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What We’re Learning Wednesday: Brand Ambassador

By Adam O'Donnell|12-05-18

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“Does the right things and the right things right.”

-Jim Sullivan, Multiunit Leadership

via Amazon.com

This month I am working through a book called Multiunit Leadership by Jim Sullivan. It’s a book written specifically for the regional manager position but has application for everyone from ownership to entry-level team members. What we’re learning this Wednesday is what Sullivan calls the brand ambassador.

A brand ambassador is someone who buys wholeheartedly into the philosophy and culture of the company they work for and the brand they represent. When someone asks an owner or manager, “what kind of company are you?” they point to a brand ambassador and say “See her- or him? That’s who we are and what we are all about.” A brand ambassador is someone who runs it as if they own it, models the way, brings energy, is a standard-bearer, and much more.

The one characteristic of a brand ambassador – and there are many – that stood out most to me is habitual consistency. Habitual consistency is all about being brilliant at the basics. This is the person you point to when you hire someone new and say “do what they do.” This characteristic cannot be taken lightly and my fear is that sometimes it is. I like to think that at Vinaigrette I am habitually consistent, but reading this chapter made me pause and ask myself some questions.

Am I an expert on our training materials? Do I believe in their purpose? Do I think, act, and coach with them in mind? Do I know what the non-negotiables are? Do I serve every guest with excellence? Do I do the right things and the right things right?

A few takeaways:

1. If you work for one of our brands and you are not in a leadership role but want to develop into one, your greatest testimony is your actions in your current role. Be a brand ambassador, be an expert on the basics, do the right things right, show others the way.
2. If you are a manager or regional manager for one of our brands it is really important that we don’t lose sight of continuing to be a brand ambassador as we lead our teams. Moving to a management role does not relieve us of the responsibility of being a brand ambassador; it puts our actions under a microscope and your team is watching and learning from your example.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!