Image 4 Branding not only designs immersive, experiential Brand spaces, we also work with our clients to find and develop their Brand Essence. It’s among the most rewarding work we do, and the most difficult.

To effectively accomplish this, we work closely with our clients’ executive and leadership teams who have the ability to see beyond today and tomorrow and take a deep dive into what the future of their business, their industry and their customers will look like.

As a result, I’ve been thinking a lot about organizational behavior, management, and the importance of individual contributors. It is because of good people doing great work at all levels that leadership can focus on what’s around the next corner.

The Now, The Near and The Far

Bill Ford, Chairman of Ford Motor Company, recently described his new CEO Bill Hackett as having a unique ability to “hold the now, the near and the far all together at one time.” This unusual turn of phrase caught my attention and reinforced how critical the activities of all team members are to building brand value into the future.

All organizations need individual contributors who are really great at the “now” (think privates and sergeants). They need to perform their core work at a high level on a daily basis.

High performing organizations also need middle managers who are good at the “now”, but also focus on the “near” (the captains). They understand the actions required tomorrow, next week and next month to keep work on-track.

Great and sustainable organizations use these middle managers to free up their leadership team to focus on the “far” (while still overseeing the “near” and the “now”.) This over-the-horizon view is critical to keep everyone moving the same direction and retain and build brand value over the long term.

What Does This Mean for Image 4?

At Image 4 we have been talent searching and are currently on-boarding new staff within this “now, near and far” framework.

We are blessed to have hired three outstanding individual contributors who will focus on the “now”: one each in graphic production, fabrication and installation. Excellence is a core Image 4 value and increasing our day to day capacity allows us to provide a high level of excellence for our clients.

We’ve also added a PMP-certified project manager who, along with the rest of our client services team, is focused on the “near” for our clients, making sure we manage expectations, course-correct, and hit all our clients’ project deadlines and deliverables.

A Focus on the Future

Building from the bottom up and adding capacity to handle the “now” and the “near” frees up our creative director and leadership team to focus on the “far.” We need to understand how our clients’ businesses and demands are changing and how their customers are interacting with their brand not only today, but two or three years from now.

How can we help develop our clients’ Brand Essence to make sure it transcends the “now” and is equally compelling in the “near” and the “far”? What will tomorrow’s customer experience require? We have a pretty good idea and will keep focused on the “far” by interviewing our clients, interacting in industry events, researching industry macro trends, and studying human behavior.

If sustainable businesses and sales growth require great leadership, Image 4 Branding is well-positioned to lead both ourselves and our clients into the future to grow sales together.

Because in tomorrow’s world, it’s going to be About the Experience®.