Page 75 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win

THE WHY OF WORK

Organizations also have identities and project images that
shape the perceptions of both customers and employees. We
call an organization’s signature strengths its capabilities—
what that organization does best in the service of its core
purposes. Perhaps part of the success of The Bourne Identity
as a novel and a movie was its ability to capture the crisis we
all face when our personal identity is at odds with that of an
organization we once trusted and devoted ourselves to.
On a lighter note, Dave once did some consulting for
Harley-Davidson, and the company kindly gave him a
Harley-Davidson signature leather jacket. The jacket embod-
ied all it meant to be Harley-Davidson: tough, fast, wild, and
hard around the edges. Dave had fun wearing the jacket
because it changed how others perceived him. No more
Mister Nice Guy! Then our quiet, academically oriented
16-year-old daughter found the jacket. She wore it to school
one day. She came home and said, “I met guys today I never
knew existed before.” We hid the jacket!
Harley owners have an identity that shows up in their
clothes and actions. They are proud of their affiliation with
the Harley brand, which aligns with their desired identity
and values. Companies can spend millions of dollars cre-
ating and communicating these brand identities through
creative marketing. Nike’s swoosh stands for athletes in
action; Walmart trucks and ads carry the slogan “always low
prices”; the BP tagline bears the standard for “beyond petro-
leum” as BP tries to move into alternative energy sources.
In the best companies, these public identities also translate
into management actions inside the organization. Nike’s
corporate headquarters boasts gyms, tracks, and weight
rooms, which employees are encouraged to use. Walmart

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