Magnetic Moments
The not-so-subtle subtext of these scribblings is the fallibility of human beings; even our most well-intentioned and best efforts are subject to the physical and mental frailties of our species. So, even as we hope to reliably deliver ideal touchpoint experiences, we are poor instruments of consistency. Unfortunately, the variability of human performance represents a significant wild card in even the most carefully curated brand experience.
We can’t expect employees to perfectly represent the brand in every interaction or transaction. While the organization’s culture whispers encouragement to put forth a good effort in support of ideal brand experiences, it falls short in stagecrafting employees’ multiple encounters and exchanges over the course of their day.
Certainly, brand managers have little influence in the way their colleagues engage and interact with the organization’s stakeholders; however, leaders and managers do have a say — but only to a certain point. As much as leaders and managers can outline the conduct of interpersonal exchanges that occur throughout each working day, they lack the omnipresence and omniscience to guide all their employees’ proceedings.
So, for the most part, we must trust our people to make their best effort to operate according to expected organizational norms and to reflect attitudes and behaviors that favorably represent the organization. And most do, with the best of intentions. But even the finest of our species remains vulnerable to difficulties, setbacks, and incidents, and the ensuant emotions that can overwhelm better judgments.
This is where operating culture transcends organizational culture in driving brand behaviors. Operating culture is based on explicit actions, expectations, and performance standards. The employee scorecard skews heavily toward the tangible, observable, and measurable results demanded by operating culture, which in most cases align with expectations for the brand. Consequently, operating culture provides the framework for obtaining people’s best efforts, recognizing that employees are usually more focused on efficient task completion than embellishments on behalf of the brand.
We can, however, catch team members in the act of superior brand representation and recognize and promote their efforts. The positive reinforcement of brand expectations has an add-on effect among colleagues who see their work as more than a means to a paycheck (those that don’t — and a healthy number exist in any organization — are unlikely to be motivated by much of anything in service of the brand). The firms I was a member of had various recognition programs for these brand-exemplifying deeds (e.g., “Spotlight Award,” “Brand Champion,” “Extra Smile”).
The common thread to these programs was a recognition that a single, impactful moment can make a tremendous difference in the perception of the brand, even if the interaction involved only two people (considering the power of word-of-mouth alone). Indeed, these moments draw people closer to the brand if only infinitesimally, like the unseeable attracting force of a magnet. These are brand’s magnetic moments, and they occur throughout the course of employees’ operational obligations.
Magnetic moments represent the apotheosis of brand experiences, for as much as we value the ease and efficiency of technology-enabled solutions, we also welcome the humanity behind our favorable experiences. We connect with brand in a more elemental fashion along the lines of empathy, affinity, and commonality. In this way, magnetic moments become affirmatively eidetic for the brand. We remember the particulars of the experience — the time, place, person, etc. — well enough to bank the brand with the memory.
Unfortunately, we cannot engineer magnetic moments. They are typically unplanned, unscripted, and unexpected. They are often highly personal and singular. In some respects, magnetic moments are the most authentic expression of brand value and values even as they may play out on the smallest of stages. But they are mainly the outgrowth of operational responsibilities, where assigned duties involve or lead to human interactions.
So, if magnetic moments cannot be engineered, why bother to discuss them? Simply, we must acknowledge that no matter how much we believe we can manage our brands, we are largely powerless to control the way our people will represent them. Sometimes, as in magnetic moments, the brand benefits; other times, the brand may lose.
Still, magnetic moments deserve whatever limited cultivation we can effectively engender. We should recognize and reward our people for their special efforts — as long as we do so in meaningful ways. We should empower them, whenever prudent, to favor reputational gain versus financial cost. We should acknowledge that most magnetic moments happen behind the scenes with little notice or fanfare, such that our people regularly bridge whatever gaps exist between our brand promise and our operational performance. We should remember that the organizational system requires frequent version updates across both organizational culture and operating culture to address program flaws.
More specifically, the following pave the path for magnetic moments:
Place a premium on people skills. Magnetic moments occur organically for the empathetic but with difficulty for the indifferent. If nothing else, front-line (customer-facing) employees must have a baseline of caring and concern that fosters graciousness even on their bad days.
Craft a simple, easy-to-implement, and meaningful reward and recognition program for magnetic moments. Monetary awards work well and public acknowledgement can complement tangible awards, although not everyone seeks or enjoys the spotlight. Deliver awards and recognition as soon as possible after the celebrated effort; delayed recognition dilutes its value. Just as important, keep the criteria minimal but make sure the situation, act, and outcome were demonstrably meritorious.
Leaders and managers should immediately recognize “caught-in-the-act” magnetic moments, i.e., those that occur in plain view and especially with colleagues present. Formal reward and recognition should follow, but in-the-moment praise is an inherent reflection of organizational values that attach to the brand.
Position employee attitudes, behaviors, and performance as the ultimate expression of the organization’s brand commitments. While magnetic moments are idiosyncratic according to one’s sociability, role, and situations, those of less genial spirit may still be mindful of the brand’s expectations and act accordingly when occasions warrant.