Truth Telling is a Two-Sided Coin

When was the last time you seriously consider the brand – Anson County Schools? What is our brand? Moreover, what are our brand deliverables? Literally every product or service has a brand. Companies, businesses, non-profits, and even our government have brands. Millions if not more are spent each year on “branding and brand management. Brand deliverables along with the brand experience create customer loyalty resulting in repeat sales, profit, and of course, good will. There is of course a negative side – if your brand and the brand experience is not positive there are deep, enduring, and often severe consequences.

Schools and school systems are late into the brand and brand management thinking. This hits home for the Anson County Schools in at least two areas if not more. For example the number of parents that choose to educate their children elsewhere (South Stanley, Union County, private, or home school) is a symptom of negative branding and brand experience. Another example is supporting a new high school. As the conversation about a new high school increases in intensity the negative brand and brand experience of Anson High School also increases.

How do we change our brand and brand experience?

First, let’s start with our thinking -
When you think of the Anson County Schools, what comes to mind? Is it positive or negative?
When your friends think and talk about the Anson County Schools, what words do they use to describe their schools?
When you think about the school system’s deliverables what comes to mind? What do you expect? Require?

The concept of branding and managing the brand experience are critical. Interestingly enough, branding and brand management heavily depend on employees as well as customers (recipients of a product or service).

We have been engaged over the past 36 months in changing our brand and much of this has to do with managing a new brand – a brand based on performance, results, effectiveness, efficiency, and “all means all”. Yet, in spite of these things we have individuals in our community that prefer to hold fast to the old brand – the brand of failure, low expectations, mediocrity, and low performance.

One of our strategies has been that of “truth telling”. We have put our performance data out with an agenda of transparency. Performance data with respect to teaching and learning, discipline, suspensions, and budget. Our intention has been clear. That is, we want our community, our staff, our parents, and our students to know our current reality. Yet, in some cases reality is a matter of perspective in spite of the data.

A challenge to improvement is myopic sight. It is very difficult to see beyond ones’ own perspective or viewing point. I think this challenge is possibly greater than any other obstacle. I fear that the inability to look and see with new eyes will continue to limit the needed commitment for our vision to achieve our mission as well as to live out our convictions. It seems convictions are easily espoused but difficult for some to live.

We must not accept such a limited view of the outstanding effort, work, and accomplishments achieved this year as well as in years past. We need to pay attention to our brand and brand experience.

It starts with us. What words do we use to describe the Anson County Schools? In the name and practice of transparency we are obligated to tell the positives, successes, and improvements along with those areas needing improvement or areas that did not perform to our expectations. Truth telling is a two-sided coin. Yet, more often than not the negative is told and fixated upon.

If our brand is negative, I wonder why?