CEO Branding | Internal Brand Management

Although our perceptions of companies may be varied, there is little doubt that dynamic CEOs become intrinsically linked to the companies they represent. This is not necessarily bad -- it is their job after all. But these high-profile individuals may forget that what they say and do may have as much impact on sales as any television advertising campaign. Research says that a CEO's reputation accounts for up to 50 percent of the overall company's reputation.

Like it or not, CEOs are part of a company's brand equity -- the leader reflects the company. Hans Snook carved out his name and brand with mobile phone company Orange. Richard Branson is the fun-loving, astute entrepreneur; Virgin is not scared to enter new markets to provide good service with a smile (except on trains in the UK perhaps).

But does a company's brand flow from the personality of its leader, or does a CEO have to be shaped and molded to fit the brand? Are they really themselves, or just under the strict orders of a team of advisors and brand managers?

"The personality is one aspect of the CEO brand, but the brand is bigger," says Leslie Mayer, the president and CEO of Mayer Leadership Group. "You leverage strengths of personality in order to reach critical business success factors. The brand is the connection between the person and the business."

"Leadership branding is coming to the fore right now," explains Karen Lam, president of Compass International. "With the recent corporate crises people are becoming cynical about CEOs -- there's a crisis of integrity. The CEO brand communicates what the company stands for to shareholders and customers and is a way to inspire employees to do the job they're meant to do. The purpose of the CEO brand is to get employees to live and create the corporate brand.

"I think the brand begins with the CEO's personality,” continues Lam. “It starts with who they are, their style. Beyond that it's values, things they hold dear, why they turn up for work and so on. Finally it's understanding what the market needs from them, and how they can have a resonance with their market. It's about how they relate to customers, shareholders and employees."

Mayer and Lam have coached numerous CEOs and helped them to define and brand themselves. Both base the success of a leader's brand on his ability to tell a compelling story; not regaling humorous jokes in the bar but living consistently according to a well-established plot. "Whenever a CEO gets to speak they always should put in an aspect of their story. It establishes the value system within the company and beyond," says Mayer. "If the CEO tells a story of personal struggle, the recovery from a serious illness perhaps, [the audience] learns that time is limited and prioritization is essential. The organization then becomes focused on prioritization too."

"It seems to me," Mayer continues, "that the CEO brand is not an external face. It is the face of the culture of the organization. People see the CEO as the representative of the corporate brand on the outside and their own brand on the inside."

Lam argues that the external and internal faces are inseparable. "I don't see division between them. The brand straddles both. There should be a significant overlap between the CEO and the corporate brand. The CEO puts a face on the company and what it stands for, inside and out."

Nevertheless, Lam employs a similar storytelling approach when helping her clients to define their brands. She uses archetypes -- the classic themes and stories found in art, literature, music and business. If CEOs can identify with one or two archetypes -- explorer, warrior, sage, "real guy," to name a few -- they immediately see how to behave more consistently, thus making a greater impression.

But does any CEO walk into the office thinking, "I am a warrior!" and then start acting like one? "The danger is when you become a stereotype," says Lam, recognizing the fine line between archetypes and stereotypes. "As a brand you want to stand for something clear and consistent. As a human being you want a balance between consistency and diversity. This is the paradox, so it is important that your brand is you, and you are it most of the time. The most successful CEOs are the ones that are consistent. If the brand has meaning then it feels authentic. It's very hard to go through the motions everyday."

Yet despite these dangers the interest in "auto-branding" is growing -- and leaders are leading the way. According to Mayer, one client actually called her and said, "Come in and brand me!" though this was no callous move to manipulate staff and clients. "He wanted to create a healthy culture and make sure he was fair to his direct reports," Mayer explains.

Still, for most CEOs all this discussion is probably far too wishy-washy. "I think professional people are doers," Mayer adds, "not reflecting on what's gotten them to where they are. If you ask them about their brand, they say ‘I don’t know, it's instinctive.’ Then I talk to them to find ways to communicate what they know intrinsically and people learn from that."

Lam agrees that the idea of a leader having a brand is still uncommon. "I see CEOs are closely managed in terms of image," she remarks. "The reason why they resist is that brands are created to sell something. It feels a bit weird. But more people are thinking this way because of the growing recognition that people can be brands, that leadership is becoming hard with more regulation, and thus how do you get heard, stand out and be remembered by people?"

Lam adds that the brand is a roadmap to how to behave -- it's your public persona and helps you understand the type of leader you want to be.

[14-Apr-2003]

Edwin Colyer is a science and technology writer based in Manchester, UK.


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