The buzz word is "brand". Every company, product or service needs one. (So do individuals - a topic Janice takes on in her article below.) In order to create a brand, we first have to know what a "brand" is. I thought I was pretty savvy...until I sat down and tried to define it. I was all over the place and suddenly, "brand" was my "pornography". I couldn't define it but I knew it when I saw one.

We're fortunate that Patrick Barwise and Sean Meehan didn't have the same challenge in defining "brand". In their December 2010 Harvard Business Review article, "The One Thing You Must Get Right When Building a Brand", the authors share results from their analyses of the strategies and performance of a diverse range of companies. They provide us with a clear picture of the four fundamental qualities that great brands share:

1. They offer and communicate a clear, relevant customer promise. (It's what we tell our customers they can expect from us, our products and our services.)
2. They build trust by delivering on that promise. (For example, when I think of Southwest Airlines, I immediately think fun, informal, value. I'm not disappointed - for example, the delivery of safety info is entertaining and the airline doesn't charge for ticket changes.)
3. They drive the market by continually improving the promise. (Witness their Idea Runway, an internal site designed to streamline innovation and collaboration.)
4. They seek further advantage by innovating beyond the familiar. (For example, Southwest's alliance with Facebook to help people donate miles to children in need.)

How Do We Stack Up?

Once I read the above, I began to wonder if we were still on track. Sure, we've all thought about it (no one more diligently that our managing partner, Kris Campbell) and there have been many discussions, some into the night. Still, when it comes to those four fundamental qualities, how do we stack up? As it turns out, I think pretty well.

1. We promise that if "you bring effort to understand, foster and deliberately practice BoldWork, you'll experience a more satisfying, motivating, productive and purposeful engagement with your work." This is relevant because work is such a big part of our life and part of our personal identity.
2. We build trust through the experiences our clients have with us and our products and services. These experiences are consistently authentic and productive. We use our own, real work life experience, combined with respected, reliable research, to create our products and services.
3. We proactively update and redesign our products and services, in response to changing client needs. And as trusted advisors, consultants and coaches, we commit to our own lifelong personal and professional development.
4. We continue to challenge habitual ways of thinking and doing. We create often, we innovate continuously. We are always looking for the great "aha" moment.

Five years ago, when we launched our new Challenge It Now logo, it was the beginning of a new adventure. Now, with the creation of BoldWork, the adventure continues. We invite you to join us.