Check out this video where Steve Jobs explains the value of a well crafted, authentic brand. This is true for both an organizational brand and its marketing and sales efforts, but also an employment brand. Notice how he focuses on values and one thing (not features, or tech specs) that is emotional, stands the test of time, and is credible because your product or service (and employee experience) is actually reflective of those values. None of this works if it’s just marketing phrases, but done well it allows leaders to create mutually beneficial employment experiences where those who share values and purpose can come together.
Author’s 2021 update: An organizational framework like the Adaptive Flow model is one way that leaders can document what elements of organizational character and capability matter so that everyone on the team can help manifest them in ways small and large. I’d expect to see vision, mission, and values stay relatively stable over the years, but regular updates to key focus or market segments, capabilities, polarities, and of course shared wisdom changing more dynamically. The day to day execution and activities happen in the WHAT layer but the key difference is that I recommend leaders view strategies and goals as honest experiments with explicit efforts to document data, assumptions, priorities, expected shifts/outcomes ahead of time so as to minimize ego behaviours like retrospective coherence (I knew it…..). When the focus is about learning more capably as a group, and leadership is expected and developed throughout the organization, and ample role clarity and decision making authority spelled out to facilitate collaboration and speed, you end up with a much more capable organization that can both execute and adapt / invest / adjust / renew itself.
