An Example

Here are the six brand attributes I outlined.

I worked at Lands' End in the early 1990s.

• Omnichannel Zombie = Low.
• Diversified Portfolio = Average.
• Lucky Duck = High.
• All Seeing Eye = Low.
• Merchant Prince = High.
• 3-D Chess = Low.

I worked at Eddie Bauer, way back in the late 1990s.

• Omnichannel Zombie = High.
• Diversified Portfolio = Low.
• Lucky Duck = Low.
• All Seeing Eye = Average.
• Merchant Prince = Average.
• 3-D Chess = High.

And I worked at Nordstrom in the early 2000s.

• Omnichannel Zombie = Average.
• Diversified Portfolio = Low.
• Lucky Duck = High.
• All Seeing Eye = Average.
• Merchant Prince = High.
• 3-D Chess = Average.

Look at the Lands' End profile. Merchant Prince and minimal red tape and few people playing 3-D Chess. Just don't screw up the merchandise and don't give up the Lucky Duck attribute of a folksy call center team coupled with whimsical copy. The company was bought by and absorbed by Sears, which has a different profile. Oh oh.

Eddie Bauer was the definition of an Omnichannel Zombie ... red-tape and inability to get things done. 3-D Chess was "high" ... everybody had a strategy and nobody agreed on the strategy of a co-worker. Obsessed with history. Utterly stuck. Went bankrupt (twice) in the next decade.

Nordstrom had the Lucky Duck attribute of paying employees 7% of each sale and a customer service culture (people still don't replicate the commissions even though we all know they work wonders). A merchant-dominated brand. A strategy team, but not a strategy team that stepped on anybody imposing their will. Still successful.

Profile the company you work for.

What did you learn?

How do you make a difference knowing the pros/cons of your company culture?