Activate a positively viral force of brand ambassadors

Are you tapping into this powerful, cost-effective source of talent attraction and engagement? Brand ambassadors are a positive force for organisational promotion, talent engagement, and word of mouth referrals. The name of these brand ambassadors? “Sneezers”. Because they are positively viral influencers that represent the very best of your culture.  

I’ve got great news for you.  Lurking underneath the surface of your organisation is one of the most powerful forces you can use to transform your culture and promote your brand. It’s a highly underrated and untapped resource that can jump-start your culture breakthrough from the inside out – a select group of culture heroes are ready to be activated.  I call them “Sneezers” because they are positively viral influencers that represent the very best of your culture.

Defining attributes of a Sneezer:

A Sneezer is someone who raises the game of everyone around them.  Sneezers typically operate at every level and in every department. On the outside, they are advocates for your brand and deliver the experience that fulfills your promise to the customer.  You wish you could have all your best customers interact with them directly. On the inside, they are champions for accountability, and respect. You likely see them acting as a catalyst for creative collaboration to solve problems and drive ideas forward.  

Identifying your Sneezers:

In my experience  leaders typically can answer the questions below with confidence in under 10 seconds.  These are easy no-brainer questions because every organisation has Sneezers. Again, just to be clear, Sneezers are positively viral. Their attitude and approach to work are emblematic of the very best of your culture.

The list of questions below are intended to surface the true Sneezers in your organisation:

1. Who are the people in this organisation who are indispensable examples of your culture at your very best?  
2. Who are the people that are “poster-child” worthy to represent your values?
3. Who are your absolute most valuable “go-to” team members that you can’t afford to lose because of HOW they work?
4. Who do you wish you could clone for every position because of their attitude and purpose-driven orientation?
5. Who is worthy of investing into for development as an incentive to stay with your organisation because of their leadership potential, and positive influence?

Isn’t it obvious who they are in your organisation?  I bet you had no problem picturing their faces. They stand out that much as being unique and special.  By the way, if people must think too long to answer the Sneezer ID questions, then they are lacking a true Sneezer.  Conduct this exercise as a type of Rohr shock test. It should be that simple and clear to you, and others on your leadership team.

Imagine what you could accomplish if everyone shared the character and work ethic of your Sneezers?

So, why wouldn’t that be possible?  I’m here to challenge you to make this happen.  You have an opportunity to transform your culture if you apply some discipline by following proven action-steps to get there.  

Activating your sneezers:

Sustainable culture change always happens from the inside out.  A strong top-down leadership commitment is essential, but not enough on its own.  You must build support from within that influences at all levels. Sneezers have a circle of influence that can be expanded to impact a critical mass of people that will also reflect and “own” the best aspects of your culture.  Here’s your guide on a strategy to reach your culture change tipping-point faster, and with a method that sticks.

PHASE 1: Identification and charter

1. Gather your senior team together for your organisation, (or as a department if that is your highest level of influence) for a meeting to launch the Sneezer initiative.  
2. Clarify your goals for your culture with the senior team (Set the stage for context and perspective).  Cover these items:

• • What’s at stake that is dependent upon your culture to initiate and execute from your strategic plan?  What key initiatives might live or die depending on the way people work together to execute?
  • What are the measurements in place that reveal the “health” of your culture?  Include retention data, engagement scores, and ability to recruit top-talent. What do you want them to be?  Create a gap analysis.
  • What is the current challenge in recruiting top-talent?  What’s at stake if you can’t get the right people onboard?  
  • What is your current challenge with retention?  Share what you know about why people might be leaving the organisation from exit interview data.  What are the ramifications?

1. Identify the Sneezers with senior team input and buy-in
   1. Define the purpose in creating a special team that can address the issues above in item #2.  Although not the panacea, the Sneezer team has the capacity to have an enormous impact.
   2. Define the attributes and characteristics of a Sneezer (Share the list of questions above to frame their answers.)
   3. Ask each person to “nominate” their best choices for Sneezers

NOTE:  Discuss nominations as necessary to confirm around the table.  The stories or rationale for selecting people is inspiring and a highly positive experience.  Remember, you are identifying the “best of” your culture. This process will help galvanize your team on what culture success looks like in action.  

1. Clarify the future role of the Sneezer team with a written scope document that lists intended actions and outcomes (Depending on how in depth you want to go with the Sneezer team.)  The charter you create will avoid future scope-creep, and also make the effort feel more official for the Sneezer participants.

NOTE:  For the first year, I would recommend a limited scope to build small win style momentum and to gain a feel for dynamics of the Sneezers when they get together.  You can then make adjustments accordingly to be as aggressive as you wish with bold and audacious goals.

PHASE 2:  Change agent activation

Culture change is about elevating shared expectations.  Activate your Sneezers as a powerful team to drive culture change from the inside out.

1. Invite your Sneezers to attend a kick-off meeting.  
2. In the meeting, explain to them the criteria for which they were chosen.  Be certain to provide a congratulatory tone on being nominated. This is a big deal, and they should receive appreciation for representing themselves and the organisation in the positive way that was worthy of being nominated.  

