Organisations think carefully about their stakeholders.

They think about their customers.

They think about the investors.

They think about the Board of Directors and the Exectuive team.

They think about regulators, government, suppliers, vendors, creditors, media, pressure groups, trade unions and local communities.

And then, usually at, or near, the bottom, they think about the employees.

The employees experience the organisation every single day.

They see the leadership.

They experience the culture.

They understand the gap between what an organisation says and what it actually does.

And they talk about it.

Amongst themselves. To friends. To people maybe working at rival firms. To the interviewer at the job they’re applying for. To their future employer.

Reputation starts on the inside.

An organisation’s reputation isnt created solely by its comms team.

It is shaped by the experience people have of the organisation and what those people subsequently say and do.

“If you don’t work hard on creating the culture you want, the culture you don’t want will create itself.”

That makes employees an important reputational asset.

But only if the organisation gives them something worth believing in.

Leadership. Values. Alignment.

This is where my work with individuals and organisation comes together.

Leaders influence culture.

Culture influences the employee experience.

Employee experience influences engagement, retention, advocacy and reputation.

If there is a disconnect between what an organisation says and what employees experience, people notice.

Turning employees into advocates.

The answer isn’t simply better internal comms.

It is creating an organisation in which employees can see a genuine connection between:

what the organisation says,

what the leaders do,

what it values,

and what people actually experience.

That is alignment.

And when it works, employees can become one of an organisations most credible and valuable stakeholders.

If you don’t work hard building the culture you want, the culture you don’t want will build itself.

“Your people dont just represent your organisation. They experience it, and they tell its story. Give them a great story!”