To truly understand branding is to first examine the foundations of the concepts of the reputation. Your brand is built upon your reputation. Your reputation results from many contributing factors. The most basic factor is your professional character. A strong professional character yields higher quality professionalism and expertise in product(s) and service. A higher level of quality contributes to a solid, durable reputation, which is the basis of a good brand. And this is not an easy road, albeit the most virtuous one.
Character Fosters Quality
Your professional character is the manner in which you choose to approach your responsibilities, your product or service, and your customers. Your level of professionalism is reflected in the quality of your work and interactions- and therefore, can be assessed by your customer.
Character is the sum of one’s moral and ethical qualities as they are directly affected by the values applied by that person. Character equals one’s approach to life as the combination of each aspect. Among other elements, character is influenced by, and developed through, one’s upbringing, maturity and life experiences, and their response to such stimuli.
Dr. Steven R. Covey1 examined the contrast between the character principle and the personality principle as related to success, in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People2 asserting, and I agree, although personality is important, character is vital.
Professional character is built atop a foundation of emotional maturity and interdependence. Humans are born “dependent.” We emerge from being fed and carried, to walking to the kitchen and taking our favorite snack from the fridge. This begins “independence.” Independence is then enjoyed for the rest of our lives, but to a lesser and lesser extent as we mature into adulthood. True emotional maturity means mastering “interdependence.”2 It’s a critical building block of a healthy functioning society. Your mastery of interdependence affects your relationship with the public.
In reality, most jobs, professions, life callings, label them what you will, they are reserved for the interdependent: Those who have matured into the final phase – the one in which we all work together; the phase in which we all contribute our respective strength(s) toward the common good.
Effective professionalism stems from sound professional character and commitment to the highest level of expertise attainable.
Quality Strengthens Reputation
Your acceptance of your responsibility to the public is a good indication of your level of emotional maturity. Your role is integral and should not be taken lightly. Thus, your dedication to the needs of the customer is paramount.
Which brings us to your level of expertise. Let’s resolve that we are all born with specific abilities. Each one of us excels in our own areas. Some of us are physical, some cerebral, some good at producing tangible results, and some at intangible results. Regardless of the type of ability, each ability must be nurtured and practiced to remain viable. Skills are the product of choice, discipline and experience. Expertise is attained by fostering an interest in a specific skill(set), educating one’s self in the area, and practicing.
Our daily routine must allow us to practice, and grow, in knowledge of, and competence in, our product(s) and service(s). The willingness to practice comes slightly more easily for the leader of the organization, whose passion for their job drives them to excel. But do we, as leaders, exercise, and grow, in knowledge of, and competence in, our product(s) and service(s) while ensuring our team is doing the same? Do we ensure each individual member of the team knows how to properly serve the customer and support our brand?
Yet expertise is useless in the big picture if we, as members of a society, cannot remain competent and effectively interact with others in a professional manner. The true professional forges a path to success with honesty, integrity, and practice. Then he or she continuous this growth in leadership.
Although quality product(s) and/or service(s) can sometimes promote themselves, you promote your effort or enterprise through your interaction with your customers and associates. A high level of professionalism means a more satisfactory experience for those with whom you interact. Thus, it is necessary to achieve both the highest levels of expertise and professionalism possible to effectively meet the needs of the customers and associates. Your reputation results from the customers’ opinions about your product/service quality, level of professionalism and level of expertise. It can be influenced verbally and socially, but the greatest power rests in the opinions of those with whom you have personally interacted.
Reputation Affords the Opportunity of a Brand
A durable, positive professional reputation requires a professionally delivered, functional product or service. The purpose of colors, logos, taglines, elevators, and messaging is to convey concepts to the public in an effort to affect perception. Your reputation is the opinion. It is the opinion of your customers, and those associated with, or interested in, your effort or enterprise. Your brand is not your reputation. Your reputation, however, directly effects your brand.
Putting ourselves in the place of the customer for a moment, let’s resolve the “cave at emptor” approach to consumerism is our responsibility. It has been considered integral since bartering began, and will be considered so until the end of the society. Yet, each time we seek the assistance of an “expert” who provides a service or product we cannot provide for ourselves, we find ourselves saddled with the burden of researching the product or service to ensure we are receiving the proper product, service, or level thereof, to meet our needs. Then, of course, begins the research to ensure we are being billed fairly. Further, we assess the manner in which we are treated by these “providers.”
Mechanics, doctors, accountants, artists, we all rely on one another. We are dependent upon one anothers’ skillsets and must interact effectively for our community to function properly. Thus, we must be interdependent to appreciate the concepts of professional character so we can achieve quality results to serve our customers to the best of our ability.
A true professional is committed to their customers, is an expert, nurtures their level of expertise and when in a leadership role, cultivates quality and excellence in their team. Professional character requires emotional maturity and a mastery of interdependence. The elements of a strong professional character reinforce the commitment to excellence in expertise and professionalism.
A durable, positive reputation requires the foundation of strong professional character. Without a strong professional character, the effort is merely a series of exercises resulting in an illusion.
To quote Abraham Lincoln, “Reputation is the shadow; character is the tree.”
Strong professional character is the result of putting forth honest effort, for the right reasons, to achieve honest goals. Hire those with passion for the job. Have professional development and position-specific training sessions built into your standard operating procedures to ensure your team members become and remain experts. Take the time to regularly communicate within your organization and your customers. Dedicate yourself to serving the team and the customer. Your brand will thank you for it.
References
- “Dr. Stephen R. Covey.” Stephen R. Covey. Franklin Covey, Web. 27 Aug. 2016.
- Covey, Dr. Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. United States. Free Press, 1989. Print (Hardcover, Paperback).
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