Quality Brand = (Who You Are + Projected Image) x Sustainable Success
What is it?
Have you earned it?
At this moment in time, do you have it?
A recent review of Forbes’ listing of “The World’s Most Valuable Brands 2014” revealed that none of you are on it… yet.
The top 10 were Apple, Microsoft, Google, Coca-Cola, IBM, McDonald’s, GE, Samsung, Toyota, and Louis Vuitton. Of the top 100, I dare to say, there’s not one brand you haven’t heard of, and there’s not one that hasn’t been around for a very long time.
Even in today’s fast-paced, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, look-at-me world, I found no listing of top brands where a “new brand” made the rankings. This finding confirms my core belief that brand is not about your big budget, your hot new slogan, your brilliant new ad, or even your recent results in the courtroom (shocker).
This confirms that your brand is first and foremost about who you are, how you project that image, and most importantly—and this is the X factor—how long you can sustain your success.
At cj Advertising, our purpose as an organization is to “Build Successful Brands and People.” We know that for brands, success means sustainability, and for people, success means growth.
My question to you: What are you doing to create sustainability for your brand and growth for your people?
Here are some options to consider as you head into 2015 and beyond:
1. Invest in growing the leaders in your organization. Send them somewhere to learn something that can grow their thinking.
2. Focus your team on finding and examining 12 things (1 per month) that your firm currently does because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” New hires are great at this.
3. Read no less than six books a year (one every two months) that will stretch your current mindset. Not all readers are leaders, but more than not, leaders are definitely readers.
4. Identify and invest time with your firm’s top 10 service partners to confirm they know how important the relationship is. (Yes, we are on that
list as well.)
5. Visit and tour two other cj firms for a perspective you may not have considered. If you’re scared, I’ll meet you there.
6. Specifically invite two other cj firms to visit and tour your office. Nothing increases progress like preparing for guests.
7. Get out of your comfort zone. Attend at least one non-lawyer conference on business growth per year.
8. Reverse your paranoia. Come to believe that everyone is out to help you; you’ll smile more.
9. Get yourself an assistant. “If you don’t have one, you are one.” –Jack Daly
10. Always, always… remember: Culture reflects leadership. Which means, YOUR culture reflects YOUR leadership!
