branded for life

HR gave me a written notice about my attire for being too casual. There’s nothing in their policy that talks about what clothes to wear at work. Why should I listen to them?

Oh, Dior! Someone call the Fashion Police. You could be the person to win the Most Fashionable Employee of the Year award, if there was ever one, however, your sense of what’s fashionable is not the point. It’s not about HR or your manager’s personal taste either. The real issue here is the absence of a brand guide that explains the personality, values, spirit and tone of the business. While many global brands are more comfortable not providing a uniform for reasons such as cost cutting and not killing the employee’s individual sense of style and identity, they have this subject covered through clear guidelines. The idea is not to restrict the employees by telling them what to wear, but to inform them about what not to wear. ...read more

Employees get trained all the time, but their performance hardly changes. Is there a point of spending all that money or should we just look at corporate training as a reward and some time off?

Changing behavior is one of the greatest challenges for mankind. We’re designed to follow patterns. There are moments or experiences that can be life transforming for some. Yet, others may go through similar situations without being affected at all. The military (watch the Royal Marines Commandos classic ‘99.99% need not apply’ advert) trains people for years on how to endure pain, face their fears and be willing to die for their country and fellow soldiers at the drop of a hat. Can you imagine the military achieving such results with a five-day training workshop? ...read more

What’s the best way to measure the brand’s perception?

There are books, articles and lectures that talk about metrics for gauging brand perceptions. The tricky thing about brands is that the word brand itself is nothing but an impression in someone’s mind. It’s a mix of rational and irrational feelings, thoughts and experiences. Regular quantitative research with multiple options and tables is incapable of truly understanding that impression. Customer Satisfaction surveys can’t reflect the brand’s core perception. 40% of satisfied customers leave the businesses they purchase their products or services from regardless. Qualitative methods like focus groups can’t provide accurate information because there’s a certain gap between what people sometimes think, say, and do. It requires the mastered skill of research design and moderation to reach reliable results. ...read more

I’ve been trying to see the CEO for a few weeks and all my efforts have been in vain. She’s too busy with many issues and although I have this feeling that she wants to give me time, she still didn’t. The topic I want to discuss can save the company money and avoid a major lawsuit from continuing. What can I do to get my CEO’s attention? ...read more

Since I graduated seventeen years ago, my career has always been in Banking. I thought I’d always be in it, but I was on a flight to the U.S. recently and I started talking to an American chain restaurants founder who’s passion reminded me of how much I loved cooking, being in restaurants, and the culinary world in general. Now, all I can think of is opening a restaurant. I’m not interested in banking anymore. Is it crazy to switch? ...read more

Some of my colleagues sent me Facebook invitations wanting to be friends. They’re decent people, but they’re not close friends and family. If I reject or ignore their requests, it might affect my relationship with them at work. If I accept them, I’m giving them access to my personal life and contacts, which is not something I’m comfortable with. How do I solve it without getting evil looks at work? ...read more

In one of your previous Two Cents answers you wrote, “Without defining your business, it’s difficult to tell which approach is more suitable for the business.” I find it difficult to come up with a vision for our business and I can’t see how important it is to have one when we’re actually making good profit every year. Is your statement mainly theoretical or am I missing something? ...read more