September 30, 2025
by Stephen T. Messenger
The corporate identity of an organization is critically important. If we can’t describe what our culture is, that’s a problem. One job of leaders is to establish a short, distinct organizational narrative for our group to learn, know, and love. This identity must be an ironclad message to everyone, so they have a common language to rally around and achieve by their actions.
The Iron Brigade
In the Civil War, one culture stood out in the Union Army above the rest, but this brigade had an auspicious start. Five mid-West regiments assembled to create the brigade with the nicknames the Calico (6th Wisconsin), the Huckleberries (7th Wisconsin), the Babies (19th Indiana), the Feather-beds (24th Michigan), and the purported Ragged Asstetical (2nd Wisconsin). They didn’t have the most intimidating monikers. In fact, the “Asstetical,” what I perceive to be an intentional, humorous misspelling of pleasing to the eyes, received its name based on a lack of pantaloons.
However, this group of men took pride in being tough, and at South Mountain, they earned a new nickname, the Iron Brigade. General George McClellan saw them bravely stand in the face of the enemy and stare down death. He remarked, “They must be made of iron,” and hence it became their identity.
At Gettysburg, they saved the Union’s position on the first day by delaying Confederate forces from taking the high ground. Without their tenacious effort, the battle would have been much different. It came at a cost of losing over half their men, to include the commander, General John Gibbon.
The next two days of Gettysburg found them front and center fighting all over the battlefield in hallowed places such as Cemetery Hill, Brenner’s Hill, Pickett’s Charge, and Culp’s Hill. The Iron Brigade knew their job was to stand like iron no matter what was thrown at them. This was their identity.
Establishing an Identity
Culture is the sum of beliefs, values, and attitudes that a group of people collectively agree upon. Identity is the shared perspective of that messaging. I would argue that the best identities are short and pithy, easy to remember. It’s something that inspires people to achieve and live up to that vision.
One way to establish an identity is to speak it into existence, like McClellan did with the Iron Brigade. Once the Brigade latched onto that narrative, the old Feather-beds were gone, and the new steel was forged. Just as military leaders have crafted identities that inspire action, this can also be done on the national level.
Winston Churchill called his people into greatness in 1940 when Britain was standing seemingly alone against Nazi Germany after France fell. In his speech to Parliament and the nation:
“Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour.’”
He essentially called his people from a tired, attacked, and outmatched nation to a destiny of greatness. They had to weather constant bombardment in the Blitz, extreme rationing, a global war, Allies hesitantly joining, and British soldiers dying in combat. But they did, and history declared them living up to “Britain’s Finest Hour,” spoken by Churchill himself. He established their identity.
A culture comes from the leader understanding the group’s narrative. It’s shaped by what we constantly pay attention to, measure, and act upon. It comes from constant role modelling, teaching, coaching, and mentoring what is important. And it’s where we reward people when we see culture building.
A culture is formed through stories, legends, and myths from the past. Leaders constantly remind others of their identity and call them out, so eventually, the group calls it out in themselves. This forms a shared principle that is simple enough for the most junior person to grasp and pride themselves in, yet deep enough to call forth action, culture, and drive.
The Iron Brigade and “Our finest hour” are two great examples of a collective identity that drove a group to do great things.
I formerly was a member of the 82d Airborne Division whose moniker was to deploy anywhere in the world with wheels up in 18 hours, jump, fight, and win. This short statement shaped our identity to stay in warfighting shape, always be ready, and know that tomorrow we could be in battle. It was a constant reminder of the importance of our job and the need to stay focused.
This happens at the corporate level, as well. Amazon has “customer obsession,” Patagonia is in business to “save our home planet,” and Starbucks is “creating a third place.” We all need to establish a corporate identity in our organizations. To do so, we must first answer three simple questions.
Forming Identity
Dr. Victoria Wilson of Duke University says that building identity requires three questions. Who are we? What are we doing? What do we want to be in the future?
We need to know what makes our organization unique and what types of personalities do we need to thrive. The Iron Brigade needed soldiers that would stand and fight, never bending or breaking.
Second, we need to know what our mission is. All members must be clear on why the organization exists. For example, the 82d Airborne paratroopers stand ready, 24/7, to respond to any global emergency and live for that purpose.
Finally, we need to know where we’re going. This question shapes the mentality, vision, and people that we want to be tomorrow. For the British in World War II, it meant holding off at all costs, in all hardships, to stand up against Nazi Germany.
By answering these three questions and putting into words a short, concise identity statement, we can shape the culture of our organization.
Shaping Iron
The culture of an organization is going to happen whether we shape it or not. There’s a danger of letting it form organically. The Iron Brigade could have retained their “huckleberry” and “baby” monikers and fought like their namesakes in battle; however, McClellan reshaped their identity by intentionally developing a narrative of success. Just as he formed the Iron Brigade, so too must we deliberately shape our organization’s identity, otherwise, it will form without purpose.
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