TOP TIPS: Five ways to build a brand for a new CEO
The first 100 days are critical for building the brand for your new CEO, says Kate Hogben, internal communications manager at British American Tobacco (formerly of British American Tobacco Australia).
When establishing a new CEO, communication's focus should be on maximizing exposure and developing the new brand. The following are some ideas that worked well for Kate Hogben when she was working for British American Tobacco Australia’s CEO, David Fell:
- Interview
the CEO personally as soon as you can, to understand his
or her personal style and values (brand attributes) so you
can start shaping and personalizing his communications profile
(e.g., is he an ideas
man, a “heart and soul” kind of guy, passionate about performance,
demanding but fair, etc.). You are building a brand – don’t
be afraid to sell a little. But the CEO must, of course, be
genuine to be credible.
Interview the CEO personally as soon as you can, to understand his or her personal style and values.
- Create impact: get the CEO in front
of the whole company at the first opportunity. “We put our CEO
on the cover of the company magazine and gave him the opportunity
to address all employees
at a company event and out in the field on a roadshow tour
in his first month. ”
- Hasten the CEO’s immersion into the business by organizing
monthly “buzz
groups”: informal breakfast or lunch forums with the company’s
key opinion leaders or connectors (i.e., the networkers).
These are not necessary senior management – they should include
employees and union and staff council reps. “The idea is to
help the CEO connect with employees both to surface the real
issues and to use them as a sounding
board for new ideas,” says Hogben. Employees in turn will create
buzz about the CEO’s vision, message and personal style. To
personalize the invitations to buzz groups, Hogben used a
voicemail message
from the CEO followed by
e-mail to set expectations.
- Hogben
believes it’s important early on for the new CEO to be seen
shaping, influencing and uniting his own top team – the board.
Orchestrate opportunities for the top team to be seen to be working together such as shared activities, panel style briefings or an interactive Q&A site on the intranet.
It’s important early on for the new CEO to be seen shaping, influencing and uniting his own top team – the board.
- Finally, blogs are a great way for the
new CEO to share his personal opinions and give employees
a sense of his personality.
However, this medium works best when your CEO is willing
to write and maintain the
blog personally.
Other recommendations:
How to establish and build a relationship with your CEO
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