This blog post was inspired by David Armano post, “How to be an Effective Corporate Ambassador.”
Think back to 1984, some Millennials were just born. Heck I wasn’t even in high school yet. What did the workplace look like pre-social media (as we know call it today)?
The digital workplace today is convoluted because corporations/organizations haven’t caught up with the lifestyles of the new digital worker. Most companies don’t have a social media policy (in the United States its 29%) in place or have created a culture that embraces or addresses the changing behaviors of the new digital worker. The new digital worker is hyper-connected with blurring lines between their personal and professional lives; but if harnessed properly the new digital worker has untapped potential that could be invaluable to the corporation that they represent.
The term personal branding also didn’t exist in the form that it does today back then. Depending on what side of the fence you are on personal branding gets mixed reviews. Is it EGO, does it exist, do you need it or is it authentic? At the end of the day we all know that we have to stand out to be recognized and to establish and position ourselves for opportunities we desire whether personal or professional. For the sake of argument we will call personal brands in the corporate workplace ‘brand ambassadors.’
As brand ambassadors we share the following qualities
- We all have voices
- We all have networks
- We all have influence/reach
- We talk about things we are passionate about
- We are hyper-connected
Who do you Represent?
All Americans have freedom of speech which is protected by the constitution of the United States that protects your rights to say what you want. But say something crazy online and see how long that freedom is protected. What you say can and will be held against you, remember an ambassador represents all the entities they are attached to them personally and professionally.
When you are online after hours or during work hours who do you represent? This question was easily answered a decade ago for most people. If you ask them what they did on their own time they would say it is their business. Today this isn’t true because who you are after hours can affect the brand you represent.
- Corporate Accounts: If your job requires you to have co-branded corporate profile(s) you have specific requirements and obligations with these accounts.
- Portable Personal Brand: Every person should have portable personal brand that moves with them if they change careers and employers. This includes your rental property (social networks like Twitter) and digital real estate that you own (your dot com/online hub.)
Who is Responsible?
Is the employer or the employee responsible for the digital workplace? This is a very broad question with many different answers, but the short answer is that the responsibility is shared. It is the corporation’s responsibility to create a culture that properly manages employees in an environment that is influenced by social technology. On the other hand the employees have the responsibility to monitor and manage their corporate and personal ecosystems that balances every move, decision, and status update that they make.
As brand ambassadors we have a shared responsibility to ourselves and the corporate/organization that we represent to perform on their behalf which is mutually beneficial. As early adopters brand ambassadors will play an integral part in helping to establish the digital workplace that will impact future workers and company culture.
