Dieter Veldsman is a sterling example of commitment and leadership within the Employer Branding Industry!

Employer Branding Africa recalls how, in the thick of the COVID pandemic, we reached out to a number of renowned Companies to recruit reputable Employer Branding CHRO’s and Heads of Talent to willingly partner us in hosting webinars to assist us in injecting positive direction and renewed energy into a somewhat subdued, despondent and struggling recruitment community.

Dieter Veldsman was one of those leaders who I had the privilege of recruiting on one of my panel webinars, to address “Steering Talent through our Unexpected Crisis”. In October, the success of this webinar led him to voluntarily rally his entire talent team together to partner with Employer Branding Africa on the topic of “Building an attractive brand for the post-COVID World”. I am sure I speak on behalf of many when I say that seldom do you experience such strong values and business ethics, coupled with the level of genuine humanness upon engaging with a Leader at his level.

Why I am writing this article is because I would like to appreciate and highlight the importance of Leaders going beyond the boundaries of their organisation and call of duty. Not being short-sighted to the significant impact it can have on your employer brand reputation, through investing and supporting their network of external third-party stakeholders. Employer Branding Africa stands testimony to how Dieter selflessly contributed his valued time, knowledge, and energy within the interests of the broader South African Recruitment fraternity, at a time when spirits were at an all-time low and we were all desperately navigating through the pandemic uncertainty.

Its Leaders like Dieter who, this year, inspired me to present (in both a virtual global Employer Branding event and more recently an in-person Institute of People Management Event in Namibia) on the topic, “How Companies can leverage Third Parties to build their Employer Brands”

Yes, we acknowledge the fact that Companies have worked extremely hard these past two years in repurposing and fine-tuning their Employer Value Propositions to address, reattach, and re-energise their valued employees. This, together with rebuilding their Employer Value Propositions to hold more relevance, to attracting high demand talent in a skills short market has also been on many Leaders’ agendas. All very necessary, however many companies continue to overlook and undervalue the importance of respectfully engaging and/or treating their important network of external stakeholders’ experience, forgetting the impact it can have on both their employer and personal brands. Third-party stakeholders can encompass anyone from a desperate work seeker, outsourced external party service provider or their alternate workforce (contractor, freelancer, or gig worker).

Dieter Veldsman is a case in point. He recognised that the industry could benefit from his wealth of knowledge and expertise. Shifting his busy schedule aside, he responded to my requests in partnering me in my initiatives to contribute towards the best interests of the larger labour community.

Irrespective of your leadership role, next time a third-party outsider reaches out to you, pause………….think………… and 1. Put yourself in their shoes to understand their disposition 2. Realise that the outcomes of your engagement will make a long-lasting impression on this human, your employer brand as well as your personal brand.

This quote from Dieter sticks with me

“Establish a heartset which engages and inspires”

with him encouraging his leadership team to always think human first and translate this thinking into every practice, policy, engagement, and interaction.