SMART Talk...Conversations That Matter
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams
When working with a new client, I often draw on my background in humanities and theology. I listen intently to their story and try to understand what they want to achieve with their brand.
A recent new client sought strategic direction and guidance on how to improve the brand's reputation through a different narrative. The more she and I talked and uncovered who her specific target audience was, the more deeply we discovered the motivations behind her brand.
As business owners and leaders, we are all searching for ways to make our brands sustainable, meet our missions, and become thought leaders in our respective fields.
John Quincy Adams once said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader."
While spending time with the brand's employees, I found that they all loved their jobs. As a beauty brand, their love for their customers, the brand's products, and the camaraderie that existed between all the employees was what motivated them.
What was missing then? While they all knew each other, understood each other's struggles, and shared unbreakable bonds, they were missing a larger picture of how their work connected to make the world a bit more humane and inspiring.
As one employee said, "I know we sell beauty, but why do we sell beauty?" "I think that's what's missing!"
In today's world, with so much heartbreak from climate change to the political landscape, people are searching for meaning in the work they do and in the lives they live.
One way to help our employees and customers design deeply meaningful lives is to attach our humanity and even our theology to our mission statements, which can help employees and customers heal and live meaningful lives and increase their well-being.
Here are a few ways I worked with my client (there are more, but I will share just a few here) to attach the brand's mission to well-being and the value of living deeply meaningful lives:
1. Find your brand's purpose, not just its mission.
2. How does the brand's purpose relate to the client's sense of belonging?
3. How does the brand's purpose help to engage the community (believe it or not, your employees and your customers care about this)?
The world is saturated with similar brands in the consumer market. The way we make your brand stand out is by focusing on your employees' and customers' well-being and sense of belonging.
After spending time with my client, I received a nice text message from them. They had made the changes we recommended. The text message said, "Thank you, you were right. We created a sense of belonging for our employees and our customers, and the universe smiled back."
The WEBB Advisory Group Presents
The WEBB Center for Social Impact was created and shaped by over 50 years of lived experience as a Black woman in America.
Focusing on domestic policy specifically, our institute provides a global worldview perspective for black and brown women from the diaspora living in America today. Â
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Using research data, lived experiences, and stories of impact, policymakers and leaders can understand the social impacts various policies have on black and brown children and women, today and tomorrow. Â
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In response to various incidents in our country's recent history, history mustn't repeat itself. Therefore, the WEBB Center For Social Impact strives to provide voter information, information on issues for policymakers, information for community activists, and information for anyone who seeks to understand the social impacts of public policy on individuals and communities.
Attention Bias
What is attention bias? Attention bias is our tendency to prioritize certain types of stimuli/information over others. At any given moment, an individual's senses can perceive countless stimuli in our immediate surroundings. Threat-related attention bias refers to the tendency to prioritize the processing of threats over benign or neutral stimuli. Is it no wonder we have biases related to race, ethnicity, disability, and more?
Each of us individually generates more information than ever before in human history. We take in almost 90,000 pieces of information daily, yet our brains can only filter in about 10 percent of that information. The rest, well is stored in our subconscious minds and often when we perceive a threat we act upon it.
How do you perceive the world around you and how can you understand your attention bias?
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"Inspired (In Spirit), we live and move and have our being."
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Prayer for the Week
Dear God,
Our hearts desire to belong. Grant us the wisdom to know that when we allow others to belong, we give ourselves permission to belong as well. To fit in, to be open, vulnerable, accepting, and kind. Amen.
"Inspiring Humans...Changing Communities."
"Smart Talk: Conversations That Matter... is a weekly blog post. We welcome the voices of all people. Are you interested in writing for us? Let us know.
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