A few weeks ago, at the annual meeting of Corporate Excellence - Centre for Reputation Leadershipits president, Jaume Giró y José Ignacio Goirigolzarripresident of BankiaThey recalled that one of the main challenges facing banks, companies and communication consultants is reputational.
Companies must listen and respond to the needs of our clients, as well as explain the value that good management of intangible assets brings to the proper functioning of society.
I would like to congratulate Ángel Alloza and his team for the great work that Corporate Excellence is carrying out to promote the management of intangible assets such as brand, reputation and communication in the Spanish business world.
More than 50 per cent of the value of a brand is in the intangibles, which is why non-financial indicators are increasingly being introduced into companies' scorecards. At the meeting, Goirigolzarri stressed that "a good reputation is earned day by day with hard work, respect and trust in our businesses". "Reputation is not a goal. It is the consequence of a job well done".he said.
The Forum also emphasised that everything feeds back and that reputation is the responsibility of everyone in the professional team, not just managers. It was also pointed out that confusing "the what" with "the how" has led many organisations to disaster. And the fact is that: "no project or company can be sustained if customers do not think the value proposition is relevant". The team has to believe in the company's values because society demands more and more transparency, so any management committee has to take reputation very seriously.
Goirigolzarri also said that "the shadow of permanent guilt over banking has harmful effects on society as a whole. This shadow does not only affect banking. The judiciary and political parties are also under suspicion. So the environment does not help. Other sectors, such as the aviation industry or tobacco companies, are also suffering from a reputation crisis.
To close the dialogue, a certain optimism regarding the financial sector in Spain was noted. A certain obligation to be optimistic. Practices in the banking system have improved and there is a conviction on the part of managers that this is the right line. At the conclusion of the Dialogue, it was again stressed that reputation is a consequence of doing things well and when you improve, perception improves.
Lucía Casanueva
Managing Partner of Proa Comunicación