John Teets, former Greyhound Corp. chairman and current CEO at Viad once said ...
"Management's job is to see the company not as it is ... but as it can become."
As a marketingologist with the Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice, I give companies “Second Opinions” about the business and marketing activities they are currently doing or considering doing.
Interesting quote. Of course, in today's world, I think we also need to know what it is today to make sure we know what to do to make it what it can become.
"Management's job is to know *both* what the company is *and* what it can become" might be my thought on the matter.
-C
Posted by: CH | October 01, 2007 at 02:51 PM
"The brand isn't what YOU say it is. The brand is what THEY say it is."
Posted by: Jeffry Pilcher | October 02, 2007 at 01:21 PM
Intersting. I've always looked at it this way: Management tends to focus on mission while leadership focuses on vision. In that regard therefore, management looks at things as they are while leadership looks at things as they could be. What do you think?
Posted by: Herman Najoli | October 02, 2007 at 02:45 PM
Great line Herman ... Management tends to focus on mission while ledership focuses on vision. Well said.
Posted by: johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy) | October 02, 2007 at 03:11 PM
That's exactly the kind of feel-goodery, fluffy, ambiguous quote that leads management down the terrible – yet terribly enticing – path of line-extension. How many a great (great?) manager has eroded the core brand by adding conflicting brands, simply in the name of "seeing the business as it can become"?
My quote: management's job is to focus everyone involved with the brand on a single objective: what made us strong; what will make us strong in the future. If the answers to those two questions are not the same, then their brand could very well be headed for trouble.
Posted by: Ben Bacon | October 03, 2007 at 01:58 PM