The Creation Story: Make the Past the Key to the Future
When I got tired of asking my clients “who are you?” I started asking them “why are you?”. What’s the reason you are the way you are and do what you do? Then things started to get interesting. I’ve found that one of the best ways to answer that question is to go back to the earliest beginnings of the organization - the moment of conception if you will – to understand the formative values and beliefs. More often than not, those values are still operating in some measure, deep in the reflexive culture, and may be the most authentic thing to build the brand on. The creation story, linked to the present, can be a powerful credibility builder, especially inside the organization where employees are the first to apply the “stink test” to things like a new brand promise.
Sometimes the original values are still dominant; sometimes they’ve been eroded over time by the distraction of shifting leadership priorities. In either case, there are great lessons to be learned from asking the question: what mattered most as we were created, and how might this shape who we are now?
Some companies started as pioneers and have deep roots as ground-breakers. They value people who question the orthodoxy, challenge assumptions and push the traditional models. A large professional services firm I work with is a great example. Something in their genetic make-up has made them question the accepted ways of doing things, which started in the work of their founder. This DNA quietly operates in the background of everything they do. By bringing it to the foreground they can now explain – to themselves and to clients - a lot of choices they made over the years. “That’s us being pioneers as usual”.
Others, formed by bringing together parts and making them work – can develop an openness to difference and learn the skills to align disparate interests. A large regional hospital had a creation story like this and as a result, is among the best in the province at working with community service providers and fellow regional health care organizations because their values include working well with outsiders to achieve their mission. This memory had been lost over time, but by reminding them of it, we were able to bring that capability back to the forefront of how they see themselves, and give their brand promise greater credibility.
A common creation story is about the independent spirit of the family business, a trait that can persist long after founders have moved on. In these settings a questioning, even contrary-minded culture can form. The Goodmans at
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival which has recently undergone a transformation in leadership and vision is working to get back to the values that were operating when it was launched in a canvas tent so many decades ago: bring the classics to life with such mastery that you create profound personal experiences for everyone who takes part. Looking to their roots is not a move backwards, but rather a way to help them see how they are relevant to modern audiences.
Every organization has a creation story: political parties, universities, giant corporations, theatre companies, and of course countries and cities. The art of the creation story is not just to tell it, but to fast-forward it into modern values that will resonate with customers and clients as central to your brand promise – as the bedrock; that thing that has always been true about you. This story, and its modern day so-what, can galvanize and inspire employees and reassure and motivate customers. It is one of the most powerful tools I’ve used in my work and it is always an exciting discovery.
