All Can Glitter With A Little Gold

Close your eyes.

It’s the night before your first trip overseas. You’ve excited about all the exciting things to see and you can’t seem to resist the urge to keep checking the internet for more information about the country.

What never occurs to you is that most of the information you will come across are deliberate media tactics by the government of those nations to launder their image.

On arrival, you begin to notice slight variations between what you discovered and the reality. Flashback to your research and you recall airbrushed pictures and words like ‘bluest skies’, ‘friendly population’, ‘clean air’ et al. Hmmm, reality bites.

A lot of countries ‘sell’ themselves by painting beautiful images with their choice of words and the use of a lot of photo-shopped images. In actual fact, those descriptors used in the selling technique, becomes the reality for millions of others all around the world who will never have the opportunity to experience the ‘reality’ of those countries.

In some instances though, the ‘sale’ is lost because there are often other sources of conflicting information to what the government or tourist board is marketing. Perceptions are formed via the convergence of various influences but it is intriguing to note that the brand image of a country is sometimes contradictory. That is to say; what you (the external observer) think about these countries, the communication they (the government/tourist Board) put out about themselves and what they (the citizens) as a country think about themselves is often at variance. The pertinent question we should ask ourselves is how these perceptions are formed if different from the intentional branding attempt made by the country.

One author states that ‘a ‘brand’ is a useful summation of the intangible competitive assets of an organization or a country: its vision, its genius, its distinctive character, its people, its promise to the marketplace’. An alignment of these factors under a clear and powerful strategy, productively and harmoniously executed, often brings about sustainable competitive advantage for the organization or country.

Nation or country branding is about using marketing tools and platforms to promote the image of the country. It is not about propaganda but a proactive and creatively conscious selling of the strong points of a country. Some nation branding experts are however of the opinion that nation brands are not necessarily built by conscious marketing techniques but over a period of time by perceptions developed through the media, culture, experiences and word of mouth. Reputation is built over years of consistent effort and activities.

Take for example the ‘American dream’ popularly sold by the United States this idea is rooted in their Declaration of independence “all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights including Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In simple terms, it is the land of the free; anyone can be successful in the USA and by characterization, her citizens are very patriotic. From childhood they are taught to have allegiance to the flag and they grow up believing they own the world and live in the best country in the world (my opinion). You can almost be certain that on the 3 legs of communication earlier mentioned (government, citizen and tourist); a unified perception will be formed.

Marketing communications is the vehicle upon which brands are sold; and these brands are marketed because they are designed to meet a need in the marketplace. Successful brands are known to meet certain needs in the market; this also applies to a country’s brand. If a country is not relevant or satisfying a need then no one would want to ‘buy’ into it. The pertinent question Nigeria as a nation should be asking is “How can I become indispensable. It’s not what you say but what you’re known for that speaks volumes. Reputation is built over years of consistent effort and activities.

Tourism is steadily becoming a common form of nation branding. You find a lot of ads these days extolling one country or the other as the best location to relax or vacation, with sunshine, cleanest ocean water and floor and an opportunity to swim with the dolphins. These are all lovely selling points but truth be told, with the advent of the internet and rise in usage of social media sites, access to individual opinion polls are easy to come by. These can either buttress or forever tarnish whatever media campaign the government might be putting out.

"Simply announcing one's existence will not attract tourism or investment; people need to be given motivating reasons for choosing to do business with a country… Small states in particular find themselves competing with one another for attention from audiences that are not always well-informed about them."

– Estonia Style produced by the Brand Estonia project, which successfully changed the country’s brand image.

Most countries try to brand or re-brand their countries as tourist destinations. Yes, this also works as a branding technique but if a nation scores low points on issues like good governance and security, this approach is likely to fail. Tourists, like the one described in my opening, tend to do a lot of information digging on the internet or from word of mouth experiences. I once didn’t honor a spa visit because a friend told me about her experience there. Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool.

Attempting also to market the country via the PR route is also a bad idea and a total waste of money and advertising space should that country already be suffering at the hands of the international and local media, from bad publicity. Any government sponsored PR message will be seen for the sham that it is - a total falsehood.

Take the Boko Haram issue presently tormenting Nigeria, perceptions of insecurity just got included to the list of negative attributes associated with the country – corruption, governance issues, bunkering, 419 et al. Selling tourism or the use of PR will be seen as incredulous at this instance owing to some extent to the rise in usage of the social media sites. Reactions and comments gotten from these sites also tell tales about the true situation within the country as was the case with the Occupy Nigeria protests that took place early in the year. Credibility is key to Nation Branding.

In my opinion, everyone has a role to play in building the nation’s brand; the government taking more responsibility. The littlest of actions or comments from its citizens can sow seeds of suspicion and distrust amongst fellow nations. No country is all bad; each secretly manages its sore spots. It is however the place of government to play up the strengths of the country to its fellow nations while trying to tackle its numerous internal issues that border on economic, political, environmental and security related matters. Achieving a harmonized form of communication is a step in correcting already established perceptions. As the saying goes, Perception is Reality.

I’ll re-echo the words of His Excellency, the Governor of Rivers State, “Change Reality and Image Will Follow.”

Ciao

Bon Jovi - Thank You For Loving Me. Now this was a song.

