Solutions

Just as every human being has a personality, every company has certain characteristics that set it apart from others. Anyone who has worked for several employers knows that they are not all the same. In one company the atmosphere is relaxed, in another it is stiff and strict. Sometimes the boss is an unapproachable bigwig, sometimes he shares a table with his staff in the canteen. There are reception areas masquerading as designer furniture showrooms and waiting rooms reminiscent of the 1950s. Some companies are hives of bureaucracy; at others going home on time is unheard-of.

Not only employees, but customers, too, realise that even companies working in the same business can vary widely. H&M, Zara, Cerruti, Hugo Boss or C&A: they all sell clothes, but no two shops look the same.

The sum of all this – how a company acts internally and outwardly – is what makes up its identity.

Why is an identity important?

If you have no identity, you cannot be recognised. And if you cannot be recognised, you will be overlooked. But we have now established that every single person and company has an identity – so what’s the problem?

Sometimes an identity is not clear. There is a conflict between what goes on inside and what is presented to the outside world. You want to be different to the way you really are, or you don’t really know what it is that sets you apart. However, if an image is fuzzy, we cannot really establish a company’s identity. It has no image, no personality, so it looks dull and unattractive.

Who are we?

Corporate guidelines set out the way a company sees itself: anyone writing them down needs to consider closely beforehand what it is that sets the company apart:

• Who are we?

• What are our goals?

• What means and methods do we use to achieve those goals?

• What is special about us?

• What sets us apart from other companies?

These questions should not be answered by the company director behind closed doors: she may well see her own company in a completely different way to her staff. Possibly, for example, the company’s goals may not be clear as so far they have only existed in the boss’s mind, while the team knows nothing about them. For this reason, corporate guidelines can be a good means of getting a clearer picture of the corporate identity – though they cannot create a new one. Anyone writing out banal phrases, or ideals bearing no relation to reality, may just as well save themselves the trouble: their efforts will doubtless soon be gathering dust in a drawer. Corporate guidelines have to be put into practice, and that will only happen if they fit the company.

What makes an identity clear is differentiation: How am I different to others? What makes me unmistakeable? What is special about me?

“At our company the customer is king. We use synergies, we want success. Everything we do is based on innovation, commitment and team spirit. We have a duty to our environment and society." Phrases like this may sound great, but when they are simply asserted without any proof, it makes them seem interchangeable. Any company could write them. They do not answer the question of what makes the company stand out; they do not provide any information about its identity.

So avoid empty phrases and, when writing corporate guidelines, always bear in mind what makes you different to others, and write these points down as authentically as possible.

Avoid being too abstract. It is much more believable if you can provide evidence for your assertions, in the form of pictures or stories (“Even as a child our company founder always dreamed of… He stayed true to his dreams all his life, and we remain true to them today.”) Stories are easy to remember, and people like to tell them to others. Images are created through stories – both positive and negative. Think of the head of BP’s “I would like my life back” comment, for example: everyone instantly picked up on it and it will remain in people’s minds for some time to come.

Image: Getty Images