Refreshing your business narrative post-Brexit

Turn the clock back to May 2016 – ancient history in the internet era, and a different world if you are a UK business.

The British economy is topping all European charts and doing well on a global basis, experiencing near full employment and attracting new investment every day. A key reason: the country is seen as a beacon of stable, moderate government with sensible fiscal policies putting the UK on a secure financial footing.

It contains one of the world’s greatest and most exciting cities, which is acting as a magnet to pull in the best and brightest from everywhere in everything. It gives companies easy access to Europe and indeed the whole world while being in the best time zone. Then, of course, there’s English.

There is a sense of a confident, moderate, tolerant and sensible population in a place which seems to contrast with the chaos in much of the rest of the world, including Europe.

Being British was great for business. This reputation created a halo effect for all of us. Oh happy days.

However, as we know, the thorns beneath this rosy picture soon became the story. And they continue to create pain for most businesses in the UK.

A new story?

At the centre of the current whirlwind there is a vacuum. What’s clearly needed is a new narrative of the UK which sets out a clear vision for the country and redefines its focus and reputation.

For British businesses this narrative is a critical part of their own story, especially if they associate themselves with the UK as a core part of their brand. Even if this is not part of your strategy, the reverse of the halo effect is true: you may well be tainted by the perception of chaos and uncertainty surrounding Brand UK.

So what can you do if you lead a company in this situation right now?

It feels like we need to start again. Except, of course, we don’t.

The key to a strong strategic narrative is that it is true and authentic. It must look at the big picture to frame everything in terms of a clear and exciting agenda, so that greatness can be amplified and even bad news fits within a well understood context.

Most of what was true about the UK three years ago ago remains true today. This is the foundation for a refresh, not a rewrite. The context has changed but the fundamentals have not.

Long term, these core strengths remain exactly that and it is critical, in my view, that all firms and organisations out there telling their own story continue to emphasise these truths. If we all roll our eyes when Brexit is mentioned abroad we’re doing the country a disservice.

However, in addition I suggest it is important to have real leadership clarity and a strong company narrative so that everyone in your business and with whom you deal understand your strategy and the direction you’re taking.

There is a lot of uncertainty right now on an operational level, but if you are clear on your bigger story this can be framed as short-term turbulence which you – because of your greatness as an organisation and clarity of leadership – can tackle.

It may well be that the fundamental strengths of the UK form part of your core brand or product story. If so, don’t be scared to say so. They’re there anyway – make a virtue of them. This may give you an advantage compared to others focused on the challenges and risks. Your narrative should be about leadership in the marketplace and this is part of that role.

The GREAT Britain campaign continues to support this effort. It would be GREAT when and if we have political leadership that also acts with a clear, articulated vision. In the meantime businesses have to get on and fill the gap with their own powerful narrative. In an ideal world this would be a connected effort so that there’s a consistent story echoing big British virtues.

Unfortunately, there are two words which once might have been the right ones to use about the UK, but have now been ruled out as part of this new story: strong and stable.