What’s Wrong With This Picture? Everything Speaks!

During a recent drive, my wife Debbie pointed out this sign on the side of the road. "Based on the quality of the sign," she asked, "how 'class A' do you think the office space is?" Good Question.

When it comes to execution, I believe that "everything speaks." Every detail is communicating a message to the customer. In this case, the desired message and its execution are seriously out of alignment. I always have my digital camera ready, and just had to stop and snap the photo.

While this might be a blatant example of poor execution, it's not all that unusual. How many times have you seen a hastily scrawled sign in an environment that's supposed to communicate quality?

At one time or another, most of us have been guilty of such "everything speaks" offenses. We were in a hurry and just didn't take the time to think about the message we were actually communicating. And the organization's brand was (at least slightly) compromised. And it's not just about handwritten signs - anything out of alignment with the organization's brand causes a disconnect in the mind of our customer.

As you go about your daily routine, it's worth taking a few moments to consider your decisions from an "everything speaks" perspective. Are you communicating the message you want to communicate?

I am, of course, hoping there are no typos in this post. I couldn't stand the irony.