Being “Branded” vs. Arrogance

Sometimes certain brands tend to confuse exclusivity for arrogance. Just because a brand is internationally recognized, it does not mean the people who work for it have the right to parade huge egos. The more I mulled over this, the more it got me thinking.

Corporate arrogance that stems from a company emerging as an undisputed market leader affects various stakeholders differently, depending on factors too numerous to explore here. However, everybody—shareholders, customers, partners, suppliers, the community in which the organization operates, the larger business ecosystem, and even more importantly the planet-ends up feeling the sting of arrogance.

The company itself must ante up for the caustic effects of its own ill-advised behavior. Organizations must reconcile the gap between their ego and its real accomplishments.

There are some international brands that take pride in offering premium products and services. But when there are people within it that use this to go on power trip, an innocent brand suffers because of certain individuals who like going on ego trips.

But, the real opportunity is this—it’s important to practice mindfulness. So, if being perceived as arrogant runs against the grain of your mission or corporate values, it’s critical to step back and consider who really matters, what they care about, and how your business practices (read: corporate behavior) should or could be modified to take the sting out of your planning, execution, and messaging.