Co-Branding; The Non Existent Line Between Work and Home

It’s my work anniversary this week, celebrating six years at Chicago Roof Deck and Garden.  The growth of the organization over the last six years has been tremendous moving from a role as a designer to an owner and design principal.  What has been the most impactful over that time is how much the brand of CRD has permeated my life and frankly how much my life and personality have been layered...or forced, ha, upon the company’s culture.  As one example, I became a father at home and have hired a young design team that I often times see as additional children.  Not that they need to be supervised like kids, but rather the paternal instinct is hard to break.  After six years it has become difficult to separate the work life from the personal life.  And so it goes the success or failure of one is reflected in the other.  So it becomes ever more crucial to be able to do personal things at work and work related things while out of the office.  One can not exist without the other.  

When looking at mainstream examples of this one would make a list that starts with Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, and Mark Zuckerberg.  Branson doesn't have an “outfit” but it is is hard to imagine Virgin without his white beard, Apple without the black turtleneck and grey shirt wearing Zuck.  The quintessential visible CEO, the face of an organization whose personal and corporate brand have no separation.  Im sure within the inner circle of the other top 100 CEOs in the U.S. you would find the same story, but with much less glam.  Forbes listed SAP, McKinsey & Co., Ernst & Young and Northwestern Mutual among the organizations with the most liked CEOs.  Steep drop in the “cool factor”.  All of these I would venture to guess that mainstream america finds it “acceptable” that these people are so intertwined within their organizations, but why does it seem so different when the ‘little guys’, the small business owners or just the sales rep blend their personal and professional lives so much?  Certainly the cool factor plays into what brands we find acceptable from a self promotional aspect, but when your friend jumps into…”I run a full service augmented platform for…” we almost can not stop our eyes from rolling.  Branson specifically has risen in popularity with the ‘love what you do and you’ll never work a day…’ platform.  You can’t find any story about or by him without the underlying ideologies of Virgin.  

Maybe we find this acceptable because we wanted to talk to Jobs about the next phone, or Zuck about Facebook live video and have little interest in hearing our neighbor talk about new designs of asphalt roofing shingles.  Personally, I want to be at an organization that so fluidly mirrors the things I find important.  I want to do something everyday that I am excited about telling other people about on the weekends and after hours.  We love hiring people that see a fuzzy line between work and home which translates into this co-branding effect.  Our office and personal instagram feeds are filled with people enjoying outdoor spaces both of client’s homes and on the go.  Our team loves reading about and visiting the latest roof decks in Chicago...because who doesn't like to drink outside?  Maybe again we are lucky that we get to do or talk about is something that is fun and has broad appeal (no asphalt shingles here) and most people seem interested in learning more.  So, I will just go on pretending that I am really interesting at dinner parties, and at the office, and promote my personal accomplishments along with the company’s team successes as one in the same.  We will push our co workers to have a voice that is powerful promotional tool for them and their family’s success and the organization’s.