Why People Change Jobs

‘People are our greatest asset’. This is perhaps the most popular cliché many companies use today when extolling their employee centric culture. However, very few companies show any real commitment when it comes to empowering their employees, leveraging their abilities or creating a conducive work environment / culture. The question is why?

In a survey done on organizations that embrace employee retention strategies, it was discovered that 10% – 20% of their time is spent on developing strategies but none actually set out guidelines or timetables of execution.

Employers often make the mistake of assuming that offering higher pay is guaranteed to keep their workforce willfully engaged and loyal. While pay might form part of the reasons for employee exits, research figures show the following as most occurring reasons why employees leave for competition.

My boss/supervisor/team leader is incompetent, difficult or unresponsive: Of all the workplace stressors, a bad boss is possibly the worst, directly impacting the emotional health and productivity of employees. A survey of over a million employees and 80,000 managers traced the highest employee exits to immediate managers. Employees will work out sometimes without alternative job offers to get away from a difficult boss.

It doesn't feel good around here: Some employees experience difficulty aligning with the company’s corporate culture. This translates sometimes into their opinions of physical conditions around the workplace - comfort, convenience, safety, and the clarity of mission.

They wouldn't miss me if I were gone: Recognition of ideas and individual contributions go a long way in boosting moral and keeping your workforce engaged. If they feel you regard them as expendable, they'll leave for a position where they're appreciated. If you value their contribution, say it often.

I don't get the support I need to get my job done: Frustration often sets in when employees are hindered in their job delivery by too many rules, sketchy communication, incompetent supervisors or co-workers.

There's no opportunity for advancement: Not just upward promotions are considered as advancement options. Opportunities to learn, to sharpen skills and pick-up new one for is a key consideration. In cases like this lateral movement holds more appeal than upward movement.

I don’t get along with the people I work with: This often plays a major role in employee defection. The work environment might be favorable but shaky relationships between co-workers can make coming to work a herculean act.

I am stressed from overwork and Work/Life imbalance: Employees often consistently work late, work through lunch, work through sickness and take work home. A toxic work environment which makes employees choose between a career and a life is the breeding ground for disgruntled workers and eventual mass exit of good hands.

Compensation: Workers want fair compensation for work done but it’s often observed that when most of the above listed criteria are left unaddressed higher wages are not strong enough to keep employees.

Companies Who Got It Right

The Marriot, a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels, Southwest airlines, the coffee franchise Starbucks and Google have at the heart of their operation the employee centric approach.

Marriot and Southwest hire based on attitude and not skill because in the service industry, your employees are your brand ambassadors who should embody the spirit of the company rather than its functions.

Starbucks offers healthcare and retirement benefits to its part-time workers. Their employee turnover rate has summarily reduced yearly, which is a rare feat in that industry.

The internet giant, Google, on the other hand believes that employee’s satisfaction goes beyond providing health care and vacation time. They offer free meals, shuttle buses, in-house doctors, 24-hour gym, massage service, and dry cleaning to its more than 12,000 employees. In 2008, Fortune Magazine listed them as the best company to work.

Take Learning

Reasons listed above are by no means conclusive as to why people leave companies, individuals have various qualities they look out for when seeking employment. Employers can however reduce employee turnover by

- Creating a conducive, non-hostile and stable working environment
- Establishing clear expectations from employees
- Hiring personnel who share their values
- Appropriately aligning matching job roles and projects to employee strengths and interests
- Focus on making your managers, supervisors and/or team leaders better

There are no guarantees when dealing with people but by adopting and implementing an employee centric model employee engagement will be on the high. However, there will still be employees who feel they can better themselves just by chasing more income.

Jack Welch of GE once said “Any company trying to compete must figure out a way to engage the mind of every employee.” Much of a company’s value lies “between the ears of its employees” and it is to the greater good for companies to do all they can to keep impacted knowledge within the family.

I’ll rephrase the old service mantra that says ‘The Customer is King’ but in today’s modern world, ‘The Employee is King’.

ATTENTION 101

We had a retreat a long while back tagged 'Ignite The Passion'. It featured presentations from the bestselling book The Starbucks Experience. A lot was said throughout the 3 day retreat but of all the things I learnt two words will stick with me and always ring true within me – EVERYTHING MATTERS.


As individuals we often take for granted the little things in life and cover our inconsistencies with “it doesn’t matter” or “no one will notice”. The truth is everything DOES matter and it’s our inconsistencies in the little things that cumulate to being a BIG THING.

Everything matters, be it in our interactions - both verbal and non-verbal-, execution of our respective duties or in whatever we find ourselves doing. If time can be taken each day to reevaluate what we did for that day, – see the little mistakes that could have or might already have killed our reputations, - we would be more attentive to details.

Attention to detail is crucial / key. It does not happen by default but by design. What do I mean? Only this, being attentive is not a gift and it does not just happen but it comes by painstaking effort. It is a continuous journey in becoming better people oriented and expert service delivery professionals. A little attention never hurt anyone. So why do we find it hard to spare an extra glance or a little pause before we take action? I know I sometimes fall victim to the spirit of 'everything instant' and the pull of speed but we need to allow ourselves that extra second or minute to do a double check and caution ourselves cos Everything Does Matter.

I will end with this quote and hope that I have succeeded in communicating the message behind … EVERYTHING MATTERS.

“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort.
John Ruskin”