Monday, September 27, 2010

Courage and the Employer Brand

Courage is a vital EB ingredient

Any one who thinks that Employer Brand work is an endeavour that does not need courage is unlikely to produce an effective result. Something which is really distinctive, compelling and true will usually need it. Sadly, one only has to see the number of predictable working experiences, and the platitudinous ways they are described in second rate copywriting, to see the need for greater courage among HR and Marketing people. That in turn may reflect on the precision of the demands which their senior management place on them

Courage in business starts with one individual and I saw three examples of this in the past few weeks. People like that develop great EBs

‘The Bravest Man in Britain’ was how the Daily Mail described Jim McAuslan, General Secretary of BALPA, at the recent TUC conference. With the whole conference supporting a motion to resist all public service cuts (despite them not yet being identified), McAuslan’s hand was the only one to vote against it. The Chair initially thought he was joking but up he went to the platform and said that he could not support the motion since the TUC must first understand the views of the general public ‘beyond this hall’. Without doing so he believed that the TUC were presenting the coalition government ‘with an own goal’. He walked back to his seat in total silence.

Small wonder that ,with him as General Secretary, the British Airline Pilots Association commands the respect it does as partners with employers, supporters of 75% of UK pilots and pioneers on safety management, pilot fatigue, cabin air quality among many other relevant subjects. Furthermore, when BALPA thinks right is on its side it can be a formidable opponent. Leadership like that deserves a following and his BALPA colleagues and members will have been proud of him.

Catholics will have been proud of the Pope on his UK visit for the same reason. Given the negative publicity on clergy wrongdoing and cover ups, the atheist attacks and apparent apathy, it is hard, whatever your spiritual views, not to admire the clarity of his message and the strength of his beliefs

Final example. A large European company kindly invited me to a dinner to thank University Careers leaders for their support in helping to recruit some outstanding graduates this year. We were addressed by graduate recruits who were about to join and by three members of the executive. They took some toughish questions and overall it left us all with the evidence of a courageous and innovative business with a clear idea of its role in the community. Passion is an overused word in business but in this organisation you could feel it

I am reminded of the Chicago writer Philip Bliss’s famous lines

‘Dare to be a Daniel
Dare to stand alone
Dare to have a purpose firm
Dare to make it known’

So many people who could be Daniels somehow fail to deliver.
I mention the graduate recruiters evening not only because the company had such a clear point of view and meant every word but also because of the venue hosts. The dinner was held in the west nave of the vast Liverpool Anglican Cathedral where earlier the Canon had welcomed us in the Lady Chapel proudly stating that St Pauls would fit comfortably into this building.. We then walked to dinner to the sound of an immensely powerful organ.

Now for the Daniel moment. We got to the round tables and found our names. Some sat down, others stood or shuffled about and then dinner started. I just wondered why the Canon had not given a short interdenominational grace. OK perhaps he felt that night he was just the venue operator as he might be if we were dining at the Adelphi Hotel nearby. Yet here we were in a building dedicated to a faith which is the Canon’s life’s work. Did he feel it was non PC and therefore, even in the most modest way, believe he was not able to recognise what he believed this great building was all about? Surely a missed opportunity.

We all have to answer the question ‘what do you do?’ and those who are proud of their job and organisation let it show.in their answers. Particularly the leaders.

Many people find it difficult. I once interviewed an engineer who worked for the Metropolitan Police – he said when asked what he did that he was an engineer who worked in the civil service. A great EB should have helped him to stand up for his employer

Simon Barrow

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