by Christine Leuthold

Just as with people, an organization’s real-time routines and surroundings should enrich the values and goals that embody the brand. With that, you get alignment and focus for the journey forward. So consider your organization and how people experience your messaging?

• Does your brand genuinely reflect who you are and where you want to go?
• Are there bridges between your brand and your organization’s systems and networks?
• Are you taking advantage of directing your brand message to key stakeholders?

Clever doesn’t sell anymore. In fact, it may create suspicion. Clarity, integrity and authenticity are what count. The messages we send to our stakeholders, whether they are customers, investors, donors or staff, should reach across departments and disciplines. While this is not a daunting task, it also isn’t one that happens without putting certain systems in place The process takes intent and focus of effort to allow the different elements to come together to support each other. Just like Aesop’s bundle of sticks. What does work is bringing the human element into business cultures.

Being aware of the parallel between the organizations and individuals can make the “why” of this easier to understand. Christine Leuthold started her career doing brand development for Ralph Lauren and afterwards, for other organizations. As the millennium came, she expanded her focus to quality of life for individuals on the home front, resulting in her critically-acclaimed book Comfort Living: A Back to Basics Guide to a More Balanced Lifestyle.

Her goal was to offer an easy-to-use tool that would enable readers to tap into a more balanced lifestyle. Simply put, (insert definition here), is essentially one’s personal brand. The language may be different, but the principles that apply on an individual level easily translate to organizations and larger communities.

C Insight Group’s approach goes beyond the written and spoken word, to the often untapped visual and subliminal elements that are found in an organization’s day to day operations. The result is straightforward and cross-functional, with the central focus on creating connections across disciplines that reinforce the core identity, build community and promote lasting growt

So… is your brand doing it’s job??