The Gap Between Saying and Doing
Why knowing who you are isn’t enough
We talk about brand clarity like it’s the holy grail—as if once you nail your positioning, your problems are solved. But clarity is just a frame. Strategy is motion.
And motion demands something more.
Because when the market shifts, when the pressure hits, when the playbook breaks—clarity alone won’t hold.
What holds is character.
On Conviction
Identity is a statement. Character is a pattern.
You can articulate your purpose, write a mission statement, plaster your values on a wall. But unless your behavior consistently reinforces that identity under pressure, it doesn’t matter.
Plenty of businesses know what they stand for—until it costs them. Until the market shifts. The budget tightens. The competitor copies.
Then what?
Clarity without conviction collapses. That’s the real vulnerability. And in volatile markets, the gap between what you say you are and what you actually do gets exposed quickly.
The Question
So the real question isn’t: "Do we have brand clarity?"
It’s "Do we have business character?"
Because character is what kicks in when plans fail. When conditions change. When no one's watching.
Category Leaders
Think about the brands that didn’t just survive the past decade of disruption, but came out stronger.
Patagonia walked away from massive markets to stay aligned with environmental values. Basecamp publicly capped growth and reduced scope to preserve team integrity.
They didn’t just have clear identity statements. They had operational character. The kind that shapes decisions, even when those decisions come at a cost.
The Truth
If identity is who you say you are, character is what you’re willing to uphold when the going gets tough.
That means making the right decisions under duress, reinforcing values through behavior, creating pathways that reward integrity over optics.
This isn’t about moral posturing. It’s about designing for lasting power.
The Reality
In a world of high noise and low trust, character isn’t just a strategic edge. It’s a moral one.
Because anyone can copy your tactics, imitate your tone, or even rip off your products.
But they can’t fake what you consistently choose when it matters.
That’s character—and character compounds.
I would like add the following re the notion of “clarity”. Given of course than leadership is competent, I contend that clarity adapts to align with change in circumstances.
I said in a recent article: “clarity is not the end result of action — it is refined through intelligent feedback” — so adaption is part of it.
From strategy → into action → back into insight → and forward again with sharper direction.
I agree, however, that clarity assumptions depend on character (I would use the term “wisdom”) of leadership.
This is great. I’d love to learn more. For a leader with a traditional view of brand that wants to build brand character, but doesn’t know where to start. They may feel a meaningful return is far off, and not worth the time or money.
For that person, how do you recommend they get started?