Destiny-Summary

Destiny describes our conceptual understanding of a given brand, its heritage, and its meaning. It is meant for internal audiences, helping them understand why the brand (or company) exists and, thereby, how they as employees fit in. Destiny is an introspective view of the brand which, as an intangible, can make it hard to define initially or during a management retreat or brainstorming session. Our natural inclination as business people will motivate us to discuss and solve the easier, more tangible challenges confronting our organizations, such how to reduce inventory by selling more widgets tomorrow. However, as these recent blog entries show, Destiny is open to some interpretation and may even seem removed from the rigors of making daily business decisions. But precision or tangibility are not deciding factors in understanding Destiny. When people discuss art, for example, a wide range of opinions ensues based on what they see, and the precise description of the artwork (it has paint; is on a canvas; people are featured; hangs on a wall…) is secondary to their interpretations of its meaningfulness to them. Similarly, with respect to Destiny, a brand may be a physical product and/or a known name, but the interpretation of its meaning for employees helps them uncover the brand’s larger significance and how they can contribute to its success. This, in turn, ultimately affects how the company makes decisions that enable the business to prosper.