Discover Your CEO Brand: Secrets to Embracing and Maximizing Your Unique Value as a Leader

CHAPTER 7Communicate Your Leadership Brand

A brand is a living entity—and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand small gestures.

—MICHAEL EISNER, CEO DISNEY

IN 2003, FRED COOK BECAME THE third CEO of Golin Harris in 54 years, when Al Golin stepped aside. As the baton was passed, the financial picture at Golin Harris was a bit shaky. “We had grown complacent,” recalls Cook. “We were resting on our laurels. A collaborative, friendly, and supportive culture meant that after we lost a new business pitch, you’d see a flurry of e-mails congratulating everybody for coming in second or third. We were talking about how hard we had worked. That wasn’t what I wanted.”

Cook faced a dilemma. How could he infuse a winning ...