“An organisation is the lengthened shadow of a man”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I would like us to do a brief assessment, and hopefully, this will help us do things right for ourselves and our brands as the year proceeds.

At the beginning of many organisations, the Founder would be the Marketer, Gatekeeper, and Secretary, among other roles. As time goes on, others will be engaged to carry on with the various roles. Interestingly, if there are challenges along the line, the Founder returns as the person who holds all the offices till the company rebounds or goes moribund. However, first impressions and subsequent impressions matter a lot.

The organisation remains the lengthened shadow of the Founder because the owner’s reputation and the company’s often become fused. In the recent past, I have heard stories of people with questionable characters, renowned for shady deals. This, in turn, affects how people perceive such an organisation.

For this year, you need to ensure that you jealously guard your reputation because a company with a good reputation can charge premium prices, have greater access to new markets and products, have greater access to capital, profit from greater word-of-mouth endorsement, and possess an unduplicated identity.

Reputation is gained by what one does, not by what one says.

Let me close today’s discussion with what Warren Buffett said, “We can afford to lose a lot of money, we cannot afford to lose even a shred of reputation.”

Once your reputation is top-notch, you are set for a profitable season.

Use strategic communications to enhance your reputation this year and always.