Leadership and branding are hot topics. Leadership development programs are well liked. There are several conferences and seminars on the topic of branding. Leadership development and brand development consume a lot of resources of businesses.
Leadership means different things to different people. It means capability to inspire. Leadership is charisma, courage, and also sacrifice. Leadership requires vision. Leadership is talked about in rarefied atmosphere of CEO conferences, business schools, HR meets, and strategy meets. There appears to be an unstated and unanimous agreement that leadership is too important, too-sweeping-in-its-scope, too-good-to-be-described, and as a consequence too-complex-to-be-systematically-deployed concept. Everybody is convinced that such indescribable leadership has to be good for almost any organization.
Branding too captures imagination of folks. For some CEO's it really is a reverential bowing item to be ticked off the agenda. For CFO s it's a black hole of cash. Sales people think it is a watering hole for unsuccessful ex-salesmen. For M & A specialists it's a valuation game. It's a playground of creativity for advertising agencies. It's PR first for PR agencies. For many, branding means eye catching, entertaining, beautiful visual and audio communications or smart copy. Everyone knows branding and everyone has definite opinions about it.
The answer could possibly be found in people, since leadership and brands exist in minds of individuals. Brands provide neat and crisp symbols denoting product performance levels, shared experiences, dreams, aspiration and expectations of actual and potential users.
Who shall deny that leadership too deals with shared dreams, aspirations, and expectations of all stake holders -customers, employees, vendors as well as others? Like brands, leaders are seen as icons. Similarly, leadership without its own constituency is unthinkable. Leaders build constituencies through shared knowledge of goals and ways to achieve them.
How do communities come into existence? A unique feature, a benefit, some newness, or drama sets people talking. When people talk, once they integrate products within their lives, once they constantly share their experiences, problems, or solutions communities are formed. Communities also can be built around new categories of products. People love to talk. They need to share things. It is for a business (official website) to produce or articulate such uniqueness, to express it evocatively, and also to nudge and support its customers into sharing it. Can this be produced by marketing department alone? Can this happen by bombarding customers with advertisements, direct mail, or price promotions? Can this happen without a strong leadership? The answer is no. Brands may appear to come into existence through some accidents. But is takes sustained and consistent efforts to bring about branding.
Just as brands raise the bar of customer expectations, leaders broaden horizons of their people. They inspire people to outdo themselves. Leadership means moving way from authority to respect, and from respect to inspiration.
Leaders must have vision, mission, and agenda for their constituencies. They're being constantly observed, emulated, or criticized. They have to make statement all the time. Successful leaders know this intuitively and develop distinctive styles of their own.
Some CEO's become great leaders with virtually no formal training. But that does not reduce significance of training and learning. Almost everyone can improve leadership skills through systematic efforts. Learning Leadership requires sustained efforts. Leadership coaching can certainly help in accelerating leadership development.
Leadership means different things to different people. It means capability to inspire. Leadership is charisma, courage, and also sacrifice. Leadership requires vision. Leadership is talked about in rarefied atmosphere of CEO conferences, business schools, HR meets, and strategy meets. There appears to be an unstated and unanimous agreement that leadership is too important, too-sweeping-in-its-scope, too-good-to-be-described, and as a consequence too-complex-to-be-systematically-deployed concept. Everybody is convinced that such indescribable leadership has to be good for almost any organization.
Branding too captures imagination of folks. For some CEO's it really is a reverential bowing item to be ticked off the agenda. For CFO s it's a black hole of cash. Sales people think it is a watering hole for unsuccessful ex-salesmen. For M & A specialists it's a valuation game. It's a playground of creativity for advertising agencies. It's PR first for PR agencies. For many, branding means eye catching, entertaining, beautiful visual and audio communications or smart copy. Everyone knows branding and everyone has definite opinions about it.
The answer could possibly be found in people, since leadership and brands exist in minds of individuals. Brands provide neat and crisp symbols denoting product performance levels, shared experiences, dreams, aspiration and expectations of actual and potential users.
Who shall deny that leadership too deals with shared dreams, aspirations, and expectations of all stake holders -customers, employees, vendors as well as others? Like brands, leaders are seen as icons. Similarly, leadership without its own constituency is unthinkable. Leaders build constituencies through shared knowledge of goals and ways to achieve them.
How do communities come into existence? A unique feature, a benefit, some newness, or drama sets people talking. When people talk, once they integrate products within their lives, once they constantly share their experiences, problems, or solutions communities are formed. Communities also can be built around new categories of products. People love to talk. They need to share things. It is for a business (official website) to produce or articulate such uniqueness, to express it evocatively, and also to nudge and support its customers into sharing it. Can this be produced by marketing department alone? Can this happen by bombarding customers with advertisements, direct mail, or price promotions? Can this happen without a strong leadership? The answer is no. Brands may appear to come into existence through some accidents. But is takes sustained and consistent efforts to bring about branding.
Just as brands raise the bar of customer expectations, leaders broaden horizons of their people. They inspire people to outdo themselves. Leadership means moving way from authority to respect, and from respect to inspiration.
Leaders must have vision, mission, and agenda for their constituencies. They're being constantly observed, emulated, or criticized. They have to make statement all the time. Successful leaders know this intuitively and develop distinctive styles of their own.
Some CEO's become great leaders with virtually no formal training. But that does not reduce significance of training and learning. Almost everyone can improve leadership skills through systematic efforts. Learning Leadership requires sustained efforts. Leadership coaching can certainly help in accelerating leadership development.