What do you think when someone mentions the names Steve Jobs or Richard Branson? Does an iconic apple sign or a red marquee with Virgin Airlines written stylishly on it pop into your head? If so, you are not alone. Leaders like Jobs and Branson have been under the spotlight of the media, introducing and marketing their organisations so much, that their names have become synonymous with their company brands (in the case of Jobs it is so, even after his death).

Steve Jobs - the late Apple's CEO

Needless to say, there are other CEOs or heads of organisations that fall under this famous or infamous category. Companies such as Apple and Facebook have their pick of top talent because of their excellent employer branding, with leaders playing an essential part in communicating the organisation’s personality to existing and potential staff.

To be or not to be (famous)
Experts say there is no doubt that charismatic and visible leaders play a great part in promoting an organisation’s employer brand, but add that leaders do not need to be in the limelight to be effective in putting the word out about their companies.

Wong Keng Fye, Head of HR, Maybank Singapore, says there are positive and negative issues to consider when an organisation has a very ‘visible’ leader. “Having a very well-known leader carry the employer brand creates great traction and mileage that delivers beyond advertising dollars,” he says. “Staff, stakeholders and potential employees believe and identify with the employer branding because of the strong association with the well-known leader.”

He adds that the downside to this is whether the employer brand is sustainable when the leader is no longer around, or the considerable damage to the employer brand should the well-known leader’s personal image be compromised. This is particularly true in the case of Dell, when profits dropped after star CEO Michael Dell left in 2004. (See sidebox).

Phillip Raskin, managing consultant of global PR firm, Text 100 Singapore, says few leaders are as visible as Steve Jobs was for Apple, but the way he publicly embodied the company’s brand is something that all leaders can emulate. Moreover, he adds that it is essential for an organisation to have a clear vision and understanding of what it represents and for each leader to find their own way of representing this themselves. “While (new Apple CEO) Tim Cook does indeed have big shoes to fill, he didn’t run out and buy sneakers and jeans and black turtlenecks when he took over the role – he’s doing it his way.”

Leading the way
Employers understand the need for their leaders to represent their companies, and many are now putting in place strategies with their HR teams to help improve their employer brand.

Carmen Wee, Vice President, HR, Software Business, Invensys Operations Management, says that companies have to pay a lot of attention to employer brand due to the war for talent, as it allows them to differentiate themselves from the competition. She adds that leaders will always play a significant role in this. “It is required of leaders to speak about their company and carry the brand. People want to work for leaders that they can respect and connect with.”

Raskin of Text 100 Singapore says that the firm’s CEO, Aedhmar Hynes embodies the spirit of the company. Hynes spends time both working with the team and socialising with them through informal get-togethers. She takes personal interest in her employees and sends new hires a welcome email or congratulate offices when they have had a successful month. Moreover, Hynes represents the company in various industry circles.

Employers also highlight that to promote strong employer branding, collaboration is critical – leaders need to work with HR to achieve this key business objective. “HR needs to work closely with the rest of business leadership to ensure we’re doing all we can to correctly portray the brand internally and externally, which means frequent discussions and initiatives,” says Raskin.

Wee says that the HR team in Invensys has been working with its leaders specifically on employer branding for the last two years. “Over the last 24 months we have asked leaders to do different things in their countries, for example, to publicise through the media whenever we open new offices, (and) to promote who we are as a brand.”

She recalls that leaders in China and India recently gave media interviews to promote the organisation. In Korea, the organisation partnered with engineering faculties at local universities for knowledge transfer initiatives and to attract talent.

DHL is another organisation that ensures its leaders add their value to employer branding, especially with the help of its HR team. “HR must lead the development of the employer brand, coaching top management and line managers in living and promoting the employer brand while ensuring that employees are consulted,” says Yasmin Aladad Khan, Senior Vice President, DHL Express, South East Asia.

She adds that the organisation’s long-term People Strategy is a combination of extensive HR programmes, initiatives and activities that help to foster dialogues with staff. Khan says DHL uses internal channels, such as employee newspapers and magazines, intranet and extranet, as well as social media and surveys such as the Employee Opinion Survey “to deepen our understanding of employees and engage in more meaningful dialogue.”

Employer branding makes a difference
Positive leadership and good employer branding have made a difference for their organisations, say several key employers. Khan of DHL says employer branding has helped define that company’s identity and positioned it to better attract and retain talent. “DHL is the leading brand in the logistics industry and our impressive track record as an employer is recognised by renowned institutions such as Hewitt and the (US-based) Great Place to Work Institute.”
Maybank’s staff retention rates have also benefited from its employer branding, says Wong. “One in two Maybankers has been with the bank for more than five years, which has allowed us to deepen our relationships with our customers. It has also enabled us to retain talent and knowledge, which increases our productivity and efficiency.”

 When star leaders leave
Star CEOs bring fame and perhaps fortune to their organisations but what happens when they leave? In the case of Dell, after founder Michael Dell retired in 2004, it was a downhill progression. Dell ceded control to Kevin Rollins, but under Rollin’s watch the company faced a slew of challenges that it could not process: customer service complaints; a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into its accounting; and stiff competition from other tech giants such as HP. This led to a drop in profits and even departure of some of its other key executives including CFO Jim Schneider. Rollins eventually resigned in 2007 and Dell returned to take back over the helm.

 Tell-tale signs of a star leader
+       Able to communicate with ease – always at the forefront talking about the company and its products
+       Very confident – is able to make decisions and stick to them
+       Very results-oriented and focused
+       Expects perfection from his or her employees

 Providing the values
Online shoe retailer Zappos is well-known for its quirky corporate culture and employer branding. The organisation’s CEO, Tony Hsieh is known for setting the tone of workplace culture for his employees. In fact, he came up with a list of values, from observing the best behaviours of employees over a year, which evolved into the Zappos Family’s 10 Core Values. These values now make up one of the essential parts of the recruitment process – only employees who fit them are offered a position.

Theo HRM