NOTE:  You don’t need to call the group “Sneezers” if it’s not appropriate within your culture.  The term is more of an internal expression and I tend to use it only at the outset of the program with the senior team to make the point about them being “positively viral”.  Other terms for the team could be “Culture Team, Culture Catalysts, Difference-Makers, Culture Crew”, etc. Again, use what feels right within your culture. Or, you can ask the team to come up with their own name.  This is a great first assignment to gain their buy-in and break the ice

1. Consider having the CEO or CHRO kick-off the meeting to share a culture state-of-the-union.  It’s also vital to make the connection on why the culture is a competitive advantage, and a vision for the future expectation for what the culture will look-like.  
2. Explore with the team the creative opportunities to influence culture at your most vital touch-points where culture is won or lost.  Make this a lively brainstorming discussion.
3. Discuss the future talent plan and your goals for hiring people.  Cover the impact and importance of hiring people that will enhance the culture (in the same way the Sneezers enhance the culture).  
4. Ask them what they need from you (in terms of support and development) to be effective and successful.  Record their ideas and commit to getting back to them with answers on next steps.

NOTE:  Give them the opportunity to decline participation in the group (highly unlikely).  You want them to understand their special role is completely voluntary. Being a Sneezer is an honour, not a burden.

Ways to leverage the Sneezer team:

Recruiters extraordinaire:  If you only use your Sneezers for this role, it will all still be well worth the effort.  Here’s what you say to them, “We want new hires that approach work with your type of attitude.  In other words, if we could replicate you and your attitude and values, we’d gain a huge advantage in the way we work together.”  Ask them who they know that is similar in attitude and values they would be proud to bring in for an interview. Remember, it’s not just about style or skill set… it’s about mindset.  You want to replicate their mindset. Ask them to set a SMART goal pertaining to the number of potential referrals that can make within a specific time frame. No pressure though! Make it totally positive and comfortable for them to take on.  Remember, this assignment is a high honour.

NOTE:  I would not offer a reward of compensation for referrals.  Research shows that it is not only a disincentive for some people, it also will take integrity away from the premise of leveraging your Sneezers and the positive intent they naturally bring to the table.  They will recruit people for the right reasons and not need an extrinsic element to get in the way.

Culture recon:  Another way to think of the sneezers is as a culture reconnaissance team.  They can be your eyes and ears that unlock the mystery of what’s really happening within the culture.  Here’s a stern warning. Ensure you do NOT put them in a position to be snitches or narcs. If that happens, then all your good intentions will go down the drain, and put them in a vulnerable position where others see them as the secret police.  All trust will be lost. It is vital that you keep any information they share with professionalism and in great confidence. Plus, do not solicit them for the dirt on individuals or leaders within the organisation.

Change agents: Again, the Sneezers can be your eyes and ears as to how the esprit de corps of your culture is playing out.  For example, if you’ve just enacted a huge change initiative in the organisation, then ask the Sneezers how people are feeling about it, and what could be done to clarify, and encourage buy-in. Ask them how the message is getting through (or not).  They also can have direct influence in the communication process if you request them to help get the message out through their role.

Engagement pulse:  Instead of spending thousands of dollars to roll-out the same old engagement survey, tap the Sneezers to evaluate the state of your culture.  They will surface realtime specific data in a street language form that if often far more useful than the gobbledy-gook consultant-speak analysis.     

If you still want to do an engagement survey, then great!  Here’s an idea to gauge how accurate it is. Before you administer the survey, gather the Sneezers to answer the questions (from the perspective of their respective division).  Then, when you get the broader results, you can compare to the Sneezer prediction, and likely feel confident they are fully aware and accurate as pulse-takers of culture engagement.    

Engagement catalysts:  After the survey results are in, tap into the Sneezers for ideas on how to improve results in engagement.  You can do this by gathering the team for a brainstorming session to focus on specific issues from the survey, and by asking them to take the lead within their departments to facilitate action planning .  Realise they have a deep understanding for what is happening underneath the surface of the culture, including a sense for whether people in general are a flight-risk to leave the company. You can be proactive to improve retention by getting ahead of issues that cause people to start looking elsewhere.  

Key Takeaways:

• Sneezers represent the very best of your culture.
• Identify the Sneezers in your organisation and invite them to take part.
• Train Sneezers for their special role of influencing others within the culture.
• Leverage Sneezers as your recruiters, your culture think-tank, and implementers at the ground level.
• The Sneezer program gives them a unique, special, and honoured role that adds to their learning and development, and increases their likelihood of staying with your company.

Steve Van Valin is CEO of Culturology. He is a culture-shaping strategist and innovation expert. Steve works with leaders who believe a healthy engaged culture is their key to unlocking a competitive advantage. Steve played a key role in shaping multi-media shopping leader QVC’s collaborative culture, creating a remarkable customer experience and brand. QVC grew to over $10 billion in annual revenue with that philosophy. Steve has over 25 years of experience developing winning culture and innovation strategy with clients including SAP, Boeing, NASA, Lincoln Financial Group, and The Philadelphia Phillies.

www.culturologyusa.com