Identity Is Destiny: Leadership and the Roots of Value Creation

Laurence Ackerman is a consultant who specializes in "corporate identity." While this concept has been around for 50 years, he notes, these days it often encompasses little more than names, symbols, and slogans. Ackerman believes a deeper meaning, one more akin to that defining human identity, should instead be applied in order to tap its true potential. This, he argues, will result in crafting a positive "governing force" that completely shapes an organization and determines the relationship it enjoys with stakeholders. Identity Is Destiny primarily consists of eight "laws" that Ackerman suggests a company must understand before uncovering its true identity and implementing a total operational philosophy that is based upon it. To illustrate these key principles (i.e., organizations are alive, unique, and constant, but growing; true direction and natural drive must be determined before successful strategies can be formulated), he mixes details from his own life with examples from companies with which he has worked (including Upjohn, Maytag, and Korn/Ferry International). Not everyone will agree, or see how it can be applied to his or her own businesses. But those who do will find ideas that could enhance their leadership efforts. --Howard Rothman