A Monkey's Uncle

An identity would seem to be arrived at by the way in which the person faces and uses his experience. — James Baldwin

For Example

The organization knew it had an identity crisis. This was manifesting itself in constant churning in the C-level offices, shrinking revenues on the P&L statement, and lost market share. The company had a long history. Originally named for its founder, since its beginnings more than 100 years earlier, it had acquired, merged, and consumed a variety of smaller companies and brand names. A cohesive image and identity had not surfaced — the company had changed its name twice in as many years and brought three new CEOs on board within five years. At one point, the decision was made to roll out an assessment process, beginning at the top and trickling it down through the organizational hierarchy. Perhaps if employees became clearer about who they were, it would help the organization? We weren't privy to the exact reasons behind the decision; we were only involved as the process began.

First, the executives went through the assessment, and the information began to spread around the organization about each manager's "type." These types were then studied by some curious employees, eager to get the inside scoop on their bosses. Finally, the process began to move down the chain of command. When it rolled out to Charlie's group, his manager, Rob, called Charlie into his office to share his personal plan for success and advised Charlie to follow suit. At that time, this assessment had gotten a lot of press, and the current president, Ronald Reagan, had been identified as a certain type. Rob had decided that this was the profile of a winner, based on the assumption that some types were better than others, so he had acquired an advance copy of the assessment and was working backward to ensure that he came out with the right scores in each category to be as Reaganesque as possible. Rob saw his identity as an externality, something to be manipulated and crafted and used as a source of power. Unfortunately, although his profile matched that of the CEO of the company and one of the most powerful leaders of the free world, all three were out of a job within a few months after the assessment. Only President Reagan saw it coming.

Expanding on that thought

As I write this, Downton Abbey is beginning its third season. The series, created by Julian Fellowes, is a smash hit in the United Kingdom and the United States. At its core, it's a story of identity — individual, class, society, national. In Season 1, the lines between upstairs a