WHY MOST BUSINESSES HAVE AN IDENTITY CRISIS. ARE YOU WORKING FOR ONE?

“How could your brand stand out when you keep on copying your competitors?” — Yikes!

Hold on, Danina. What do you mean ‘identity crisis’?

ī?den(t)?dē ?krīsis/

noun: a period of uncertainty and confusion in which a person’s sense of identity becomes insecure; a state of confusion in an institution or organization regarding its true nature or direction.

Even we humans go through the phase of an identity crisis.

So similarly, so does our business and the team we manage. This manifests when there's confusion about the end goal or a lack of direction to where you want to go.

There are far more businesses that are failing than succeeding because of this, and that’s something I want to talk more about.?

You got to be aware of the essential areas in your organization that needs to be checked frequently, think of it as what is the foundation you need to know so you can market (and scale) your brand effectively.

1. VISION - How do you envision the future of your business (or workplace) will be like?
2. MANAGEMENT - What are the dynamics inside the leadership team? Are the core values being practised or just part of your about me page? Is proper communication taking place or is it a pass-the-message type?
3. CULTURE - What principle does the entire company have? How is the overall well-being of the people? Do they feel a sense of purpose in what they do? or does corporate gaslighting and toxic work-life balance occur?
4. BRANDING - What is your overall branding? How is your brand influencing your clients, audiences and prospect clients?
5. COMMUNICATION - Is the communication strategy aligned with your values? Or are you taking in inspiration from those that you want to copy but do not resonate with deeply? Is the communication style clear, confident and authentic?
6. CUSTOMER/CLIENT EXPERIENCE - Does your customer feel a sense of trust? Do they find working with you a bang for their buck?
7. SOCIAL MEDIA DIVERSIFICATION - What are the other means of interacting with your audiences that make them feel like they know you?

Most often the identity crisis occur when there’s a misalignment between the vision, values and how you communicate it.?

Can also be when the management treats the employees poorly versus the paying-client (for obvious reasons)

Whether the leadership isn’t aligned, or the vision is not strongly supported by a good long-term strategy.?

Can also be hiring the wrong people who are unfit for your culture, or not enough trust lingers inside the team.

Maybe there’s no standard of excellence practised inside the workplace.

There really is PLENTY of reasons why the inside organization dynamic seems to fail, but one thing is for sure.?

IDENTITY CRISIS INSIDE THE ORGANIZATION IS MORE COMMON THAN YOU THINK

I want to be vocal about this, but brands will always have similarities to each other, especially if they have the same advocacy, and they understand a scenario under the same lens.?

The identity crisis that becomes the reason why most businesses fail causes a tremendous misalignment in the operation, marketing, and management of its people.?

Here are a few of the things I’ve observed:

1. This so-called, “misalignment” occurs when we look at our competitor's state rather than strengthening our own (brand strategy)
2. We assume our competitor’s strategy is working well, so we must copy it.
3. We assume our personal alignment with the business won’t matter.

STORY #1? A 5-STAR LUXURY HOTEL AND ITS MANAGEMENT MISALIGNMENT

I'll give you a story of a well-known hotel chain in the Philippines that is known for its luxurious, elegant exterior and holds a level of prestige for its hotel guests.?

Despite its high prestige claims, its internal management suffers from a brand identity crisis.

The dynamic is chaotic -- staff management and day-to-day operation. Employees were underpaid, managers are juggling many things at once, staff are overworked and hardly recognized.?

This misalignment cannot be seen by hotel guests but is heavily felt inside the organization by the staff, crew and employees.?

And you know when the inside management is screwed up? The work becomes difficult and tiresome, and sense of purpose is not acted out strongly by everyone.

WHAT TO DO?

1. Identify the inconsistencies
2. Leadership Presence and Transparency
3. Alignment and Enactment of Culture and Values

Now, since I brought up the hospitality industry.

Let’s talk about the impact when brands focus on their employer branding strategy to move away from a brand identity crisis.

STORY #2 HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION AND ITS STRONG EMPHASIS ON CULTURE

Hyatt puts a strong emphasis on culture, diversity and inclusion. They earned a whopping 89% on Employee Satisfaction, making them receive “The Great Place To Work” Award.?

Even in how they present their company, they put focus on how they value their staff member by saying …?

“We believe our colleagues embody our purpose of caring for people, including each other, our guests, and our owners. This commitment to genuine service and care is what differentiates us and drives guest preference.?

We also believe engaged colleagues will enhance efficient operation of our properties, resulting in improved financial results.”

Hyatt’s employer branding initiatives make it clear that they’re a great hospitality company to work for. They attract top-quality job candidates by promoting their culture, training opportunities, and commitment to diversity and inclusion in their hiring efforts.

“[Hyatt] one that empowers every individual to be his or her best, and such authentic connection inspires the way we care for each other and for our guests.”?

———————?

Solving your brand and culture identity crisis will take time, and like what I like to say … takes a lot of intentionalities.?

It’s looking at the current processes, and a whole lot of vulnerability and alignment inside the team to fix the existing [outdated] model.?

But the overall goal here is to get tactical.?

Understand the role of each team member and the influence of the leader.

You got to enact your company’s core values in all aspects of your work (and life!)?

Don’t fret if you feel like you sense a brand identity crisis in your business, or in your current workplace.

Awareness that there's a gap is the beginning to fix things.

If recognized this actually becomes a great opportunity to make the shift and envision the future of your workplace that you want to build (and be a part of) as you continue to help the brand scale and grow.?

A strong brand focuses on aligning its values and vision to target the right people and build connections with its preferred market, clients and customer.

This is more sustainable. More long-term.

Above & Beyond,

Danina D.