21st century leaders readily agree it’s a supreme asset to surround yourself with people who are loyal, hard-working and responsive to change.

After meeting more than a year ago in the online world, I finally got to meet them in person last month at the scene of the crime.

The internet has the power to create thousands upon thousands of overnight successes.

The fields of pop culture, business, politics, public activism and others are jammed with people and companies who gain fleeting fame and attention.

It’s one thing to read about a great company and how it positions itself as best in class.

It’s another thing entirely to be on the receiving end of that experience.

You are likely familiar with the phrase, “in order to get to where you are going, you need to know where you came from”.  

You’ve likely heard this before. 

To get everyone pulling on the same rope, high-end, high-functioning organizations place a huge emphasis on leadership and culture.

Sounds simple enough. 

Many years ago, a 12 year old boy had his bicycle stolen. 

He ran to a police officer and told him, if he ever caught that thief, he was gonna give him a whupping. 

The police officer looked the young boy square in the eye and uttered the words that forever altered his life.

How do you define a “legend”?

What qualifies someone or something to be described as “legendary”?

Deep inside all of us, we all possess a story that speaks to the power of human values. 

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The need to “Belong” taps into the deepest part of our humanity.

Psychologists and anthropologists agree that humans possess a strong, primal instinct to feel a sense of ‘belonging’ to small groups that share clear purpose and values.

It’s been said that the strongest among us are not those who flex their hero muscles in public, but those who quietly win battles we know nothing about. In a fast-paced world obsessed with big names, celebrities and fashionistas, everyday, unsung heroes tend to wear a cloak of anonymity.

You are sitting in a boardroom.

The meeting you’re attending feels like a private version of hell. Somewhere between Groundhog Day and listening to the Charlie Brown Teacher.

Every brand in the world – including yours - would love to become a giant, irresistible magnet on steroids that attracts unusually high volumes of customer interest and attention.

What do you remember about the year 1999? For many it was the year of Y2K and the looming internet apocalypse that never happened. 

What separates ordinary slogans and taglines from those few, carefully selected words and phrases that anchor legendary brands?

If you get your kicks watching cat videos, on-line gamers, political rants or tips on how to play the ukulele, this post is not for you. 

If you are a person who doesn’t give two hoots and could care less about the marketing function of a business – an essential component for any sustainable enterprise - this post will not be your intellectual cup of tea.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was once described as a man who could stroke you with his words. Author of epics like The Great Gatsby, it was Fitzgerald who once said, “Don’t write because you want to say something. Write because you have something to say”.

Detroit is hip again.

Still Ford tough.

But, more real.

The phrase “retail apocalypse” has become so ingrained in our culture, that it now has its own Wikipedia entry.