Identity is Destiny

The Big Idea

Is your company suffering from an identity crisis?

Corporate identity goes deeper than simply having a logo design updated, or hiring an agency to
create a snappy tagline and ad campaign. Organizations can achieve their full potential by living
according to their true identity. The core values create a corporate identity that every individual in the organization should believe in and stand up for. A logo design may be updated with every
passing trend, but core values and practices are timeless and transcend the organization.


Who are we? What do we stand for?

Organizations that are rudderless, or going in every direction the wind blows, need to seriously
rethink their core identity. This means you are in business because of something deeper than
profit. If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. Leaders need to recognize
corporate identity has a lot to do with your company values and everyday practice, more than the hip new brand image.

For a stronger, healthier sense of who you are, read two chapters every night,
and meet your leaders in the morning.

Drawing on years of experience consulting for a wide range of clients such as Fidelity
Investments, Maytag and Alcoa, Laurence Ackerman shares how these organizations developed
their potential to the fullest, with fresh ideas and concrete strategies for maximizing value-creating
potential.

The Identity Credo

I am alive. I am unique. I am immutable, even as I grow and evolve. To truly live,
I must express myself fully, and in this regard have much to give. To do so I need
others, and am most productive with those who need me in return. To establish
these relationships, I must first be recognized for who I am, and it follows then
that I will receive in accordance with what I give.

The Eight Laws of the Identity Credo

• The Law of Being I am alive
Any organization composed of one or more human beings is alive in its own right,
exhibiting distinct physical, mental, and emotional capacities that derive from, but
transcend, the individuals who make up that organization over time.

• The Law of Individuality I am unique
An organization’s human capacities invariably fuse into a discernible identity that makes
that organization unique.

• The Law of Constancy I am immutable, even as I grow and evolve.

To be Contd.