Summary

Many teams treat the brand story as a founder tale. It falters in practice because buyers must retell it to build consensus. The enduring approach is a decision‑ready, retellable story held in one shared structure. That turns intent to grow into shorter cycles, cleaner handovers, and rising trust.

→ Watch more videos in this playlist on YouTube

Our Perspective

What this means for leaders navigating growth, change or transformation in their organisation.

The Decision Lens

A brand story isn’t your biography; it’s a decision tool. In complex deals, people rarely buy alone. They compare, socialise, and justify. What carries through that process isn’t your origin moment, it’s a narrative that others can repeat with confidence. That’s why clarity beats charm. Edelman via Axios notes a harsh backdrop: seven in ten people think business leaders intentionally mislead them, and trust in chief executives has fallen by 21% since 2021. In this climate, a story must not only resonate; it must stand up to internal scrutiny when you’re not in the room.

Retellable By Design

Design your story for portability, not performance. Ask: would a budget holder, a risk lead, and a functional sponsor all be able to restate this without help?

• Name the cost of inaction in plain terms—what worsens if nothing changes, and for whom.
• Link value to operational outcomes—time saved, risk reduced, revenue secured—so return on investment is obvious.
• Offer a credible proof path—pilot, milestones, decision gates—so risk feels managed.
• Use simple, consistent language so any stakeholder can make the case faithfully.

When buyers can lift your story and run with it, momentum builds across the organisation.

The Operational Backbone

A retellable story needs a shared structure inside your organisation. Most organisations we work with discover the issue isn’t creativity—it’s coherence. Sales, marketing, product, and leadership often emphasise different truths. The fix is a common frame that guides every pitch, page, and proposal—what you solve, for whom, why it matters now, how it works, and what happens next.

Treat this frame as an operating asset. Keep a single source of truth, version it deliberately, and review it against live deals. Equip teams with short talk tracks and a one-page narrative map. When the structure is stable, teams stop improvising, and buyers encounter the same logic at every touchpoint.

Leadership Implications

This is a leadership choice as much as a messaging exercise. Three practical moves accelerate impact:

• Decide the enemy: the status quo you help customers escape, named clearly and respectfully.
• Codify trade-offs: what you won’t do or say, so teams prioritise the same story.
• Measure adoption: track how often the narrative appears in proposals, win reviews, and board packs.

Clarity here reduces rework and shortens cycles because internal agreement precedes external persuasion.

Compounding Advantage

When your story is retellable, two effects compound. Externally, champions win the room without you. Internally, focus rises as teams align to one argument. Over time, language stops decorating activity and starts directing it—turning narrative discipline into a quiet advantage that shows up in conversion, referrals, and belief.

Sources:

• Trust in CEOs erodes, new report shows — Edelman via Axios

Further Resources

1. Understanding Brand: The Foundation for Organisational Decisions
2. Aligning Brand Awareness with Business Growth
3. How CEOs Align Brand and Strategy for Success

Every organisation hits brand questions it can’t solve alone — if you’d like an outside perspective, we’re here. Let’s talk.

Back to top