Why would an extremely competitive global branded-goods company want to celebrate a widow from the early 1800s?

For Sara Lee Corporation, the story of widow Lysbeth Mintjes was the perfect historical nugget with which to create connections and establish a shared sense of history for more than 50 subsidiary companies worldwide.

Sara Lee wanted to use its 50th anniversary as a rallying point for its disparate collection of companies, but finding common themes and experiences among such a diverse group is no easy task. In the course of preparing for the anniversary program, however, researchers unearthed a long-forgotten story of Lysbeth Mintjes, who upon the death of her husband, Douwe Egberts, in 1806, took over the management of their Dutch coffee and grocery business and officially renamed it the “Company of the Widow Douwe Egberts.”

Sara Lee acquired the company—by then known as Douwe Egberts—in 1978. Having built the Sara Lee brand on the strength of a wide range of products for female consumers, the fact that one of its subsidiaries was run by a woman many centuries ago helped bring an important shared characteristic to light and illustrated a connection between Sara Lee’s past and present. Had the company not taken the time and thought needed to plan their anniversary, this unifying story likely would never have been revealed.

While historical books and exhibits are often viewed as synonymous with corporate anniversaries, corporations that expand into global organizations learn that the notion of an anniversary must expand with them. “It’s only natural that an anniversary that extends to overseas subsidiaries and workforces—and, therefore, languages and cultures—must involve a deeper and different level of planning and execution,” says Warren Levy, Chief Strategy Officer at The History Factory. “It’s a process that requires a look at all of the obstacles and opportunities. For a global anniversary, even the milestone itself should be examined more by the significance of your story than the number of years you are celebrating.”

In addition to the historical facts that may differentiate your subsidiaries, consider the cultural differences. Charity, for example, has different meanings in various parts of the world. For some, volunteerism focuses heavily on the environment; for others, charity is personal and should not necessarily be included in a company celebration. The easiest way to become aware of these differences is to ask your local employees. “Defining your global DNA requires involving your people, in all corners of the world, in your anniversary planning,” says Levy.

When you establish a framework that facilitates the participation of employees around the globe, you are better able to develop an anniversary program with collective power and purpose. “With advances in technology, engaging your employees in the process is made easier,” says Susan Randolph, Curatorial Director at The History Factory. “For one global organization, we set up an internal Website that included a timeline, company history quiz and other creative touches to get employees interested in the project. Those who showed real enthusiasm became coordinators who reached out to other associates.” This was all done online, which meant employees in different countries were offering contributions 24 hours a day. Each location supplied its own historical photos, sample products, promotional materials, and stories. “Each of these teams generated their own awards for participation as well,” says Randolph. “Although your corporation may not have uniformity in size, the Internet can bring them all together and give smaller companies the same opportunity to participate.”

While anniversaries are typically seen as commemorating the past, the research and discoveries made during the planning process can effectively inform your company’s future. “This is why corporations should consider transforming their anniversary framework into a permanent infrastructure that complements their corporate archive,” says Debbie Waller, Vice President of Archival Services at The History Factory. “Treating it as an ongoing initiative helps you sustain the impact of your anniversary as well as your preparation for other global rollouts.”

But extending the long-term impact of your archive assumes that you have an archive to begin with. “We’ve worked with 50- and even 100-year-old organizations that have used an anniversary as an opportunity to establish an archive,” says Waller. “No matter what, a by-product of an anniversary program is lots of content for reuse in the near and distant future.”

An anniversary can also benefit company leaders, whose roles are more complex in a global organization. They must understand the cultural language of each new location in which they operate. An anniversary is an occasion to give CEOs and other leaders more exposure. If they gain visibility into these different regions, they can build the vocabulary they need to be successful there.  “Leaders of one corporation committed to making 100 global visits as part of its 100th anniversary year,” explains Waller. “In having a plan with a purpose, these leaders were able to incorporate a stated corporate goal of enhancing their visibility inside into their anniversary program.”

Sara Lee was fortunate to discover the Company of the Widow Douwe Egberts in its past. But what if you find something less favorable? Consider it an identification of risk. Your subsidiaries’ pasts are part of your global company’s past. Knowledge of past achievements, and mistakes, can help guide the decisions you make in the future. 

Traitor to the Past
Archivist Daniel D. Lorello, a 29-year veteran of the New York State Archives in Albany, betrayed the collection he was employed to protect when he began illegally selling the collection’s rare books and documents in 2002. Lorello was recently discovered by American history buff Joseph Romito when he typed John C. Calhoun’s name into an eBay search and found the 1823 handwritten letter from Calhoun to Col. Charles Haines that Lorello had for sale.

Smiley and Wal-Mart Bring African American History to America
Well-known media personality Travis Smiley is taking his traveling exhibit, “America I AM: The African American Imprint,” to museums across the United States. The exhibit uses artifacts, photographs and multimedia to tell the stories of African Americans and their impact on America. With Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. as a sponsor, the exhibit will spend four years on the road before finding its home in Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian Institution.

Family Archives Contribute Intimate Moment to History
A rare photo of Helen Keller with her devoted teacher, Anne Sullivan, was discovered in the family album of Thaxter Spencer, an 87-year-old Waltham, Massachusetts, resident. Now in the hands of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the photo depicts the two women sitting together outside, with Keller holding Sullivan’s hand with one hand and a doll (the first word spelled into Keller’s hand) with the other. The significance of the photo is not lost on archivist for The American Federation of the Blind, Helen Selsdon. “This is just a huge visual addition to the history of Helen and Annie,” Selsdon said.

Civil War Collection Backfires on Dealer
While collecting antiques may not seem like a dangerous pastime, when old military ordnance is involved, the risk is very real. Civil War relics dealer Samuel H. White was recently killed by an explosion in his backyard in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Police believe that the deadly explosion was caused by military ordnance, possibly dating to the Civil War.

You could call it my ringside seat to globalization. In recent years, my frequent flier mileage bank has been brimming with miles racked up from hyper-travel around the world assisting clients in leveraging their heritage—most often during anniversary celebrations—to encompass and embrace their global workforces.

Typical of many international experiences, I’ve amassed a colorful repertoire of “what not to do”… factors that disarm our traditional U.S.-centric assumptions about anniversary celebrations. Some examples:

• Try syncing up the founding date of an American company against an Islamic calendar.
  
  
• While a 150th anniversary might seem like quite a major accomplishment in a 232-year-old country like the United States, it’s really not too much to brag about in European countries where there are companies twice as old as our nation.
  
  
• Consider the corporation that concluded it was fiscally appropriate to grant a $100 cash gift to its employees in commemoration of its centennial before realizing that $100 was more than the monthly salary of some employees in far-flung parts of the world.
  
  

On the other hand, I’ve learned that, when planning a global anniversary, there is absolutely no way you can involve your people too much. I’ve seen mammoth organizations make invaluable personal connections with their employees around the world by engaging them in both the anniversary planning and implementation process.

Putting your anniversary in the hands of your people requires a framework—or anniversary infrastructure—that enables the entire process to smoothly progress from global planning to local implementation. The most effective anniversary strategies I’ve seen are built upon a multilayered approach in which champions from the CEO all the way down to line-level employees play specific roles in the overall process.

You should think of an anniversary like a global product rollout. When corporations “go global” with a product, they carefully assess the strengths and weaknesses of their brand. Treating your anniversary celebration like a product rollout—with your employees as product developers and consumers—will enable you to think globally and celebrate locally.

Safe travels.