How to combine individual personality with corporate image
Looking back at the Montreal Fashion Week SMM22 conference
Companies dream of having employees who represent them with dignity and employees want to be true to their personal identity. Is there a bridge between these two worlds?
Surely by reading a little about my trajectory , you may have discovered that before becoming the image consultant that I am today, I was a communications engineer. A special experience at one of my employers was decisive in understanding the issues between the image of the company and the personality of each individual.
The defining experience
As the manager of the Wired and wireless Network department , I had several tasks. I supported my sales department by presenting the technical side of the projects created specifically for the client. When the time came to put everything in place, I also wore the hat of implementation engineer with my team. But that was not all!
There was also the social aspect of my job. I organized events for customers, presented them with new services with our suppliers like CISCO SYSTEMS, to name one. The relationship with the media was part of it all.
This combination of technical, administrative and human made me a woman different from the other women in the company. This fluctuation of roles in my position went against the need of Human Resources, that of standardizing our outfits in the company. The uniform proposal? Beautiful long-sleeved jacket, long and elegant pants, elaborate blouse and closed shoes with heels made up the new look.
Did this standard really fit all my activities, my person and everything I could offer to the company?
According to what we have just seen above, my responsibilities, which also included land and air travel, did not correspond to the imposed dress code. I had felt and understood the need to want to standardize the presentation of women in the company. But at the same time, I experienced incomprehension, the fact that I was considered just as a woman without taking into account my integral value.
I admit that this had shaken me, because I thought that by explaining in detail my position and the realities of my daily life, I could be understood. In fact, I was doing them for the company and everything was going well with my team. In the end, with Human Resources we created an adapted use of the uniform. And as you can guess, I had to modify my uniform to make me more agile in my movements and wear it when the tasks of the day allowed it. The desire to collaborate with Human Resources was there, except that my tasks did not adapt well.
The constructive perspective of corporate image
And since in life nothing happens for nothing, by analyzing my experience, I was able to observe that in many cases, employees in companies are not necessarily well understood in their functions. And in other cases, the company needs to better identify the tasks it assigns, and also to value its representatives.
When I finally decided to fulfill my dream of becoming a professional image consultant, this experience guided me in who to turn to and how to be the bridge between the communication needs of the company and its employees.
For this reason, on September 22nd, as part of Montreal Fashion Week, my conference focused on the image of the company that depends on each employee. Everyone could find something for them, both business owners and employees wanting to know how to contribute to the image of the company without losing their style and personality.
My role as an image consultant in the company
We have seen that the challenge is a two-way street, and that with the necessary tools, as an image consultant, I bring an important communication component between the company and its employees, as well as the needs of both. I demonstrate and help them understand how to rely on this, while demonstrating a real interest in their true personality. Nowadays, a company that cares little about its employees will have a hard time counting on them for a solid and lasting brand image.
If you are curious about the impact of employees on the company's image, and how to approach the subject, contact me for an exploratory meeting to fully understand your issues.
If you want to delve deeper into the topic, listening to this radial interview on the Vent de Fraicheur show is a great option!
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