What exactly is a brand?

Let’s begin with the absolutely not so obvious to many. A brand is not a logo, a jingle, an ad or a slogan. It is also not the product, a symbol or a name. This is a common misconception to young entrepreneurs and first time small business owners who are “building a brand”.

So, then what is a brand?

The short and simply version is this: A brand is a promise made and kept.

Let’s break that down.

You can tell your customers’ all day long who you are, what you are and what you do, but the reality is, your brand is based on their perception, i.e, your reputation. Your reputation is based on “promise made, promise kept.” Do you deliver on what you say you will? If you don’t you have an anemic brand.

All the other elements such as logo etc, fall under the category of “brand identity.” These are the visible elements of a brand, such as color, design, and logo, that identify and distinguish the brand in consumers' minds. They help customers identify you. These elements are not the brand itself.

There are two brand catagories.

1. PERSONAL BRAND: this first one is rarely thought of. YOU in your every day life are a brand. You are perceived a certain way and you have a reputation that determines if people like or trust you. And we interact (or do business) with people we know, like, trust and relate to.

   The easiest and most impactful personal brand you can build is one that is authentic; a true and sincere reflection of your core values and your character. Not fake values that you contrived to look and sound good on paper, but honest, sincere values that you embody and live by in all aspects of your being and your business: your behaviors, your words, your actions, your habits and your patterns. Be aware that over time, your true brand or character will eventually be exposed. This is what you will be judged and perceived on… it’s your promise.

   These same principals apply to the business world. The essence of your character/values (personal brand) will bleed into any form of business you undertake.

   Read the blog: BUILDING A STRONG PERSONAL BRAND

   Read the blog: 3 TIPS TO BUILDING A STRONG BUSINESS BRAND

2. BUSINESS BRAND… read the business brand blog.

The Empathic Leader Advantage

Empathy gives leaders a one-up. It is the highest level of emotional intelligence, with EQ being one of the most valuable soft skills needed in modern business.

Modern leaders should have a high emotional intelligence quotient (EQ). In laymen’s terms, they should have great awareness and a healthy dose of empathy. The modern leader needs to take time to know and understand their team members and the pulse of the culture, beyond what vision and mission statement claim. The ability to adapt leadership behaviors and strategies based on each individual promotes employee engagement. EQ empowers any leader to leverage their knowledge of said employees before making any type of decisions. Why?

Let’s look at the following scenarios:

SCENARIO 1: You recently noticed one of your colleagues has been falling asleep in the break room. They are not completing tasks as a result. It’s costing you concern and frustration and the company a lot of money. They’ve also been late clocking in during the past ten days. Other colleagues have been covering their co-worker’s responsibilities, but they are complaining. As their boss, what do you do?

A.       Ignore them because it’s a tough conversation to have?

B.        Fire them because it’s negatively impacting productivity and putting you in a bad position?

C.       Have that tough conversation with them to let them know they need to shape up or else… ?

SCENARIO 2: The exact same situation happens as in Scenario 1, however, you find out that she/he/they have been taking care of an ill and elderly parent for the past few months. Will the way you handle this situation be different now that you know more about their private situation?

Be very honest with your answer.

I would, however, imagine that any reasonable level of empathy on your part might inspire you to be more lenient and forgiving of the loss in productivity and focus from that person. Going one step further, I believe a great leader would ask if and how they can help. The options are endless, ranging from adapting their schedule, to working remotely, to offering time off, even paid leave.

I recently heard of a situation where a friend’s boss, who is the business owner, gave an employee a month of paid leave to handle the illness of a loved one. It touched me, making me think that I’d love to have had a leader like that. I’m pretty sure, that employee will be infinitely grateful and probably very loyal because of their boss’ empathetic approach to leadership.

It’s more about the human element than merely numbers.

Vital Germaine

PRESIDENT, ENGAGE Teams 360

5 Pillars That Inspire Customer Loyalty

Inspiring Customer Loyalty is a lot cheaper and impactful than short-term thinking and gimmicks that may drive immediate sales, but means your competing with everybody to have the better deal. Customer loyalty means, they will stay even if it's cheaper across the street. Think of your favorite brand (hairdresser etc). What keeps you going back?

Trader Joe’s does it right. It has the kindest, friendliest team, company culture ever. It’s evident they have:

1. Taken the time to recruit the right talent and effectively onboard.

2. Heavily invested in the training of their employees.

3. Clearly defined their culture, vision and mission beyond carefully chosen words that sound great on paper. Core values are a way of life not a theory.

4. Care about the customer and employee experience.

5. Not compromised their core values to accommodate quick profits, but rather establish customer loyalty through providing a consistent caring and kind customer experience... with a personal (human) touch.

At ENGAGE Teams 360 we help organizations build and design happier, more caring teams through our “engaging” impactful fun trainings and workshops.

