How neglecting your culture can damage your brand

​When it comes to branding and image, corporations, small businesses, schools, and even Entrepreneurs invest a great deal of time and money developing their brand and creating an image that they can be proud of. After all, your brand, speaks on your behalf. Your brand represents who you are, what you stand for, and it tells clients and the community at large what they can expect from you. Your brand is how you show up to the marketplace and potential clients.
The flip side of that is your workplace culture. Your culture is how you show up to your employees and in many cases, the clients that you deal with on a regular basis. Your culture can make or break your brand. How does your organization treat people? How do people ‘feel’ when they engage with your company? Does your culture support your brand?
Often organizations will invest thousands of dollars, time and effort creating a brand and forget that the CULTURE is the backbone of the brand. Creating a culture that is diverse and inclusive is the hinge pin to supporting a vibrant and successful brand. Being intentional about developing a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture is one of the best investments you can make as a leader. Recently the British Royal Family begun to experience what happens when the culture within does not match the image your brand represents.

Assessing the success of your organizational culture and identifying gaps can be a difficult task. Especially if you are attempting to measure your own commitment and your own success via your own metrics. What may appear to be success internally or when viewed from an executive or management level may fall short from the perspective of your team and/or your community. You may feel as if you are doing “all you can”, “more than most”, or even that you “got it right” and still come up short.
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There are a few reasons for this.

• The first is that you are only viewing it from one angle and only from one set of personal experiences. Meanwhile the employees have a different angle, stakeholders have yet another viewpoint, and the community has a multitude of other perspectives. After all, when you are part of the picture, it’s impossible to see the frame.
• Secondly, employees do not trust the process. They do not feel safe sharing their honest opinions. In a recent survey many employees felt that if they gave opposing feedback that their job security may be affected. They felt as though they may be labeled as having a negative attitude or being a troublemaker. There is also a common concern, that they don’t want to “get anyone in trouble” and speaking out may negatively impact a peer.

Creating a healthy workplace culture is not a one and done. It is ever evolving and changing as the landscape of the world changes. Gone are the days when “that’s how we have always done it” was a satisfactory response. What you did a year ago may have been on target at that point but may no longer be enough. After all, who within the British Monarchy would have thought they would be in the spotlight of the diversity dialogue? Perhaps no one on the inside, but many on the outside could clearly see the potential for a culture clash. As the racial makeup of the family and the dynamic of the world shifted, the need for change was inevitable.

After hundreds of years of self-management, the Monarchy is now coming to understand that the way it has always been done, is not going to work in today’s diverse world. The effects of living with the status quo is becoming quite costly.

Creating and maintaining a culture of inclusivity and diversity requires a multi-pronged strategic approach comprised of objective assessments, policy reviews, and ongoing awareness training. That is the value of utilizing external experts. They help you see the whole picture, frame, and all. 
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If you have not considered having a diversity expert on call or conducted an organizational assessment contact us at Morelandtraining.com and schedule a complimentary consultation today!

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