Are you a brand?

I was lucky on my first working day. We were three innovators, inspiring each other.

It's like a ball game, all aiming to keep the ball up in the air.

But more than that: each and everyone has his shot with the ball! After a day like that, everybody leaves home fulfilled.

We discussed personal branding, the personality of an expert and competence and its relationship to the organization.

On the subject:
Löydy - brändää itsesi verkossa (F) Tuija Aalto ja Marylka Yoe Uusisaari
Personal Branding Done Right Mike Myatt
Johtaja, perusta blogi (F) Harto Pönkä

What is it that entitles someone to speak up in the social media? How do you earn the credit? Who is it that should present the organization, who is allowed to? Judging by what I've been reading, we Finns are only getting there, where the rest of the world largely already is. My experiences and thoughts come from the public sector.

But hey, the same applies to face to face, my colleague pointed out:

You need to earn the trust in each and every communication

And I say, we've witnessed it a thousand times that the mandate is handed out to a pet person who then does nothing. In order to success that person needs the competence, too. Too often power and competence do not prevail in same roles.

That's when the organization faces the moment of truth: how do you settle the conflict like that? You either change the mandate-- or you go on. It has been seen, that the actual work is taken to the person with the competence but the credit goes stubbornly to the one originally appointed to the job. I know no bigger dismotivation than a situation like that!

We are drafting a report on our preliminary trials (F) in social media. Finnish Tax Administration took the risk and went out to the most popular social media community, Suomi24.fi (F) with the promise to answer all the questions regarding filing of personal tax return. Another trial was attending a popular blogging community of a major paper, Aamulehti.fi (F)

Another topic in our discussions was the notion of communities: social media is definitely not another tool in the endless row of niceties for the top communication officers, not for others. The passport is validated with the right attitude and a suitable role.

It's like a market square! Our blog (F) was one stand; Suomi24 Q&A site(F) another. Thus the corporate site Vero.fi is the third, campaign site (F) fourth. - Together they all give Tax Administration its face.

We gave a disclosing party / feed back occasion to the participants. They were ordinary tax officers trying out something new. It was a joy to hear their comments: this was a new way to face the customer, it enriches the ordinary work plus they had the opportunity to develop new skills.

They want more!

I'd rather publish the advice to thousands in the web than repeat it over and over in the phone, one by one.

Most of all, Work 2.0 is collaborative it calls for a revolution in the minds of people. Along the way comes something new, Man 2.0

He is a brand, a living person with values. Those values guide his life, let him represent proudly his employer and yet meet with his customers in a humble manner. He can and wants to share his competence because there's a need for it out there. He's not like the ancient civil servant, saying, This is mine, hands off! He doesn't hide his knowledge.

Public sector is undergoing a revolution. Great many people cry out: let's stay out! We already have our website, that'll do!

What do you think, is it enough?
Is the expert also a brand? Are you?