November 29, 2006
an employee’s confusion
Anna Farmery of The Engaging Brand blog sent me in this manifesto:
If… a brand starts inside, an employee’s confusion
1. If you believe in the strategy, why can’t you explain it?
2. If talent is important, why is promotion based on your social circle?
3. If we are entrepreneurial, why do we make decisions by consensus?
4. If values are important enough to put on a card, why are they not applicable to leaders?
5. If the future is important, why do we spend time in meetings looking at the past?
6. If you embrace talent why, do you only speak to me about my weaknesses?
7. If we aim for a USP why, are encouraged to produce sameness?
8. If we believe in diversity, why are you all 40+, white and male?
9. If we need to cut development and R&D to hit budget, how can you afford a two-day team bonding session in a 5-star hotel?
10. If it is us that interact with customers, why don’t you see we should feel the brand values first?
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Anna, this is scarily to the point. If I was still an employee of a big company, I think I’d tack this up on the walls of the office, right over the top of the motivational ’successories’ posters.
Thanks so much for this.
What we learn at work, goes with us into the marketplace. Employee by day, consumer by night…
Kathy – scarily this was drawn from experience, needless to say I have now left….and yes at every conference the first phrase was “People are our greatest asset” I just wish that someone would buy them a mirror for Christmas!