Emotionally-intelligent organisations help customers understand what they stand for as a brand and employees know why their work matters.
With purpose, beliefs and values now primary drivers of purchase decision-making and workplace choice, to become an industry-leading brand requires organisations to connect with their target audiences on a deep emotional level.
For people, emotional intelligence is about being aware of, and managing your own emotions, and having an ability to perceive and understand the emotions of others. Similarly, organisations need a high level of self-awareness about what they stand for as a brand and an ability to perceive and understand the emotions of their workforce and the marketplace.
From my research and experience, I’ve found there are six key dimensions of emotional intelligence that organisations need to embrace if they want to engage hearts and minds on a deep emotional level.
- BRAND AWARENESS – clarity of higher purpose, philosophical beliefs and core values
You can connect emotionally with people by highlighting company purpose to answer the ‘why’ question – why you do what you do and why it matters. According to PwC, Millennials are 5.3 times more likely to stay with an employer when they have a strong connection to their employer’s purpose and non-Millennials are 2.3 times more likely to stay.
- BRAND EXPRESSION – projection of a defined brand image, message and voice
Successful brands communicate with words and tonality aligned with their beliefs and values. Mercedes-Benz, for example, as a prestige brand, speaks the language of excellence and distinction with a confident tonality, consistent with a culture that values status and significance.
- BRAND REGULATION – consistency and alignment of brand across all touchpoints (people, products and platforms)
If you’re consistent with your brand presence – online, in print and in person – you’re going to cultivate a more cohesive reputation because people have a more unified understanding of your brand and what it stands for.
- SOCIAL APPRECIATION – observing, listening and understanding what’s happening externally and how the organisation fits into the current context
Understanding and responding appropriately to the changes in consumer buyer patterns and expectations and employee work patterns and expectations is vital for a brand to stay relevant, credible and trusted.
- RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT – nurturing and valuing people relationships through open communication, empathy and vulnerability
In a world where people are craving connection and belonging, caring can set a brand apart from another. There’s endless ways brands can show they care. For example, by cultivating a caring culture, showing staff and customers empathy, acknowledging contribution and celebrating achievements.
- VISIONARY LEADERSHIP – articulating a compelling vision for the future which inspires and provides a call to action to stakeholders to unite in moving humanity forward
What does the world look like because of delivering on your higher purpose? When people wake every day and feel motivated to go to a workplace where they know they are valued and feel connected to a shared vision, they are going to give a great customer experience. And a great customer experience, again and again, builds brand loyalty over time. This, in turn, builds a great reputation.
When you focus on the emotional intangibles – the things that connect humans to a brand, such as purpose, beliefs, values and feelings – you’ll not only make your brand more relatable, the logical tangibles of business, such as sales, productivity and retention, will better take care of themselves.
May the positive ripple effect of your work enhance your reputation.
©Ros Weadman 2023 Ros Weadman is a brand, communications and reputation specialist who helps CEOs, consultants, coaches and other change-makers to build an industry-leading brand with a great reputation. Find out more at www.rosweadman.com
