I had the privilege of participating in the Vanguard Network General Counsel forum event hosted courtesy of Dentons in Chicago.
The entire day was focused on diving into how the GC role is expanding and becoming more and more connected with all the entire C-suite of a modern company. The fantastic topics really shone a light on something I experience across all of the companies we work with today — specifically the way that a business communicates and acts needs to be aligned and integrated – and led from the top.
The DNA of an organization touches all of its audiences and is seen through every single person of that organization — from the leadership to the field employees and General Counsel are now becoming as much a custodian of the brand as the CEO and C-suite are.
We cannot ignore the evidence. The behavior and actions of C-suite executives significantly influence how a brand is perceived by stakeholders, customers, and the public. Of course this also sets the model and tone for employee behavior and ‘off-brand’ behavior can erode trust and damage employee morale.
In times of change, the conduct of executives is under intense scrutiny. How leaders handle crises, communicate with stakeholders, and make decisions during challenging times can significantly impact brand perception.
In this hyperconnected world, carefully managing behaviors and messages from the C-suite is now a crucial element. What used to be just ‘policies and procedures’ for General Counsel is now more about reinforcing brand perceptions through aligned and coherent behaviors.
Succeeding in this, requires a brand to have a truly strategic and well-defined brand core that can genuinely and effectively forge alignment.