Recently, I was asked why/if employees using their own personal brand is important in an organization/corporate setting. I think this is a necessity in most organizations, especially ones like Anthem. As something so diverse and vast as Anthem is, we hire and retain several individuals who each have their own personalities, backgrounds, and quirks – which make them a suitable fit for their specific roles in and out of Anthem. At an executive level, I WANT people that have individuality but to similarly share the same values and goals of all things Anthem. That is often achieved when we have the right people who truly understand the culture here and want to be a continuous part of our organizational success and progress.
By utilizing these personal brands, we foster a flourishing culture of people who strive to grow both personally and within their positions. They want to be the best versions of themselves in all areas. They know their role within the company(ies), they feel valued as an individual and they can see how they relate and differ from their colleagues on even a larger scale. Writing, organization, problem solving, and public speaking are some of the key elements that improve when people devote their time to their career. This becomes a bonus as it is developing their personal skills as well.
Similarly, from a sales standpoint, the benefit to employees utilizing their personal brands often facilitates a more effective sell than if it were coming from a faceless organization.
By empowering our employees, they in turn believe more in themselves and share these experiences on social media, by word of mouth and even written formally. It helps develop a more powerful business model, it helps client and customer relations and most importantly, it adds tremendous value. Personal brands are personal identities and should always be authentic. The combination of these results is the creation of the greatest outward facing image: one that is based on realness and whom one truly is.
By Chris Sinclair
Founder, The Anthem Group