Analysis of informal networks offers a potent leadership model for the C-suite. Organizations that want to improve the effectiveness of their top team — and therefore the performance of the full organization — need to start by recognizing the true source of the top team’s value.

Once the decision has been made to continue to invest in an under-performing brand, brand owners will be faced with a new set of challenges completely foreign to them. The temptation is always to do more of what got you there. That rarely works when brands face reinvention.

When we think about our brands, we think long-term and short-term. I like to think in terms of reputation and advertising. My rep is based on my long-term behavior, how I handle myself, how I behave, and the trail I leave behind. Advertising is more ephemeral—I might try ways to enhance my visibility and to promote my products and services. Although an ad campaign might bomb, my rep keeps me afloat so I can try again.

Among the many changes wrought by the digital revolution, none is more profound than the effect it has had on the makeup of the marketing organization. A recent survey of marketing executives at more than 30 major corporations by The Boston Consulting Group aims to determine what, exactly, is going on organizationally and how these companies plan to capitalize on the opportunities afforded by today’s technologies—which they, rightly, see as difficult and time-consuming tasks.