So far in class, we seem to have focused more on how to develop our personal reputation, and less on how corporate reputation is created and evolves.  In different stories Bob Tuschman told us, it is obvious that he feels the responsibility of making sure his public persona is consistent with the Food Network culture.  This is most apparent in the story about Bob rushing to his flight and being stopped by his fans.  He wanted to run off, but felt that he can’t act inconsistent with the Food Network image.  I am sure that, in addition to what we see on television, if every Food Network celebrity and executive has the same sense of ownership that Bob has, it’s no wonder that the network has such a strong and consistent image/reputation.

When Bob described the culture at the Food Network – respectfulness, cordial, no egos, creative, collaborative – it was of no surprise to me.  Then he listed the eight core values – integrity, diversity, humor, work/life balance, openness, compassion & support, clarity in communication, and shared responsibility.  As a long-time viewer of the Food Network, I kind of had the reaction of “isn’t that obvious?”.  Before Monday, my only experiences with the network were the television shows.  My reaction indicates to me that the shows portrayal, as well as the celebrities’ personalities/shows/coverage, are consistent with the corporate image.  As Bob stated, “the talents are the network and the brand”.  After having Bob as an additional touch point, the corporate reputation of the Food Network is strengthened even more.

Bob calls himself a “brand steward” of the Food Network, and that everyone at Food Network is a brand steward of not only the network, but also of its parent – Scripps Networks Interactive.  This is the main reason, and the result of, the emphasis on culture.  In my experience, companies with strong cultures never need to explicitly state their cultures, they just comes through.  One of the best ways to reinforce and build this is by hiring the right people, i.e. the touch points for the external constituency.  According to Bob, the Food Network has a “no asshole” policy.  When interviewing potential hires, Bob asks himself “Who do I want to work with?” and “Who do I want to sit next to?”  This is in line with my personal philosophy on interviewing.

When I conduct an interview, I focus on the culture fit, and whether the candidate has the personal characteristics that my firm values.  For me, these traits include loyalty, integrity, dedication, family values, pride in their work, etc. In my mind, skills can be gauged with the resume and references, or in worst cases, can be fine-tuned/ developed/ improved.  However, personal traits are difficult to change/develop.  The venture capital firm I worked at had such a strong culture, and everyone has such long tenures, that it was very much a family.  I was surprised the first time the Chairman asked me to spend time with a vice president candidate, just to make sure that she will ‘fit in and be happy’ at the firm.  I strongly believe that, for a firm to have a strong culture, much of it depends on whom it hires, and also whom it lets go and whom it keeps.

As we search for jobs, we often focus on how a company’s corporate reputation would affect our personal reputation.  But, it is equally important to keep in mind how our personal reputation would affect an employer’s corporate reputation, since we make up the touch points and are what the companies’ customers experience.  Bob mentioned that he does what I fondly call “back-door reference checks” on every candidate he considers.  At the same time, many job seekers, such as myself, also conduct extensive reference checks on the hiring managers and interviewers before job-related meetings.  Personal and corporate reputations really are intertwined, especially when either of them is strong.  To me, this just reinforces the importance of finding an employer that aligns with my personal values, and one that I would be proud to have my personal reputation associate with.