Why one is personal—and the other is what actually builds enduring brands.

Let’s start with something we all know, but don’t always say out loud:

Everyone has taste.

You do.
Your team does.
Your board does.
Your customers do.

And none of it is exactly the same.

Which is why relying on taste to make brand decisions is… complicated.

Taste shows up immediately.

“I like this.”
“This feels off.”
“This one’s better.”

It’s instinctive. Emotional. Sometimes even helpful as a first reaction.

But taste has a limitation:

It’s shaped by personal experience, not organizational direction.

Strategy, on the other hand, is built.

It’s defined through:

Positioning
Audience understanding
Market context
Business goals
Long-term vision


Taste reacts.

Strategy guides.

Let’s be clear—taste isn’t the enemy.

It’s human. It’s natural. It’s part of how we process the world.

The problem is when taste becomes the decision-making framework.

Because when that happens:

The loudest voice often wins
Consensus becomes compromise
Distinctiveness gets diluted
Progress slows down


And the work starts to drift.

You’ll see it in subtle ways:

“Can we make it pop more?”
“This just doesn’t feel like us.”
“I’m not sure I love it yet.”


None of these are wrong.

But none of them are actionable without context.

They don’t tell the team what’s working.
They don’t tell the team what’s missing.
They don’t move the work forward.

They just… keep it circling.

The organizations that move faster—and build stronger brands—do something different.

They create a shared language for evaluation.

Instead of:

“I like it.”

They say:

“This aligns with our positioning.”
“This strengthens our differentiation.”
“This will scale across our channels.”
“This signals the level of authority we want.”


Now the conversation isn’t personal.

It’s purposeful.

Most teams don’t struggle with creativity.

They struggle with alignment.

They haven’t fully answered:

Who are we, really?
What do we want to be known for?
How do we want to show up in the market?
What matters most—and what are we willing to let go?


Without those answers, taste fills the gap.

That’s why we focus so heavily on Inside Out work.

Because when the internal foundation is clear, external decisions become clearer too.

Here’s the shift:

You don’t remove taste from the process.

You contain it within a framework.

You allow initial reactions—but you don’t stop there.

You ask:

Does this support our strategy?
Does this move us forward?
Does this differentiate us?


That’s leadership.

If you’re in the middle of a brand decision right now, try this:

Let everyone react.

Then pause.

And ask:

“Which of these options best supports where we’re going?”

Not where you’ve been.
Not what you personally prefer.

Where you’re going.

That’s where strategy lives.

Taste will always be part of the conversation.

But it shouldn’t be the conclusion.

Because brands aren’t built on what individuals prefer.

They’re built on what organizations commit to.



Next in the series:

The Power of Framing
Why even the best strategy fails without the right context—and how leaders guide decisions before they’re made.