In his TED talk, Simon Sinek challenges how most companies talk about themselves – long on what they do or how they do it, but short on the ‘why’ – the inspirational and aspirational opportunity to ‘lead’ the hearts and minds of their employees, customer and yes, the marketplace.
According to Sinek, Inspired organizations think, act and communicate from the inside out.
What they say (marketing) is what they do (operations) – or in other words, what is promised and what is delivered are strategically aligned.
A quick audit to see if your company’s story is compelling or differentiating enough:
Can your competitors claim the same thing? If your competitors name or logo can be substituted for yours in your marketing materials and it still works, it’s not differentiating enough.
Is your promise too generic or not specific enough?
Is your story more about your company versus your customer?
Does your promise create a clear role for your company in the lives of your customer?
Does it inspire your people as well as your prospect?
These days, the components of true leadership is defined by clarity of purpose, an inspirational vision and a cause bigger than simply the company’s bottom line. It is when all these elements are aligned that a company’s potential becomes exponential, beyond the incremental.
This post is featured in The Ammonista Report - Fall 2014: quarterly inspiration to help people and companies create brands of significance. Subscribe Here.