Brand You

Tom Peters is well-known for his focus on Brand You.

For independent schools, "you" has two concurrent meanings: 1) you, the individual and 2) you, the school/organization. We know that individual teachers have great impact on their students.

As a long-time teacher, I relish those moments when students reconnect with me and share the life lessons they learned in my classroom -- usually it's something related to French culture that they come to appreciate once they've managed to study abroad. It impacts them, and they reconnect mentally to their time in my classroom. You the Individual.

However, there's a second You that we cannot ignore: You the School. I may be an individual teacher, but I teach within a school community that has a mission and a philosophy. My own mission and philosophy cannot be so distinct from those of the school so as to preclude the school's work from being accomplished. Independent education functions best when You the Individual and You the School are a match; this synergy must be nurtured always.

So, when Peters talks about the importance of focusing on Brand You, independent schools should view it as an opportunity to nurture You the Individual, with the goal of orienting You the Individual toward You the School. For, when You the School wins, so too does everyone else.