The best brands and the best leaders are inseparable from each other in a certain way. They leverage their strengths and hold each other to a higher level of expectation and performance. Leaders embody their brands; brands reflect their leaders. Yet, the best also aren’t one and the same.
Some easy examples are Steve Jobs & Apple, Howard Schultz & Starbucks, or Sir Richard Branson and his far-flung Virgin empire.
They grew their brands because they breathed life into them. They had a passion, made it part of the culture and operation. They did the hard work of standing for something and building the company around that vision. They imparted their values and their high expectations — and they built sustainable brands that will last and thrive long after they’re gone.
They also were careful to ensure that their brands weren’t solely built in their image and their personality. Great leaders of great brands have their own personal brand, and they don’t let it supercede the greater good. That would damage the life of the brand they worked so hard to build; brands built solely on personality don’t survive once the leader’s gone.
I saw the interconnectedness first-hand last week while sitting in with some colleagues at a marketing firm owners’ group meeting in Mission Viejo, California. (Side note: completely enjoyed the sunny 65 degree day with the windows open and thankful I wasn’t experiencing the 20-below windchill back home in Wisconsin that day!).
We had 10 firms all in various stages of that leader/brand symbiosis. Looking at the people in the room, though, I was struck at how their brands are defined through them. Some hadn’t yet completely defined themselves as individuals or their companies, and that was apparent. One puts finance first and is left grasping at straws for a sense of purpose. Another went a bit too far embracing the purpose while not getting paid the full value for their work. Others and their company brands were completely inseparable and they were working to widen the gap so that they could eventually sell the company…a smart move.
But those with the clearest sense of purpose knew what they wanted and expected of themselves and their company brands. They had a clear separation of the two, yet had done a good job developing a symbiotic relationship in which the leader’s personal brand and vision gave life to the company brand. And the company brand, in turn, expected a good, strong and disciplined leader to protect it and nurture it.
None of that happens, though, unless the leader spends some time establishing their own sense of purpose and their own “personal brand.”
A few years ago, a business associate of mine introduced me to something he called the Life Map. It’s a good tool for establishing purpose, which then can be used to build your personal brand. You can download a copy of it here.
Basically, it’s three columns. Begin on the right side, and lay out how you’d like to be remembered at the end of your life in each category (family & friends, business, financial and personal). It’s kinda like writing your own obituary…but remember to write descriptions of yourself, not “things” you’ve done or will do. Then, in the middle column, write down your “bucket list” —things you’d like to do in your life that will drive toward the right-side column. Then, in the far left, write down things you WILL DO this year (you can us items from the bucket list).
Then, carry it with you in a notebook or on your iPad. Look at it every day. Those around you will have a clearer sense of what you stand for, without you even telling them. And for yourself, it will keep your passion alive AND give you a sense of accomplishment.
Then, you’ll be ready and strong enough to continue to build your own personal brand while giving life to a sustainable brand culture for your company that will last long after you.
That’s what legacies are made of.
