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Denise Lee Yohn - Brand-as-Business Bites Blog - Marketing
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When Bad Things Happen to Good Core Values - Denise Lee Yohn
“Is having a sacred playbook an asset that companies should preserve at all costs, or does it become a liability holding companies back as the world around them changes? Is there a point at which a company’s size, growth, and industry-spanning tentacles make a unified culture of decision-making and inventing impossible?” These questions, posed in Fortune by Jason Del Rey in response to the “unraveling” of core values at Amazon, prompted me to weigh in with my thoughts on the role and flexibility of core values in organizational culture. In my latest LinkedIn article, I discuss: why Amazon’s Leadership Principles
Why Do Most DEI Efforts Fail? - Denise Lee Yohn
The failure of most DEI efforts result from the approach most commonly employed by companies. Reliance on programs and targets—such as employee resource groups (ERGs) and hiring quotas—without addressing the fundamental values and culture of the organization, only leads to additional bureaucracy rather than a genuine sense of belonging. While dedicated programs and metrics are essential for any cultural shift, they fall short when not undergirded by the ultimate goal of building trust. Cultivating true trust is a straightforward yet profound approach that can drive meaningful and lasting change in organizational culture. Here is more on this topic. Please take
Do You Want Employee Loyalty – Or Is Employee Retention Enough? - Denise Lee Yohn
With the U.S. average annual employee turnover rate at 47%, employee loyalty seems to be a relic of a bygone era. Even if you’ve managed to escape the escalating employee turnover trend, you might want to take a closer look at your employees’ attitudes. Just because someone stays at your company doesn’t mean that they want to. Given that behavioral loyalty among customers doesn’t always equate with active preference, the same can be concluded about employees. But is that OK? Is trying to cultivate such a strong level of commitment so difficult to inspire that employers should abandon the seemingly impossible
Brand-Culture Fusion Is the Key to Keeping Brand Promises - Denise Lee Yohn
Brand power comes from keeping – not only making – promises. And to keep your brand promises, your brand and culture must be aligned and integrated. In other words, brand-building requires brand-culture fusion. But a recent HBR article by Roger L. Martin, former dean of the Rotman School of Management, and a couple of LinkedIn executives, falls short of examining why many companies fail to keep their promises. The piece claims to show “the right way to build your brand,” but it only covers the promise-making part of brand-building. And it leaves off where the hard work begins. Learn more
A Personal SWOT Analysis - Denise Lee Yohn
“Know thyself.” For centuries, this has been the motto of great leaders. Now, here’s a tool that helps you do just that. It’s a new twist on a SWOT analysis that will help you uncover new insights about yourself. Instead of looking at Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats to your company, look at your Self, your World, Others around you, and how you use your Time and Treasure. In this new Smartbrief on Leadership video, I introduce this new tool. You just might be surprised at what you discover about yourself! related: Leaders Need To Take a Sabbath Brand Book
Culture Matters For Businesses Of One - Denise Lee Yohn
Celebrating my 20th anniversary of being an independent practitioner!As I reflect on my journey, I'm convinced that 'culture' is as important for solopreneurs, coaches, and freelancers as it is for companies of thousands.Check out my thoughts on brand-culture fusion and why it matters for people who are self-employed. Let me know what you think.related: FUSION is here Kicking Off a Brand Journey How to Set Your Brand Purpose, Values, and Attributes
Get a Mentor; Be a Mentor - Denise Lee Yohn
Mentoring is a valuable path toward growth and development. A mentor can share insights from their expertise and experiences to help you grow and develop – and being a mentor can help you achieve clarity and focus as you reflect on your own development. A few pointers to get the most out of mentoring: Start with reflecting on your goals – be clear and specific about what you want to achieve. Set clear expectations so each party knows how to engage. Make it two-way – older mentors can benefit from reverse mentoring. Learn more in my new Smartbrief on Leadership
How To Use Your Core Values - Denise Lee Yohn
Your core values can’t simply be words on your website or on a poster in your office; they must be used. Learn how Amazon uses its core values in my new post on LinkedIn: Do You Use Your Core Values Or Just Talk About Them?related: Do Your Core Values Have Teeth? Fusion: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World's Greatest Companies Leaders Must Go Beyond Giving Lip Service to Culture
What Can Business Leaders Learn from Football? - Denise Lee Yohn
