« Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress,
and working together is success. »Henry Ford
Does your team have a positive reputation within the company? And if so, does its image align with what you wish to convey?
Yes, marketing applies not only to leaders but also to their teams. And the challenge for our leaders right now is to enhance team branding, which will in turn strengthen team bonding, leading to a sense of belonging, trust, and positivity.
The Corporate Branding strategy that many companies have adopted can be translated into Team Branding by larger teams, particularly effective in the following situations:
- Restructuring or reorganization: Downsizing, internal mobility, or organizational changes can be challenging for certain employees. Team Branding then becomes a useful tool for management to support them through the new organization, with assurance and kindness while remaining realistic and positive.
- Creation of new teams with individuals from diverse backgrounds: How can relational effectiveness be established? How can space be given to emotions to evoke commitment and boost motivation?
- Acceleration or transformation: Used as a tool to enhance individual and/or collective agility, team resilience, and focus, aiding the team in envisioning its future more effectively.
Team Branding aims to unite a team around a set of values. These principles structure and guide daily activities, decision-making, internal and external communication. The guiding principle is consistency in project management according to well-defined standards.
How to build your Team Brand?
In order for the entire team to align with the image, it’s essential that all members are involved in the Team Brand creation process. To achieve this, carefully structure the collective process and emphasize individual participation and involvement.
Here are some questions to consider:
- Who/what are we in service of? What do our internal and/or external clients expect from us?
- What are our values? What are the values of our profession? You can start by looking at your major successes and identify what they have in common.
- What is the team’s external image outside the company or among other teams? And what image do you wish to convey? If possible, draw inspiration from a major player in your market.
One of my clients was pondering the functioning of the holding company versus the subsidiaries. We explored various models we were familiar with to identify the key elements of the organization and culture that they wanted to strengthen: whether it should be more decentralized, like in the luxury industry, or the opposite, like in certain family holdings?
Defining values is one of the key elements that your team will embrace; you just need to then translate them into expected behaviors. These can encompass different types of values:
- Behavioral (independence, honesty, respect, …),
- Interpersonal (trust, tolerance, humility, …),
- Social (equality, responsibility, altruism, …),
- Entrepreneurial (innovation, competition, creativity, …), and
- Cultural (inclusion, empowerment, equality, …).
« The true success of a team is to ensure competitiveness with sustainability. »
Alain Prost, race car driver
Once the values are well-defined, the next step will be to establish an action and implementation plan. If innovation and creativity are the values of your team, organize a think tank once a month to create stimulation. Increase efforts to foster the exchange of ideas, the development of new concepts, etc., and come to an agreement on priorities. Then communicate internally and to clients, partners, and suppliers about your values and how you integrate them into the functioning of the teams and the company. Those who share the same values as you will encourage you through their interest, loyalty, and support. This will lead you into a virtuous cycle.
As a leader, you must embody these values. Be highly vigilant about maintaining consistency, as deviations come at a high cost in terms of reputation and trust: remember that your teams observe and analyze 100% of your gestures and actions!
This approach allows you to see your team from a different perspective. Give yourself this moment of gathering and rejuvenation. Revealing your team’s professional identity will uncover different aspects of your team… and strengthen the sense of belonging!
#leadership #values #teambranding #marketing # coaching