Growing Brand? Get Ready to Embrace Change

When it comes to growing brand, increasing revenue or building a company, everyone wants to know what works.

Organisations will invest in design, business gurus and technology in pursuit of better returns.

And this is essentially the function of business – to generate profit.

But still, even when the very solutions we seek are presented to us, we’re sometimes reluctant to embrace them.

Because as much as we want to grow, we’re still resistant to change.

We want to preserve our roles, our status and standing. Or we’re fearful of relinquishing control to someone else.

As an example, some time ago a client of mine was having difficulty with their marketing.

This was personified by brand communications that lacked consistency, clarity and well… Branding.

So I offered to develop a set of guidelines and templates, designed to help the organisation level up.

The new materials were well received, and it looked liked a brightly-lit future beckoned the brand.

However when I checked in some time later, they had reverted back to their previous standard of outreach!

Reading this you might be asking yourself, why would someone actively act counter to their interests, especially when growing brand?

Change is hard, but worth it

Well, one reason is that much of our identities are wrapped up in our jobs and our businesses. And often we’ll act to preserve our identity, no matter the cost.

If we’re among the fortunate, our work is our passion. We spend more time at work than we do at home.

And as such we willingly throw ourselves into our roles for a sense of ownership.

The difficulty comes when that sense ownership becomes compromised, either by a new system or shift in culture.

But it’s these shifts that commonly represent true growth and value in business.

When I talk strategy with a client, it’s very typical to anticipate a certain amount of pushback. Especially if I’m proposing a radical change, to how the client has operated this far.

But put simply, do what you’ve always done and you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.

Change doesn’t have to threaten the status quo, if the change is understood, embraced and appreciated.

Future business is about adaptability and responsiveness. If we can reconcile this concept, then change might be the very thing we need.

– Greg Bunbury