Tag Archives: sustainable business

My thoughts on the KPMG reputational crisis

KPMG’s name and reputation remains in crisis and in the headlines. We just can’t stop talking about it. So let’s start learning from it. Having been involved in practising, lecturing and consulting in Corporate Communication, I can’t resist throwing out some of my own thoughts on the matter.

Loss of ethics loss of Reputation

In terms of corporate citizenship, ethical branding, responsible leadership, accountability and reputation, here are my offerings:

For many years now, the King Report has been the go-to document for guidelines on corporate governance, corporate citizenship and responsibility to one’s stakeholders, community, politico-economic and natural environment. Large corporate are obliged to take note and commit to upholding the principles and values contained in the King Report which is constantly being revised to ensure it remains valid, relevant and current.
Transformational leadership. It’s simple: know what it means. Know the code of conduct. Know how to motivate and inspire. Know the law but act ethically. Know your people and their feelings. Know the truth. Spread the truth.
Reputation management: Every company –small and large – must plan and manage its identity, its values and its behavior in order to manage outcomes and others’ perceptions of it. Only through critical strategic discussions with all stakeholders, including the media, can a company develop a strong positive reputation.
Crisis management – Plan, prepare, strategise for negative disruptive events that impact your operations and your reputation. Without a crisis plan you’re doomed. Public sharing is vital for a reputable organization to gain support. Don’t apologise unless you mean it and are prepared to pay the price.
Corporate culture: Vision, Ethos, Values, Beliefs and Behaviour. Accountability means to take responsibility for one’s decisions and actions and be adaptable to changes in the environment and courageous to stand one’s ground in the midst of potential threats, temptations and challenges. Be purpose- not greed-driven.

Finally, companies should strategise for sustainability. Their strategies must translate into best practice – setting standards and acting as examples for conducting ethical business, based on principles and values of trust, integrity, professionalism, not greed, status and power.

Corporate governance and CSR – is it for REAL?

Change Management vs Change Leadership?

Let’s have Conversations about your Business

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Conversations create trust and goodwill

Let’s have the Conversations about your Business Strategy

Although I call myself a ‘communication’ coach and consultant, I firmly believe that it is the conversations I have with executives that start the whole process of understanding your business, its needs and goals and end in your strategic plan and actions.

I have packaged the crucial conversations I have with you as The 10 Conversations. They are called conversations because they are more informal. We share information as equals, feeling more at ease through this 2-way engagement. We ask questions, we listen intently, we reflect, we clarify, we brainstorm, we understand, we plan and we do together, collaboratively.

Based on my experience and knowledge of experiential and peer learning, among other things, I use the LEAD process [Learn, Envision, Act, Deliver] in my conversations. Hence we move from the Learn Phase through to the Delivery Phase.

We start the process with Conversation 1 entitled, “Begin the Journey to the source”. We explore your company’s – and your own – purpose, its goals and preferred outcomes. We ask the ‘why’ questions of what you do. Learning about you and your company, allows us to start the move away from uncertainty to seeing possibilities and choices.

As we move through The 10 Conversations, we explore how you want your company to be seen (envision), what your stakeholders’ perceptions are, find alignment between the two, and plan your messages, your behaviour and actions (act) towards implementation and delivery phase, and then to evaluating and monitoring your communication.

This outward/inward looking approach aims for higher performance, better stakeholder relations, a good image and a solid reputation. It also ensures that you are aware of the importance of strategising for a more authentic, sustainable and profitable company for the long-term.

I want to “conversate” with you.

: Conversations lead to business results

Take a look at what Cellene Hoogenkamp, an executive coach, has to say about the value of conversations and ‘conversating’!

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140705175344-29331113-if-i-can-communicate-why-can-t-i-conversate

Good Branding is everybody’s business

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“No man is an island, entire unto itself, but rather a piece of the whole”

And no business can “make it on its own” or say “to hell with the rest”……..

Strategise your branding

Every business is an integral part of a community, society, country and the world. And nowadays a concerned public is watching business more closely and able to scratch the surface of your utterances and actions to reveal the true you. What it finds impacts your business reputation.

A business has to start its branding process by exploring its core values. Yes, values. Today there are powerful societal and political forces at play and these are influencing how the public and audiences perceive a business. If your business shows a blatant disregard for certain labour or environmental principles, they won’t like you, even if your product is top-notch.

Strategic brand communication planning is a must for all businesses. Those who don’t engage in strategizing their brand communication will suffer negative consequences that directly impact their operations, stakeholder engagement and reputation management:

Strategic branding gives you a sound foundation based on your beliefs and values.
A strategy provides the criteria for defining who you are and what you want to achieve; it finds opportunities to focus on your strengths and reformat weaknesses. It differentiates you from the rest, positions you exactly where you want to be and gives you a competitive edge.
Identifying who your people or stakeholders are and what their needs and expectations are, gives you the advantage of direct, relevant and meaningful engagement with them.
A strategy ensures that you plan your communication and your actions to reflect and reinforce your values. The integrity of your business ensures ongoing delivery on its promises and achievement of its goals.
Strategic planning is a mindful, purposeful process aimed at long-term commitment to stakeholder engagement and relationship building, and addresses issues of sustainability, good governance, ethical branding and reputation, using these as guiding principles in the business.
A strategy works from the inside out where your internal goals are aimed at making the ‘outside’ world a better place for all, and ensuring that the people out there want to continue doing business with you – this applies to both commercial and social brands.
Strategy is for a good business, it’s good for business and it makes great business sense.