It's not always obvious to see when you're making an impact, but knowing what you're trying to measure is a good start.

If you know me at all, you know I love metaphors. Lovelovelove them!!! So when I see an article by Bud Caddell (my favorite organizational management thinker) with his 8 favorite metaphors for organizations, I eat that up like it's dessert.

What's the line? Nothing may happen for a decade, but then a decade can happen in a week? We're living in a VUCA world. All the conversations we've been having below the water line around the purpose of a company, the why, the change the company is trying to make in the world, has suddenly become THE conversation.

One of the reasons why I always dig Bud Caddell's stuff is that he's a "culture guy" who comes from business. There's not much "fuzzy-bunny" thinking with him. This article on strategy and culture post-Covid is a longer read, but there are layers to consider. One it can help you see how own business might respond. Two, it might give you ideas on how to embed your brand into your evolving culture. Three, how can you evolve your own employer branding function, treating it like an independent consulting service within your company.

“The analysis reveals that there is no correlation between the cultural values a company emphasizes in its published statements and how well the company lives up to those values in the eyes of employees. All of the correlations between official and actual values were very weak, and four of the nine — collaboration, customer orientation, execution, and diversity — were negatively correlated.” Ouch.