Identity Is Destiny: Leadership and the Roots of Value Creation - Hardcover

Ackerman, Laurence D; Ackerman, Laurence D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 157675068X ISBN 13: 9781576750681

Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2000

Synopsis

In this time when "change is everything," leaders and people at all levels of organizations need guideposts to live, work and grow by - unshakable principles that can be relied upon implicitly, irrespective of how much technology and globalization drive people to change. Today, organizations and individuals alike need a compass with which to set a course that is true and that they can believe in no matter what.
In this groundbreaking book, Laurence Ackerman reveals that identity - the unique characteristics that define who we are-is such a compass. Surprisingly, Identity Is Destiny shows that organizations who are best able to adapt to change are those whose leaders understand and "invest in"-rather than change-their companies' unique identities. It is when leaders align strategic development and day-to-day operations with their company's unique, value-creating capacities that identity truly becomes destiny.
The author illustrates how identity gives rise to culture, that identity precedes strategy, and that, most important, companies like individuals, can never be other than who they are.
Ackerman describes three features that mark organizations who are led according to their true identities: grand efficiency - having all parts of the enterprise working in sync; integrity - in the sense of unity, or "wholeness;" and endurance-the possibility of the company living in perpetuity. The author goes on to provide a comprehensive blueprint for "identity-based management"-everyday decision-making and action-that reveals a path to authentic leadership.
When it is clear who a company is, Ackerman explains, everything else follows naturally: making acquisitions that fulfill their promise; hiring and retaining people who "fit in;" developing marketing and product strategies that make sense for customers and the company alike; establishing partnerships that work.

About this title

About the Author

Laurence D. Ackerman was born in New York City. He received a B.A. in English from Carnegie-Mellon University and an M.S. in communications from Boston University. He is a senior vice president of Siegel & Gale, an international consultancy specializing in business transformation through corporate brand management and interactive communications.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"To be successful as agents of change and growth, managers must recognize that identity's effects on leadership are both natural and cumulative.

The first effect that identity has on leadership is personal. Identity shifts leadership from a position-centered activity (the CEO, the head of customer service, the scoutmaster, the captain of the football team) to a way of life wherein each of us is first accountable for "leading" ourselves forward on the strength of our unique abilities. Knowing where we fit best, and where we don't fit - which business, which profession, which company - is a natural outcome of living according to one's identity.

The second effect is organizational. The presence of corporate identity (for instance, Maytag's need to improve the quality of home life) makes the institution's abillity to lead, rather than the individual's, paramount. And everyone (more to the point, everyone who fits) plays a role in helping the institution "get there."

The third effect that identity has on leadership is managerial. As a way of life, where the institution transcends the individual in importance, "leadership" becomes a comprehensive approach for managing a company, where the overarching aim is to realize its value-creating potential. From this perspective, a corporation's identity informs everything from strategy and organization to culture and operations.

Leadership is not about personal gain: making more money and getting recognition from others. Leadershiip isn't a reward. Leadership is an absolute obligation to live and grow through identity - your organization's and your own." (Chapter 9, Realizing the Promise of Identity-Based Management).

Edition details

• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 157675068X
• ISBN 13: 9781576750681
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240