Vital Germaine, President ENGAGE Teams 360 and Keynote Speaker

The 7 C's of Championship-Winning Teams

1. Communication: there are no effective relationships/teams without effective communication.

2. Caring: making people feel safe, valued and honored.

be curious to know or learn about others, inspiring CONNECTION

3. Commitment: being dedicated to a cause, goal or objective without

losing focus

4. Commonality: focusing on our similarities not our differences -

5. Creativity: the ability to adapt and problem-solving by being curious.

6. Collaboration: the act of working with someone to produce or

create something.

7. Character: the mental or moral qualities distinctive to an

individual and their contribution to a community.

Vital Germaine, President of ENGAGE Teams 360

The New #1 Leadership Quality

Regardless of age or generation, leadership has changed and will constantly change. The biggest recent change being leaders shifting from power to empowerment. The expectations of younger generations has compelled organizations to re-evaluate hiring, benefits and workspace environments.

As both employee and consumer expectations change, leaders must adapt too. If they don’t, they won’t have access to the top-tier of talent. Without great talent, building successful teams, companies or organizations becomes incredibly hard.

Workspace wellness in terms of healthy or toxic cultures, combined with employee engagement and health management aren’t yet top of list, let alone top of mind. However… with mental health becoming more relevant in everyday society and modern workspaces, be it hybrid scenarios or remote work, or shorter work weeks etc, leaders will have to tap much deeper into their emotional quotient. With empathy being the consummate measure of EQ.

“Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives. ”

— Oprah Winfrey

In my book, Pink Is the Color of Empathy, I dedicate chapter 32 entirely to empathy in business. The book is rich in action steps to become a better human being, which is directly correlated to becoming a better leaders. The areas of focus in the book range from what empathy does and doesn’t sound like, to conflict resolution (customer satisfaction), changing and saving lives. The ultimate flex of the book is inspiring and empowering individuals to become high-value human beings.

Becoming a high-value person in a disconnected world.

Vital Germaine, President of ENGAGE Teams 360

The simplest and most impactful way to engage your team is...

Sometimes we look too far, dig too deep to achieve goals. Employers and leaders want to get as much value from their teams as possible. This often comes in the form of incentives such as more pay or empowering new job title and description. The best way is to engage them. How do we engage employees? Make them feel valued.

Life is Beautiful Keynote

The best way to make them feel valued is to give them a voice by creating an environment or culture within which they feel safe to express and contribute who they are. That includes their creativity. Invite them to share and become a part of the process from ideation to delivery. People nurture their ideas with utmost care, pride and enthusiasm.

It’s all about feeling safe: seen, HEARD and understood.

Avoid shutting people down who express ideas. They will quickly become silent and disengaged. Disengaged employees (commonly referred to as “quiet quitters”) cost the US Economy $500 billion a year. Another metric is 18% of an employees annual salary per company, per employee. Simply because they didn’t feel heard (valued).

Vital Germaine, President of ENGAGE Teams 360

Dive deeper in my book, INNOVATION MINDSET

A Common Overlooked Organizational Growth Opportunity with Employees

What drives, inspires and motivates team members to reach higher and hit the target?

No, I mean really, what is their deepest, most defining/preserving emotional and psychological need?

It is something organizations often ignore or forget to invest in.

I’ve spent the best part of the last ten years delivering employee trainings for such companies as United Airlines and BMW. The focus has been on elevating KPIs (Key Performance Indexes) or OKR’s (Objective Key Results), culture, competencies, customer service, efficiency and productivity (which are great), and reinforcing company core values. The ultimate short-term goals are”always” elevating profits and brand strength.

Let’s take a quick look into standard anatomy of the OKR framework. See image below.

ANATOMY OF THE OKR FRAMEWORK

OBJECTIVES: goals that inspire and set direction (where do I need to go?)

KEY RESULTS: steps that measure progress toward a goal (how do I know I’m getting there?)

INITIATIVES: tasks required to drive progress of key results (what will I do to get there?)

These types of organizational frameworks/trainings bring incredible value. HOWEVER…

Applying this same framework to individual and personalized growth is the long-term differentiator. See image below, in particular the STAR - add personal objectives .

Investing in an employees’ personal development/objectives makes them better human beings. Good human beings are good employees. By identifying, recognizing and investing in individuality (personal aspirations/needs/expectations), and helping team members understand the essence of who they are as individuals is a long-term win-win investment.

The best leaders not only train for growth, they inspire growth!

One of the best ways to inspire any human is to SEE them. Actually “seeing” somebody is potentially the highest form of respect we can give. This elevates and empowers people to reach higher.

Give them the tools to not only learn and understand company core values, but also identify and understand their own core values. Help them see who they are themselves and how as individuals they can best fit and contribute to the company vision and mission. Help the become the best version of themselves not just the best employee. Who are THEY? What do they really WANT? What do they NEED?

Employees are rarely driven by money alone. It’s deeper than that. Money is only a conduit to attain what is truly desired and needed.

Help team members have the confidence to discover themselves and know themselves. It's scary to look thyself in the eyes until you see your own soul for all its glories and fears. Down there, deeply hidden in the foundations of their character lies the answer to who they really are and who/what they really want to be. Help them get there and they will reach higher.

