Customer Reviews

Identity Is Destiny: Leadership and the Roots of Value Creation

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Identity is Destiny is surprising in several ways. The depth of its business content becomes quickly apparent, challenging the reader's thinking beyond common theories about the importance of identity for organizations. Real-life examples of the Laws of Identity are included with every chapter. The book then touches the reader individually in a surprising and wonderfully unexpected way, creating a connection with the author that feels quite personal--you feel you know Mr. Ackerman in a way not normally associated with such a work. Finally, you get swept-up in the pure prose of the work and realize that Mr. Ackerman's talents do not stop at mastery of business identity but extend to excellent and enjoyable writing as well. An important book for all these reasons, and just plan good to read.

Mr. Ackerman educates the reader through his relentless search for the souls of company after company -- what makes these major corporations tick, how each one "creates value" in a unique way, and what a leader must do to turn on the potential of a company. This business of identity should be Consideration #1 when motivating employess, assessing acquisiitons, funding research programs, etc. The essence is: does it really fit? The value of the book became apparent when I got to Chapter 3 or 4, and from there it was not-stop reading. The book wiil change forever how you view your company, your competition, and the corporate world at large.

"A Way of Being"

Identity is Destiny transcends business. It is a treatise on potentiality.

The thesis - that corporate entities manifest similar humanistic, value creating characteristics as those of individuals - is wholly unique and is hammered home in each of the lucid case histories presented . In so doing, Ackerman breathes fresh air into what traditionally has been perceived by stakeholders as a "lifeless" arena.

Ackerman's prose is personal and engaging. The author's incisive mind cuts to the heart of what makes organizations tick. His approach to unearthing "the golden nugget" is not only original, but also highly relevant. This reviewer has even been able to put into practice a few of the laws offered up!

Above all, the book is personally enriching. Identity is Destiny amounts to one of those rare business reads that empowers the reader to reflect on his larger self and place in the world.

Written for Business Executives, this book will help you understand the dynamics between corporate identity and value creation in business. Lawrence D. Ackerman believes that the true strength of an organization is reflected in its identity, and its ability to use its identity to drive the creation of products and services that provide value to customers. Ackerman posits that there should be a cycle between the identity of the company and the profit it generates. The wealth produced by the identity of the organization should feed back into the identity that creates it. The author has outlined a set of guidelines to identify value for the organization. Ackerman calls them the Laws of Identity. For example:
1. The Law of Being: "Any organization composed of one or more human beings is alive in its own right, exhibiting distinct physical, mental and emotional capacities that derive from, but do not transcend, the individuals who make up that organization."
2. The Law of Individuality: "An organization's human capacities invariably fuse into a discernible identity that makes that organization unique."
3. The Law of Constancy: "Identity is fixed, transcending time and place, while its manifestations are constantly changing."

As a desinger, I've always searched for the essence of my client's being. How they speak about themselves, what their mission is and how that vision should drive the image, logo, identity program that I help them to create. Ackerman's awareness of the essence of this process, and in fact the depth to which it is important, for each of us, as well as each organization has never been delineated in such an articulate way. Brilliant, and personal. Worth reading and rereading.

"Identity is Destiny" has been exceptionally useful for me in formulating elements of our organization's strategic planning initiative. One of our worries is that half of organizations never implement their strategies. Reading the "Laws of Identity" helped me realize how important it is for strategic themes to be consistent with the identity of the organization. This awarenesss has triggered some vital and thought-provoking conversations about what characteristics constitute our identity. This book easily stands out from the crowd in terms of utility and insight.

The ability to stick to a core set of values and at the same time be sufficiently adaptable to meeting changing situations is the secret to success for any organization. To discover the ingredients of this secret, read this fine book by Ackerman.

"Identity Is Destiny" simultaneously provokes the simplicity and complexity of leadership thought driving behavior. Having the current privilege of working with Larry, I am witness to his beliefs in action -- his preaching is his practice, and learnings from his book are proving themselves. Thoughtful and hopeful, I would recommend this book to all leaders, real and imagined.

This book is an important contribution to the discussion of brand strategy. Many have written about the notion of "internal branding." But something was missing from that conversation without this book. What Ackerman so eloquently clarifies is that groups, like individuals, crave a sense of identity and purpose. And we want to know how our individual and collective outputs (the value we create) align with that identity and purpose. A clear, shared sense of identity is the most important factor in energizing a company to achieve its objectives. Ackerman argues this premise very effectively.

What he does not do is address implementation thoroughly. I would love to read more about his notion of "identity-based management" in practice - case studies, for example, relating to organizational development, brand strategy, and marketing communications. That said, I loved the book and hope to read more from Mr. Ackerman in the future.

Identity as Destiny embraces organizational identity, personality, and being as more than metaphor. The Critical Realist tradition as exemplified by Margaret Archer could lead to similar conclusions, but this book works more at an experiential level that one can relate to, as opposed to philosophical or sociological theory. The book is more felt than heard.

It is interesting that identity cuts across other aspects of human development. Spiral Dynamics and other developmental systems discuss the need of integration of different people at different developmental levels. Suggested solutions align levels of development with types of tasks. Personality systems aim for similar alignment.

Identity may be more fundamental to global alignment than these other approaches, because it can make up for imperfection by offering something that an entire organization can align with regardless of personality type or level of development.