And How You Can Become That Leader
A great brand is more than just a distinguishable design—it’s a strategy that makes your company stand out. Case in point: successful business brands are able to establish their credibility, connect with the target market, and foster brand loyalty. On top of that, a properly established brand can also create loyal employees because it makes them see that they’re contributing towards a good purpose.
Unfortunately, many businesses cannot establish an efficient brand because of one crucial factor: their business leader.
Why is leadership important in cultivating a business brand?
Branding allows businesses to establish themselves through a remarkable name, symbol, slogan, and design. However, these branding elements need to be supported by a strong leader and a company culture that your target audience can easily identify with your brand. Without these in place, your target audience may see a disconnect between your business brand elements and your overall reputation as a company.
To illustrate, the former CEO of Aetna, Ron Williams, stated that leaders need to understand that business is becoming more challenging, which is why leaders need to adapt accordingly. He strives to carry out a personal brand in which he pushes himself to master new things and strive to do better. As a result, his team followed suit, improving the business’ overall performance. Consequently, Aetna successfully established its brand as an agent for healthier living.
In another similar case, Mark Zuckerberg launched Meta with a brand identity that connected his existing companies to his wider business vision. Through this, Zuckerberg showcased his business roadmap to connect the world through innovations. By launching the Meta brand, he sent a clear brand message that his business had a bigger purpose.
How can you embody the branding spirit as a leader?
Develop your proficiency as a business leader
You can better shape the company and its brand by improving your leadership skills. This is because a business’s internal operations have an effect on the business image and, thus, branding. So, if your workforce is unhappy, this may taint how your target audience views your brand. But one way to become a better leader is to upskill.
The most obvious way is to take a professional coaching course on leadership development. These short courses give personal mentoring as well as providing a business network. The coaches can develop action-oriented plans to strengthen your leadership skills, allowing you to meet organizational goals on performance and branding. If you are already proficient in business but are looking for a higher education qualification, you can take an online master’s in business administration. These flexible degrees are 100% coursework and are just as valid as a traditional on-campus degree, but allow students to take them at their own pace. The courses are ideal for those who want to grow their company at the same time. Alongside general business concepts, these also teach you advanced theories on marketing, human resource management, and branding.
Establish practices based on brand pillars
Once you’ve developed your leadership skills, you need to establish practices that will align your company with your brand. Start by planning how your business name, symbol, slogan, and design can be used to strengthen your brand. Furthermore, implement business practices that align with it. This is an important step as it establishes your company culture, which then ensures that your workforce will adhere to the brand you want to cement. For example, if your brand pillars include diversity and inclusivity, then there must be equality among employees. You, yourself, must uphold such practices and lead by example. That way, your employees and business partners will more likely follow suit.
Create a vision for the future in line with your brand
As a leader, you’re the person choosing what direction the business will follow. As such, anticipate and plan for the future of your business. Though the execution of your branding occurs in the present, efficient leaders envision what their business will be like in the following years. In doing this, you can ensure that your brand and business projects will always be connected. So, foster your visionary leadership skills and work with your entire team so that your future projects can strengthen your brand and vice versa. For example, if one of your brand pillars is compassion, plan for corporate fundraising or other such charity events wherein your business gives back to the community. Doing so will cement your image as a compassionate business.
There are many elements that can affect your business branding, and this includes your leadership skills. Make sure that you can create and manage a strong brand by fostering your skills, carrying out relevant practices, and creating a vision for your business and brand. For more resources on branding and general business, you can check out the rest of our blog here on Brighter Naming.
Specially written for brighternaming.com by J Bailie