It might take them and the organization a minute to truly SEE themselves! It might take years for them to discover the true self, but the journey is worth it. The investment in personal development in the workplace pays high dividends.

The reflection they will see, the self awareness they will develop, will connect them to a strong sense of purpose. Think Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why.” If that purpose aligns with your core values, vision and mission, then you have a star employee whose productivity and efficiency will soar. That mindset is contagious. It INSPIRES.

The better we know ourselves, the better we can optimize our lives. The better we can optimize our own lives, the more value we can bring to the lives of others.

In Chapter 20 of my book, THINK LIKE AN ARTIST, I share a very impactful self-discovery activity to truly give the individual a starting point to dig deeper into who they are and what drives them.

Who are you really?

My other creativity book titled, INNOVATION MINDSET is the business/leadership equivalent of THINK LIKE AN ARTIST. Request more information about my signature creativity workshop/keynote. At ENGAGE Teams 360, we love to inspire and empower through our highly interactive, fun, informative and transformational content.

Vital Germaine,

President ENGAGE Teams 360

The Art of Purpose-Driven Communication

The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.

– George Bernard Shaw.

The three top reasons why relationships break down are:

1. Poor Communication (see George Bernard Shaw quote above)

2. Undefined/unmet expectations (due to poor communication)

3. ?

The mysterious third element to broken relationships is the Art of Listening.

Beyond words, tone of voice and body language (Albert Merhabian), the biggest reason why communication breaks down is the inability to listen effectively. There are in fact 5 types of listening:

1. Ignoring

2. Pretend (if you have kids you’ll know exactly what this is)

3. ???

4. ???

5. ???

#5 is the ultimate in listening ability.

In my online communication course, I talk about listening in great depth. I break down communication to 6 principals that are designed to help people REACH HIGHER in personal and professional relationships.

LEARN MORE ABOUT REACHING HIGHER THROUGH COMMUNICATION

Vital Germaine,

President of ENGAGE Teams 360

Should a leader be feared or loved?

Niccolò Machiavelli once said, "It is better to be feared than to be loved." He claimed that fear was a better motivator than love. Therefore, fear is a more effective tool than love, concerning leadership.

I think this question has no definitive answer other than, the authenticity of that leader. Some leaders install a level of fear. Those are easier to follow IF, they are just. However, when fear is layered with inconsistency, favoritism, intimidation or bullying, then that fear will breed contempt and resentment. Overtime that leader will minimize their results.

Perhaps the only time when fear is appropriate or necessary, is fearing the fair consequences of one’s appropriate behavior in accordance to culture and expectations, or not delivering on responsibilities or expectations etc.

The leader that is loved, may be more easily “betrayed” as love is fleeting (according to Machiavelli). IF that loved leader can make tough, even heartless decisions, at the right time and for the right reasons, then team dynamics is optimized. The will not only be feared but respected. There are many styles to consider to help you optimize your style. Another element of a great leader is the ability to adapt dependent of circumstance: when, who and why.

Ultimately, leadership needs to leverage emotional intelligence and act in a way that instills trust, confidence and that inspires. Be authentic. Focus on empowerment rather than power. Be a RESPECTED leader.

One of the main driving forces behind effective leadership is communication. Learn more about communication.

Vital Germaine

President, ENGAGE Teams 360

Who Really Drives the Results of DEI Initiatives?

The are two  basic drivers of true and impactful Diversity Equity and Inclusion strategies.

They say that the journey to social parity, in particular, in the work place, begins at the top with leadership (or when you’re summoned to HR). It actually doesn’t start there. It begins with the self… YOU.

Leadership either stifles the concept of DEI, or it fuels the internal cultural judgment and undermining of colleagues.

Here are the two behavioral pillars to inspire a shift in thinking and doing. They create positive ripple effects that elevate others (and yourself because you will then become a high-value person).

1. Empathy:

   Leaning into your conscience to connect with your innate knowing of what is right and wrong. When people care and are curious to know and understand the journey of another, there is only one outcome… respect. And if you respect somebody, it becomes very hard to undermine or belittle them. Having respect, levels the playing field because it means you see and honor the other person’s existence. They call this Sawubona in Zulu. If you want to learn about Sawubona, I talk about it my newest book, PINK IS THE COLOR OF EMPATHY.

2. Awareness:

   Knowing that “love” can’t be legislated makes you the sole entity responsible for your choices and actions. In other words, your conscience shouldn’t need laws, rules, regulations or policy to drive your behavior. We are all responsible for our choices and actions. It’s the accountability and lack of emotional intelligence that is the hurdle.

HR or the executive team can only provide guidance as to appropriate social behavior in your organization or company. Those guidelines fortunately have consequences when negated. They promote accountability but are not the “pill” unto themselves.

Are you truly honoring and implementing the ultimate intentions of DEI initiatives? Only you know that answer. Adjust accordingly as there is always room for growth and improvement.

The element of effective COMMUNICATION is what brings it together. LEARN MORE

Vital Germaine

President of ENGAGE Teams 360