REALITY CHECK 27 FIGURE 1.2 measures its success by what Whitehead called "the greater good"--an in- vestment in the local community through solid performance and adherence to strong values. "The greater good doesn't mean that we build ball fields and adopt stray puppies," Whitehead added. "It means that we understand people in the community rely on a bank as a financial foundation. When we fulfill that obligation, the community is stronger." Everything about the new identity was designed to simplify the way people think about Washington Federal. It encapsulated the most impor- tant linked concepts: a simplified approach, a disciplined commitment to common sense, and an orientation to local interests. The bank is willing to sacrifice other attributes to deliver consistently on this promise. In the chapters that follow, we'll look at brands that are bigger than Washington Federal. Some are global icons with spectacular awareness and loyalty. But I deliberately chose to finish the first chapter with the story of the bank because, unlike No Child Left Behind and Gap, it refreshed its iden- tity for the right reasons. It didn't use identity as a reactive marketing tactic. Instead, it wanted its identity to accurately set the expectation that its brand lived up to every day. It aligned a credible and compelling expectation to a great experience. And it viewed brand as more than a marketing function. The business was the brand. Washington Federal succeeded because it made a meaningful promise to its customers that it knew it could fulfill again and again. Common sense, indeed. American Management Association · www.amanet.org