Don’t say you’re funny. Tell me a joke.

One of the biggest problems with companies trying to "engage" employees with their brands, is the tendency of their leaders to say one thing, then do the opposite. Like the global brand director I saw preaching the need for his brand to simplify peoples’ lives by presenting a mind-melting 100 page Powerpoint deck to his team. Or all those banks and mobile phone networks promising to love their customers and then making us waste hours navigating our way through a maze of robotic call centre menus ("Press 1 for current accounts, 2 for deposit accounts or 3 to shout and swear like a maniac at a human being because you’re so pissed off")

The Engaging Brand Blog has a mini-manifesto with 10 more examples of doing one thing, then saying another.

The key to true engagement of both customers and employees is to say less, and do more. Actions speak MUCH louder than words. So, stop trying to tell people you’re funny, crack a joke. Don’t promise to care for customers, show them your care. Be like Pret a Manger, who actually used a customer feedback form (rather than stuffing them in draw) to improve their soup. Rather than trying to "green-wash" people, change your sourcing to make it more environmentally friendly like Ben & Jerry’s.

5-Minute Workout: what promises are you making to employees but not delivering against through your actions (you may need more then 5 minutes for this one!)? How could you either change what you say, or change what you do so the two are consistent?