From the desk (and BlackBerry) of Keith Parnell

When I’m asked this question, I honestly try wholeheartedly to not have a puzzled look on my face. YES. Of course, your employees reflect you and your organization’s brand.

Everything and everyone you surround yourself with, reflects and represents your brand. These things are the essence of your organization’s brand.

Why am I thinking about this today, you ask?

I passed a car on the road this weekend. A pizza delivery driver for a local franchise of a national chain. The delivery driver’s license plate read, “Rat Lady”. That’s right, “Rat Lady”.

If “Rat Lady” had a local exterminator’s sign glowing on top of her car, or a local pet shop sign prominently displayed, I would not have given her a second thought. But a food delivery service coming to my home served up by “Rat Lady”? I think not.

Brand Management take-away: be aware of and respectfully conscious of the public elements of your organization. Consumers see the tentacles of your organization for what they are (without a chance of explanation or interpretation) and immediately draw their own conclusions about you, good or bad.

* NOTE: This blog article should not be interpreted in any manner that I oppose rats as a pet. I have heard from friends they are very friendly.

I watched an interview this weekend on CNBC Asia with Mr. Ronnie Chan, Chairman of Hang Lung Properties in Hong Kong. I hadn’t planned on sitting in front of the TV for as long as I did because I was supposed to be getting ready for Nicole’s company holiday party. But Mr. Chan turned out to be an intriguing leader, from a business perspective.

I’m going to list a few facts that I extracted from the interview that really struck me as exciting during these horrible economic times. It’s good to see that companies as successful as Hang Lung Properties still have the we-care-about-our-employees mentality. They seem to truly care.

Hang Lung Properties:

• has $0 debt.
• has $5 billion is available cash.
• has a $15 - $20 billion available, committed credit line.
• is based in Hong Kong and has begun moving into mainland China.
• projects double-digit profit growth on rentals in 2009.
• projects no employee layoffs in their future. Mr. Chan was adamant that the company thanks its employees for working hard during good economic times so the company will stick with them during the down turn.

From the Hang Lung Properties website:

Hang Lung Properties Limited (stock code: 101) is the property arm of Hang Lung Group Limited (stock code: 10).

We are a top tier property developer in Hong Kong and mainland China with a recognised commitment to quality.

We are a truly diversified property development company as reflected in our varied portfolio of commercial, retail, office, residential, serviced apartments, industrial/office and car park properties. Our primary focus is to acquire the best sites in the cities where we operate and employ only the top architectural firms to achieve the highest design quality and develop the best properties.

In both Hong Kong and mainland China, our corporate policy is to constantly review and, where necessary, upgrade our tenant mix while regularly refurbishing our existing developments so as to achieve a maximum return on our investments. We also emphasize valueadded services and incentives, which add to the appeal and marketability of our properties.

Our long-term vision is to expand in mainland China while continuing to invest in our home market of Hong Kong, with the aim of becoming a property developer of the highest quality in both markets.