COMMUNICATION
The inside job of building your brand by creating meaning for your team
By Katya Nyangi
“ What we should all be preoccupied with is a search for meaning , not a search for branding .” Sunny Bindra
Take a moment to think of a time when you walked through the office while your colleagues were working . Now take a moment to consider what may have been running through their minds at that time .
One colleague may be thinking of a family member who is unwell , another may have had a night of insomnia and is zoned out , another may be thinking of a promotion that ’ s never coming , another may be excited about a new project they are working on while another may even be hoping to get fired . The following day , these thoughts may have entirely changed .
Since the birth of the cognitive revolution , thinking and behaviour - both intangible - have become increasingly central in how we plan our organizations as well as our communication , marketing and public relations . That is , more people / market driven versus product driven .
And yet , people are so dynamic that modelling and measuring components that rely on behaviour remains one of the greater challenges in data to date . I recall a study that wanted to measure how generous people were . It turned out our mood on the given day was a major determiner to whether we would give the beggar on the street a handout or not , more so than our general ability to be kind ( or unkind ). That is , people are volatile .
“ Modelling people presents a challenge because while models require lowdimensional representations , people defy simple characterizations . People are diverse , we are socially influenced , we are error-prone , we are purposive , and we learn . In addition people possess agency - we have the capacity to act . ... how difficult physics would be if electrons could think ,” wrote Scott Page in one of my favourite data books , The Model Thinker .
“ With the speed at which day to day life is evolving alongside technological advances , people seek meaning collectively in larger global groups beyond the neighborhood . How do you get your teams to be part of the meaning of your brand , using both verbal and non-verbal communication , amidst the noise out there ?”
Related to this , Sunny Bindra asked this thought provoking question in his book The Bigger Deal , “ Religions get it , sports teams get it , do you ?”
Whichever way we look at it and whomever we quote , it is clear that people seek meaning . With the speed at which day to day life is evolving alongside technological advances , people also seek this meaning collectively in larger global groups beyond the neighbourhood . How do you get your teams to be part of the meaning of your brand , using both verbal and non-verbal communication , amid what I call ‘ the noise ’ out there ?
Work on yourself
Working on yourself is an indirect communication tool . Being a manager or leader is no easy task . We all admire the perceived reward we associate with this responsibility but just like Odette ’ s graceful performance in Tchaikovsky ’ s Swan Lake ballet , the backstage rooms can get quite chaotic ! Everyone in your team is not only looking up to you but also looking at you and hopefully , not looking down on you . How you react and respond , what you value , your work ethics and , if you have an open environment , they are also gauging your worldviews and deciding what to draw from that . Working on yourself therefore means :
Being intentional : Keenly considering , researching , studying on how to improve connecting and communicating with your team more effectively - it does not magically happen , like Odette ’ s solo dance , it takes time and practice to get right . This also means revealing parts of yourself that demonstrate your humanness i . e . you can have a bad day and that ’ s okay .
Self-care : No one feels motivated or inspired from watching their manager burn out . If anything , that is the starting point of your team planning their way out of what could be their miserable future . Taking time to recalibrate enables you to be fully present for the team .
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MAL 44 / 21 ISSUE