If I asked you what the sound of Freedom was, what would you say?  Someone singing the National Anthem?  The ringing of the Liberty Bell?  How about the sound of a Harley Davidson Motorcycle?

Living in DC, I’ve gotten used to the sight and sound of “Rolling Thunder.”  For those of you who don’t know, Rolling Thunder is the name the organization that plans the annual Ride for Freedom to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall over Memorial Day weekend.  Since their original ride in 1988, the event has grown … read more

Last night I sat down to draft a “Brand Manifesto” for one of our clients.  (A Brand Manifesto brings a brand promise to life by emotionally connecting with the audience and inspiring them to rally behind the greater meaning of the brand’s core purpose.)  My team remarked how inspired the writing was, and asked me how I did it.  Well, I thought, I guess I was inspired by memorable rhetoric I have encountered in life…The Declaration of Independence, MLK’s “I have a dream” speech, and even Jerry Maguire’s … read more

The irony of being a brander is that we like to brand things so much that we often come with new names and definitions for enduring concepts that essentially mean the same thing.   Brand terminology has gotten so out of hand that there are numerous brand dictionaries and glossaries being produced every day to help keep everything straight!   And they all need to have a catchy brand name.   I have not looked recently but I would not be surprised if there is a “Brandopedia” or “Brandossary” in the … read more

Everyone knows that Google is one of the most creative companies out there.  We love the morphing logo that celebrates St. Patrick’s Day, New Year’s and other special occasions.  Admittedly, Google has been a household name, world-wide, for a decade, but I thought it was still a bold move…and one that suits Google’s culture…to change their name to Topeka for April Fool’s Day.  (If you haven’t heard the story, Topeka, Kansas unofficially re-named their city for a month in hopes of being one of … read more

Last week at my Vistage meeting we had a fabulous speaker named Barry Deutsch.  He’s an expert in hiring the right people for companies using an outcome-based system.  He said that there are three key indicators to a stellar employee…demonstration of leadership, a track record of excellence, and their ability to adapt. 

 Just because a person has done a job well at another company does not mean that they will have the ability to do the job well at your company.  The obstacle?  Cultural fit.  How well the candidate … read more