How to transform your brand by changing one word.

We use the word success to describe the outcome of our efforts. It’s how we have been conditioned. We measure the impact we have by it. Did we achieve success?

There is nothing wrong with success as a measure. It just doesn’t capture everything that our brand can accomplish.

Reorienting the brand

In the for-profit world, success is associated with financial gain. Unfortunately, it is too often the sole definition.

Here’s the problem with that. Financial gain is a very inward-focused measurement. That can lead to us putting our needs ahead of those we hope to serve. When that happens, we may achieve success in the short term. But it is unlikely that we will sustain that success.

An extreme example is the payday lender. It may reach its goals of financial success. But all too often, that’s accomplished by trapping its customers in a cycle of debt. So is the payday lender achieving success? Within the narrow definition of financial gain, you would say yes. But step back and take a broader look. The payday lender is under constant threat of regulation and is relentlessly demonized by society. It is a business that relies on the misfortune of others. When we consider all that, we have a harder time believing it has achieved success.