of the communities we serve globally through long-term stakeholder value creation based on Leadership with Trust.”

Here are some ideas to get started in the right direction so that each and every employee, vendor, suppliers and even customers sometimes along with other stake holders are on the same page in terms of understanding your company’s culture:

1. Define the Culture

It’s your responsibility to take time and find out what makes your company unique. Cultivate it and then celebrate it with your employees. Remember, people can usually tell whether you are putting on an act or being genuine. So, help your folks understand your company’s values, visions and story and make it their own.

2. Make It Unique

Rather than just handing out bland manuals to new recruits outlining the rules and regulations of how business is done take some time to come up with a culture book which dives more into the intangibles that make your company tick giving an insight into the personality of the brand.

3. Sustain

Remember the adage - actions speak louder than words. Every action, no matter small or big is an opportunity for you to convey your brand’s ethos to your employees and customers as well. Make sure you maintain consistency and don’t get carried away with initial stints of success. Rather, make it a habit! Your culture is how your employees live, breathe and deliver on that promise to your customers.

4. Keep Them Posted

It’s very common in almost every company and especially when it comes to the lower levels of the hierarchy where the general working body doesn’t know what the higher end of the hierarchy is doing and also vice versa. The brand’s image is more transparent and engaging to the stakeholders when everyone is informed regularly on the new updates, decisions taken, future plans, etc of the organization. Make effective use of internal communications tools. The most common tool being- the use of intranet. It should be a one stop shop for all the latest news. It is best to direct employees to visit your company intranet regularly.

5. Get Feedback

Generally, the ideation / brainstorming / weekly or monthly gatherings are just limited to the management cadres. A better way would be to give the support staff too an opportunity to contribute their thoughts and feedback. Doing so boosts the morale and confidence of your work horse and gives them a sense of purpose, achievement and rejuvenates their energy apart from giving you insights from varied perspectives.

It is a marathon and not a sprint. Don’t expect your existing employees to simply switch to your new ideologies / values / goals. It takes work to improve internal communication and to cultivate a strong culture. Keep at it and the payoff is worth both the time and effort invested!