Ride For The Brand

This guest post is authored by Ben Eubanks. Ben is an HR professional from Huntsville, AL. He lives much of his life online. Don't believe it? Catch him on LinkedIn, Twitter, RocketHR, or via email. His blog, UpstartHR, is about many things, including HR, leadership, and zombies.

In a recent employee appreciation ceremony, one of the senior leaders in my company got up to make a short speech that really resonated with me. He spoke about a traditional cowboy phrase that showed pride and dedication, and I think it has some interesting applications for each of us. The phrase?

"I ride for the brand."

He went on to elaborate on the literal and figurative meanings of that statement. While the cowboys were literally riding every day, the were also representing the organization every time they put on their uniform. I've heard a lot of talk about employer branding, but this message showed me how it applies in a whole new way.

Our employees may not ride horses and wear an uncomfortable amount of leather, but they "ride" for a brand, too. The brand they ride for signifies integrity, respect, and unwavering dedication to the mentally and physically disabled individuals we serve.

Another important point to focus on is that the employees are proud of what they represent. Their own pride in the service they provide gives it a special "flavor." Think about yourself. What brand do you ride for? Do you realize the significance of what you really embody when you go to work each day? Do you represent it with pride? If you can't honestly say that you're proud to "ride" for your brand, then why are you associating yourself in something you aren't comfortable with?

Leadership Is Only As Good As The Leader

Leadership, like life, is a series of continuous course corrections. Looking to the future via a crystal ball based on your situation today is wholly and entirely inaccurate assuming you even had a crystal ball that worked. Bummer. Major bumps ahead.

Leadership has it's bumps. Bumps in workload can be addressed with process improvements, staffing, or revision of services. Bumps in employee morale can be addressed by a refocus on the mission, a conversation or a commitment to action. Bumps in technical expertise or knowledge can be addressed by training, succession planning or redistribution of work.

What if the leader hits a personal bump that is less than a total loss of inspiration yet greater than a funk. What if this bump goes beyond the day to day workings of her team to contribution, committment, or community for the greater good?

Then it's time for the leader to step back and ask herself some questions about people, time and costs. Questions like, what types of interactions with others are energizing to her, where is she willing to spend her personal time and where is she willing to incur personal costs? And to what end? (No, the Magic 8-Ball is not any more reliable or helpful than the ill-fated crystal ball here!)

Leadership is about inspiring people, it's about achieving goals, it's about being present in the moment to correct the course as needed . . . . most of the time. Some of the time, it's not about any of that and all about the leader.

Leadership is only as good as the leader so leaders, you've got to be at your best. You owe it to yourselves to reflect, to wonder, to be selfish, and to chase your dreams. To do anything less is to doing nothing at all.

Hat tip to Mark Stelzner for being spot-on in the "asking the right questions" department!