How Do Great Companies Make Sure People Are Living the Values?

Huffington Post, September 9, 2009 — Each September the RBL Institute (full disclosure: as an RBL partner, I am a director of the Institute) hosts the chief HR officers of member companies in a two-day retreat hosted by RBL Group founder and University of Michigan Professor Dave Ulrich. This year, we were joined by 20 senior HR executives from well-known and respected global companies such as Intel, The Gap, Accenture and PNB Paribas. Whenever you bring insightful, worldly, HR executives together, the conversation is bound to be enlightening. And, one of the more interesting exchanges was values: how organizations ensure that employees at every level, in every function, and around the world know and live the values

Harrah's Asks Employees to 'Play a Part'†

Brandweek, March 27, 2009 — In an effort to leverage employees as a marketing medium, Harrah’s has launched an initiative dubbed “Everybody Plays a Part,” which attempts to deliver a more social experience to consumers that visit its casinos.

Employer Branding†

Companies have long divided consumers into segments. They should do the same with potential -- and current -- workers.

Wall Street Journal, March 23, 2009 — Ask most people about "branding," and they'll usually start talking about products and services.

But in recent years, companies have begun branding themselves as employers, too, betting that if they can convey to the world why their workplace is appealing and unique, they will have an easier time attracting good workers.

In fact, for many companies, employer branding has become a critical management tool, as the emergence of China, India and Brazil as economic powers and aging work forces in the U.S., European Union and Japan have increased the competition for skilled workers.

Best Buy Confronts Newer Nemesis†

With Circuit City Gone, Electronics Retailer Arms Its 'Blue Shirt' Sales Force to Take On Wal-Mart

Wall Street Journal, March 16, 2009 — Finally victorious over longtime archrival Circuit City Stores Inc., Best Buy Co. is now gearing up to fight an even more powerful foe: Wal-Mart.

Leading the challenge will be Brian Dunn, the company's chief operating officer, who takes over for retiring Chief Executive Brad Anderson in June. His new strategy is to head off Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s brutal price competition by giving consumers something the discounter cannot: more interactive stores, where customers can step into the world of a new videogame or see their faces captured by a high-definition video camera, instead of trolling aisles stacked with merchandise.

Engineering Firm Charts Ties†

Social-Mapping Method Helps MWH Uncover Gaps

Wall Street Journal, January 26, 2009 — To boost productivity at engineering firm MWH, executive Victor Gulas asks employees which colleagues they talk to, and whom they turn to for help. Then he draws a "map" of the connections, which reveals dark patches around employees who work closely with others and lighter areas where there's little interaction.

Mr. Gulas says the map shows communication gaps, information bottlenecks and underutilized employees. "It's making the invisible visible," he says.

Q&A: Zappos CEO on How to Build a Brand Without Spending Big on Ads†

Brandweek, December 22, 2008 — Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has not only built a $1 billion a year in sales company but also a leading example of how brands are built that rely less on advertising and marketing.

The company's approach to building its culture and promoting its brand through customer service has gained adherents from organizations large and small.

A New Odd Couple: Google, P&G Swap Workers to Spur Innovation†

Wall Street Journal, November 18, 2008 — At Procter & Gamble Co., the corporate culture is so rigid, employees jokingly call themselves "Proctoids." In contrast, Google Inc. staffers are urged to wander the halls on company-provided scooters and brainstorm on public whiteboards.

Now, this odd couple thinks they have something to gain from one another — so they've started swapping employees. So far, about two-dozen staffers from the two companies have spent weeks dipping into each other's staff training programs and sitting in on meetings where business plans get hammered out. The initiative has drawn little notice. Previously, neither company had granted this kind of access to outsiders.

Get (and keep) great people

Developing the employee value proposition

Prophet, November 1, 2008 — Roland Bernhard examines the Employee Value Proposition as a potential recipe for attracting and keeping the best possible people to deliver the customer strategies your organisation needs in tough times

Why Westin Changed Its Name Tags

If I worked for the hotel chain, my tag might read: "Carmine Gallo: My passion is golf."

BusinessWeek, October 28, 2008 — Inspiration that keeps employees energized on a daily basis often has more to do with communication than compensation. The question is, how do you do communicate with your staff in a genuine way and encourage them to impress your customers? Westin Hotels & Resorts seems to have a found an effective strategy that you might be able to use in your own business.

Zappos Shows How Employees Can Be Brand-Builders†

Is This 'Overlooked Resource' as Important as Paid Ads?

Advertising Age, September 2, 2008 — Every year Zappos.com, one of the fastest-growing e-commerce sites, publishes a "culture book." Three hundred pages in length, the book includes written — and often gushy — testimonials from employees about what it means to work at Zappos.com.

"Our Zappos culture is truly the best work experience I have ever encountered," writes Chris V. "As a new employee of the company, I was blown away by how amazing the company really was. When I started I felt so unreal," notes David J. And on and on and on — you get the idea.