A lot of wisdom that helps teams wins on the football field also helps leaders win in business.Take for example “look the ball into your hands.” This speaks to the importance of follow-through, whether you’re playing a game or leading a team.My latest Smartbrief on Leadership shares some of my favorite football phrases and how they apply to business. Take a look here and let me know what other football adages or analogies come to mind when you think about business.related: Gridiron Insights for Business Success Business Is Now An Action Sport Surprising Leadership Lessons from Yellowstone
How to Engage Employees - Denise Lee Yohn
The principles in my book, What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand-Building Principles That Separate the Best from the Rest can be applied to employees, employee experience, and employee engagement. For example, in WGBD, I explain that Great Brands Avoid Selling Products. Instead of simply focusing on selling products or services to customers, great brands create emotional connections. Business leaders can apply this to employees by focusing on the employee experience. Make sure that your organization doesn't just treat employees as resources and interact with them on a transactional level. Rather, consider each employee as an individual with unique needs,
Surprising Leadership Lessons from Yellowstone - Denise Lee Yohn
In this, the last in my series of leadership lessons learned from popular TV shows, we learn from Yellowstone. John Dutton and the cast of characters from the fictional Montana ranch show us that leading doesn’t always involve what we think it does. We learn that when it comes to motivating employees, it depends less on the perks and pay you offer and more on the personal passions of your people. When wanting to secure people’s loyalty, demonstrate your loyalty to them first. And instead of following the trends, differentiate yourself and your company by challenging convention. Learn more on
What Great Leaders Do - Denise Lee Yohn
Ted Lasso, the leading character in the popular Apple+ series by the same name, provides an excellent model of exceptional organizational leadership.The leadership lessons from Lasso are about coaching, changing, and character-building.My new Smartbrief on Leadership video explains how Lasso shows what great leaders do -- take a look!related: Lesson from Succession: Use Your Product What Game Are We Playing? Other popular leadership insights
The Link Between Culture and Performance - Denise Lee Yohn
It’s one thing to know there is a link between culture and performance – it’s another to prove it, much less to quantify and track it.In my new article on LinkedIn, Link Culture to Performance Through Metrics, I share about a report that provides tools and frameworks for culture measurement. Enjoy!related: Assess Brand-Culture Fusion At Your Organization Prepare For The New Reality With A Brand Audit Company Culture Is Everyone’s Responsibility
Lesson from Succession: Use Your Product - Denise Lee Yohn
Succession, the popular show on HBO, conveys helpful business insights including the importance of you using your own product. As a business leader, you must personally and regularly undergo the entire customer experience of your company as an actual customer would. This will help focus your attention on the most important aspects of your business, including understanding your customers and engaging your employees. In this video, leadership keynote speaker Denise Lee Yohn provides recommendations for using your own product or service and explains what you will learn from doing so. Check it out: related content on leadership: Leaders, Get Out
Strategic Change Requires Culture Change - Denise Lee Yohn
To change your strategy – your what – you need to change your how – your culture. And you need to change your culture first – because your culture is what will ensure your organization is able to execute on your strategy.In my new Brand+Culture Series post on LinkedIn, I show how to use your core values to drive strategic change. Hope you find it helpful!related: How to Cultivate Brand-Culture Fusion Build a Culture to Match Your Brand All Types of Organizations Need Brand-Culture Fusion
How To Do a Layoff? With Humanity - Denise Lee Yohn
It’s been said that the true test of leadership is how well you function in a crisis. This seems particularly apt today, given all the layoffs that many leaders have had to undertake recently. We’ve seen some of the worst examples of leadership recently. But there is a better way. Leaders who respect, care for, and are deeply grateful for their people approach letting people go with humanity. They pass the leadership litmus test. In my new Smartbrief on Leadership video, Layoffs Are the Leadership Litmus Test, I reflect on how leaders can demonstrate the power of a human approach
Welcome to a New Era of Brand-Building - Denise Lee Yohn
Social media influencers and AI platforms are changing the way we connect with customers; they are also changing the way we use brands.Today brands are not only marketing outputs and strategic inputs. They are – or at least they should be – cultural cornerstones.Here is why.related: Prepare Your Culture for a Recession Assess Brand-Culture Fusion At Your Organization FUSION: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World's Greatest Companies