Corporate Metamorphosis  In the Billy Wilder film “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” Sidney Poitier challenges his father “You see yourself as a colored man. I see myself as a man.” The father seems confused and unable to grasp his son’s assertion. To those of us in the audience, the statement is not only reasonable but obvious.

Even if we were not told of the son’s accomplishments, both personal and professional, it’s clear that this is a mature, well spoken, intelligent man, not intimidated by anything or anyone. It’s also quite clear that while his father knows of his son’s achievements, he still sees his son through a lens shaped by their past together.

While this particular distortion is common to most parents of teenagers, it’s also evident in the board rooms and executive suites of corporations, institutions and foundations. Because those enterprises are managed by people, many with extensive histories with their particular organizations, it’s almost impossible to escape the paradox of making today’s decisions based on yesterday’s conditions.

It’s natural for parents to notice physical changes and overlook emotional development as their children become adults. It is more likely that a family friend or an outsider will notice your child becoming an adult before you do. Some parents never acknowledge the change, and miss enormous opportunities for personal growth.

It’s easy for corporate officers to see themselves and their enterprises as they have been, not as they actually are today. It’s just as likely that a first generation manager will not notice when his organization has moved from a struggling competitor to a category leader, or the other way around.

This doesn’t mean that the team is unaware of its own success, but rather that success may need to be recalibrated in contemporary terms. The teams view-point can be crowded with a generation of day-to-day experiences and blocked by details of just plain survival. Team members are good at what they do, but not experienced at recognizing when the game changes. Leaders redefine the game and take it to the next level. Acting like a leader only happens when you think you are a leader.

It’s a fact of life that things change. It’s also a fact that identifying change inside an organization is much easier for an outsider. Here’s where consultants can help.

Experienced consultants recognize crucial components of culture, tradition and ritual, those elements that both initiate and shape change. Treating symptoms alone without addressing the underlying reasons behind change is like putting on a coat rather than closing the window. Yes, you’re warmer, but the furnace keeps running.

These awareness specialists can be powerful allies by identifying unacknowledged elements of change along with internal evolution. Professional observers also are critical to the smooth transference of leadership. They’re vital to sustaining growth because they can identify and articulate those qualities necessary to redefine the field on which the game is played.

If corporations, institutions and foundations are to grow and evolve, they must recognize that change is constant, like a river. They can not easily alter the force and direction of the current, but they can use its energy to move around those objects that would endanger their prosperity and move quickly forward.

Professional Observers  Essex Two is hired by many successful enterprises to develop “a new logo.” Our reputation springs from making images that our clients and their customers love. While we deeply appreciate the kind words and referrals, that is only a small portion of what we do. We are professional observers.

Our process helps to identify those qualities that define the relationship between an organization, its products and its customers. We produce trademarks and products that present the core of an organization’s character to its customers.

Before we do anything, we take a good look around – like a five-year-old when he’s told he may choose only one piece of chocolate from a box of 50. We ask a lot of questions. Again, like a five-year-old, we want to know why as much as why not.

The questions we ask are intended to generate more questions, not necessarily answers. We want to understand what the company does and how they do it. It’s far more important to appreciate the motivation behind an act then the act itself. Identifying and understanding the elements of the culture that shape an organization, and whether that understanding is consistent with the expectations of the client’s customers, is the essence of communication. And that, in essence, is what we do.

We assess the assumptions of the audience, and then propose branding and trademark concepts that position the organization to generate loyalty and commitment from its customers. The following examples illustrate our process. For more details on how our process works, visit our Web site. www.sx2.com/process.html

Knowing that Spiegel is a department store in a catalog is all about understanding what the client does and what its customers want. www.sx2.com/spiegel1.html

Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities connects a familiar and trusted brand with benevolent efforts on behalf of children. www.sx2.com/rmcc1.html

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is Where Amazing Things Happen because the people there expect excellence from themselves. www.sx2.com/ARnorth1.html

Reading worth your time:  SEED Magazine...Science is driving popular culture unlike ever before. SEED is redefining science’s place in popular culture. From current events, to the arts, politics to entertainment, SEED seeks out the ideas, trends and icons that are influencing science’s place in culture and culture’s place in science

Next month:  Changing Brands