The two sides of Leadership Branding
The work of leadership profiling entails both – the portrayal of the edifice and its continuous upgrading
Every time I have seen
vacancies for the Communications function solely harping on ‘Branding and PR’,
I have cringed inside. The ask is so little.
One of the earliest and best examples
of Leadership Branding that we know of exists in popular folklore of Akbar and
Birbal. The former is a king and a venerated leader, and the latter his sharp
and witty counsel. As a court advisor to the king, Birbal not only adds sheen
to Akbar’s popularity, but foundational strength to his leader’s rule. The
instances are galore. He helps his leader understand the ground realities of
his gemba.
He comes to the rescue of those who may be suffering injustice at the hands of
the leader. He educates and sensitizes his leader on the changing spirit of
times, keeping Akbar updated with news and views. He even manages to prick the
ego bubble that the leader sometimes lapses into. He does all this with aplomb,
without giving or taking offence, and only increasing his leader’s goodwill
along the way.
Cut to the 21st
century. Suddenly, the need to evolve is passe. Leadership profiling, we are
told, needs to ‘stick’ to the leader’s original personality in order to be
authentic. We are to see leaders as evolved individuals whose portrayal must
largely focus on their strengths, and glorify and magnify only those. The space
for individual vulnerability and open course correction no longer exists.
Naturally, companies want communicators who can simply paint the town red with
their leaders’ coverage.
Given the demands of social
media and shrinking attention spans, this need is understandable. Of course we
need to paint the town red. But with what? Of course leadership branding needs
to adhere to the leader’s personality traits, but should they be ossified? The
elements that constitute thought leadership and personality branding are more
vital than their publicity itself. The latter may sustain for a year, the
former will sustain centuries. This is where an able communicator must step in
and mould the leader in question.
What are the values the leader
espouses? What are her areas of avid interest? What are her complete no-go
areas? Who are her chief stakeholders? What is her current perception among
these people? What are her life goals? Which cause can she stand up for? Is she
putting her money where her mouth is?
It is the courage to seek
these answers, and go on seeking them, which creates a personality worthy of
branding. It’s a pre-requisite of leadership branding. Without this due
diligence, a leader can still buy her share of voice. But buying is not the
same as earning. Such voices get lost in the deluge of content that surrounds
us every day, everywhere. Such voices may peak when money is pumped to boost
them, but drowns equally quickly when the support is withdrawn. Such voices fail
the litmus test of trial by public in times of crises, as they are not backed
by matching business and personal choices. Such voices, at their best potential,
can work up a tempest in a teapot.
While the onus of building up
this voice does lie on the communicator, it does not absolve the leader herself
of her share of duty. The duty to work towards being the person as she wants to
be seen. The duty to take feedback without rancor and bitterness. The duty to
persist in doing the right things, failure after failure, without losing
enthusiasm. The duty to match her action with her words.
Communicators, therefore, are
advisors and shapers of business and its leaders. They are, or must be,
professionals who are keenly aware of their times. Aware of their current and
potential stakeholders; empathetic enough to understand their audience
sentiments, and prescient enough to decide a course for the future. What we need
are architects of the palace of Brand Image; and not just spray painters for
the palace façade.
(This post was also published at https://reputationtoday.in/the-two-sides-of-leadership-branding/)
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