Hello
everyone! For my topic of discussion I
chose the importance of professional branding.
Coming
from a business background this is something that I place very high value
in. Branding is essentially having all
of the different processes and activities completely unique but having a
spoken, or sometimes unspoken, message about what an organization stands
for.
A
leader knows that the branding has really taken hold when participants begin to
use the branding message in their own processes.
In
education an administrator may see this when they have been working to get buy
in towards the branding through a message of unity when a teacher begins to use
this term in their syllabus to parents, in their discussions in class, and
interacting with parents.
If
I had to choose one word to summarize my professional brand it would have to be
collaborative.
In
any organization collaboration is key.
If any one person goes in to an environment appearing to know
everything, the organization will be weakened and the structure of the
organization is then at risk.
Respect
and understanding with a focus on organizational goals are key to the success
of an organization and collaboration amongst the employees and leaders of an
organization ensure the wellness of the foundation of an organization.
It
is important to keep in the forefront of all stakeholders minds that every
student has a right to a quality education.
That can be achieved through dedication, hard work, and collaboration
amongst all stakeholders. There are many
instances where an educational professional can look to where odds were
overcome by involving many and collaborating to get the job done. Most often we
see this in schools that have had to overcome difficulties related to
socio-economic related concerns.
The
brand would be evident visually by
having posters that reflected the collaborative message, it would be on the
website, on flyers home, and referenced at every gathering directly and
indirectly.
In
order for a brand to be solidified and successful it must be completely
integrated into the culture.
In
order to accomplish this it would be important to have a motto or slogan that
helps to make the branding more deeply integrated into the culture.
The
motto that I would use would be “Collaborative Community in Action”.
This
would speak to not only the value that is placed on collaboration in the
school, but would provide opportunities to share the value of collaboration in
the classroom.
It
would be very important to ensure that the staff believes in the brand and the
message.
Being
genuine, being perceived as being genuine, and integrating the brand into the
very essence of the school and programs within the school provides a platform
for success!
Hello Kristen,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the insight you shared on professional branding. I've not thought very much about this issue prior to this course. I grasp it's importance. Just as we as individuals want our lives to speak for Christ in our service to others, in a collaborative effort we should want the corporations we are affiliated with to do the same. Even though most secular corporations would not use religious terminology in their choice of branding, they would not choose a branding slogan that speaks of poor service, 'about money' or 'fraudulent' both come to my mind as examples. In order to create effective professional goals based on it's branding, a corporation would more likely come up with one that clearly creates a good reputation of it's service. In healthcare a good branding slogan would be'leader in qualified service' or 'community of care'.
I totally agree that without coming up with a branding slogan, a corporation could loose focus and quite possibly fail. It takes good leadership to create objectives that build upon a good branding slogan. I think equally as important is that they always strive to make their employees feel they are valued. They would in turn feel motivated to do their part in providing the service that builds a good reputation of the corporation. Thank you again for posting valuable insight.