Do you think about your organization as a business or as a brand? A brand is a powerful symbol that can impact your business. A brand speaks more to your identity, values, and customer expectations when they interact with your business. A powerful brand tells your story. As part of our foundational refocus, we put substantial energy into clearly defining our brand.
We achieved this by being very intentional about the experiences that people can expect from us, whether customers, vendors or team members. We developed four clear noncommodified promises, and they are proudly displayed on the wall in our boardroom and incorporated around our signature projects and our pitch deck presentations.
When you work with Connect you can expect:
1 Truly innovative design that inspires
2. That we deliver on our commitments and communicate with clarity
3. That we prioritize sustainability, and
4. Exceptional personalized service
We also found that reinforcing the connection between our brand promises and our culture has engaged and motivated our team. At Connect, our culture is one of inspiration and fostering a solution-focused spirit of engagement.
‘Connect’ is not simply a word in our name. It is the foundation of who we are and what we do. The name ‘Connect’ reinforces connecting with each other, our clients, and our communities but most importantly to our vision and why we chose this profession – to connect with nature.
When you work with Connect, you know what we stand for and what we offer as a brand. Like our brand promises, our culture statement is also decaled on the wall in our studio for us all to see, and for us to live by.
‘Our commitment to our craft inspires a curious, creative, and solution-focused approach. We truly believe our potential is limitless.’
Keeping our brand promises as pillars of our organizational behaviour has allowed us to operate consistently and intentionally. Our people and customers’ feedback has reinforced that we are on the right path. We are a brand, and I could not be prouder.
If you have not taken the time to define your promises to your customers clearly, I encourage you to do that. Very few things drive alignment around expectations than clearly defined promises. Your customers will love you for it, and so will your team!
ABOUT CONNECT LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
Connect LA is a full-service landscape architecture firm based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Over 35 years of award-winning success make us a recognized leader in the design and transformation of healthy, vibrant communities. Our diverse portfolio in planning, design and creation of livable places for people is exemplified by our passion for landscape, love for our craft, and through our vision – to connect people to nature through meaningful design.
WRITTEN by Ken Larsson
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