Sable&Hawkes: Brand Sense. What happens when brand leadership is inconsistent

When a leadership team describes the business in different ways, it creates more than a wording problem.

If the CEO says one thing, the COO says another, and the board uses a third version, people are left trying to work out what actually matters. That can weaken trust with clients and stakeholders. It can give staff mixed signals and can communications feel less joined up than they should be.

This usually comes back to one thing: the core story of the business has not been properly agreed, owned or used consistently by leadership. Brand is not just a logo, a visual system or a set of words. At its best, it gives a business direction and clarity. It helps people understand what matters, where the organisation is going, and how decisions should be made.

But for that to feel real, leadership has to lead it. Not just approve it or launch it. Lead it.

A useful test is to ask:
Do leaders tell a broadly consistent story?
Do staff know what matters most?
Do decisions reflect the priorities being talked about?
Would a new recruit get the same picture from different senior people?

If the answer is no, the business may not need better wording. It may need better alignment.
Because a strong brand is not just something leadership signs off. It is something they help define, explain and live.

For more information contact:
Sable&Hawkes
adrian@sableandhawkes.co.uk
07712 270 198