Take a look at the (wo)man in the mirror
“We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.” You can learn a lot from toilet writings. Although admittedly after the mobile phone, it does seem that the time for contemplation has gone down the drain. In an age where everything and everyone are screaming for our attention, those quiet minutes are becoming rarer, and so are snappy comebacks – even in the toilet: “We vandalise things that aren’t ours with quotes we didn’t write to impress people taking a shit.” It’s a human condition to reflect on our lives, to think about what we could be, what we could achieve, who we could become. These are all aspirations waiting to come alive, and it’s where I see huge untapped potential for organisations. I believe enabling people to take charge of their own lives and passions is what can be the bridge from intent to action and ultimately drive not only business growth, but also human or planetary betterment. For an organisation, there’s no greater role to play than to help someone become who they want to be. And it doesn’t have to be life transforming, but maybe it’s just a small life hack, a little helping hand. If you want to lose weight, the help might simply be a smaller can of soda packing fewer calories, or it might be a brand like Apple helping you keep an eye on your goal of exercising more with the simple and visual help of their iPhone health app tracking your daily physical activity.
Think about your friends. They each play a valuable role in your life. One might always be there for fun times and partying, and another one is the listener, but what makes your best friend? Isn’t it the one who’s always there for you through good and bad times making you feel special, making you feel like you can? Why wouldn’t that be the same when it comes to the organisations you’re letting into your life? It used to be that brands would tell people what they wanted or needed, preying on insecurities. But today, as an organisation, you can strive for more and become that best friend or that coach pushing people further, making them believe in their own ability to bring about change.
A never-ending quest to find yourself
We are on a constant quest for our better selves, and that quest is reflected in the end chapter of our lives where in some cultures, it’s customary to have a final moment of reflection to say what you could have done differently. We do things because they develop us, because we explore another side of ourselves. Let me give you an example.
I had a contract to write a book before this one. It was an easy book for me to write, as it was a version 2.0 of my previous book. But half¬way through the book, I felt demotivated and bored with the topic, and I realised I was writing the book because people expected me to write it since I hadn’t published anything since 2012. I didn’t do it for my own sake; extrinsic versus intrinsic motivation. With this book, I had to be on my toes to understand and share a tough and exciting topic. And thank you to all the people who helped me out; I couldn’t have done it without you! This book I write not because I’m driven by monetary gain (writing a book is closer to economic suicide), but because I want to. I feel the book wants to get out, it’s alive and kicking. The book is part of my own personal development.
From my years in the agency world, I’ve seen art directors and copy¬writers burn the candle at both ends, and it definitely wasn’t for the money or the client; it was because they like what they’re doing and because advertising for them is a passion. That’s the thing, we’re driven and motivated by different passions, which seen from the outside can be difficult to understand.
People are no longer simply buying marketing messages or a company’s good-willed approach; they’re looking for a personal transformation. Anyone can sell them things, stories or identity, but very few organisations can help people achieve their goals. That’s brand heaven as it’s moving the relationship from transactional to transformational, helping people be more, do more, see more, experience more!
THE NAVEL-GAZING FOCUS ON THE CORPORATE PURPOSE, “THE WHY,” CAN END UP BLINDING YOU TO WHAT TRULY MATTERS: WHAT YOU CAN HELP PEOPLE BECOME.
With statements like “You’re the beauty editor,” “Democratic beauty” and “Your voice fuels Glossier,” the 33-year-old founder of challenger beauty company Emily Weiss has created a fast-growing direct-to-consumer cult company. What began as a blog, Into the Gloss, when Emily worked at Vogue developed into an anti-establishment rallying cry to its customers: people should have a say in shaping the beauty narrative and its products. Glossier is keeping a friend-like dialogue with its following and has even launched a fast-growing ambassador program Glossier Girls, which formerly consisted of unpaid brand evangelists. Glossier is giving people the say over what beauty means to them – they feel like a beauty editor – and the story seems to resonate as Glossier is expanding across markets and recently got another investment of $52 million.
From your mission to my life
The navel-gazing focus on the corporate purpose, “the why,” can end up blinding you to what truly matters: what you can help people become.
Take Apple and their encouragement: “Think different.” I buy who Apple makes me capable of becoming: a more creative Thomas. And they’ve succeeded so well that even five-year-olds can, with ease, make their own video edits on an iPhone, something that just years earlier would have required a professional editor and a hundred-thousand-dollar editing suite. Women and girls buy into Glossier’s empowering message that they are the ones who should dictate beauty, not some beauty editor. And travellers connect with Scandinavian’s message that travel broadens their horizon and changes them. Every organisation can claim to have a big role to play in your life as their burning “why,” but it really comes down to one thing: if you can’t see or feel the outcome, it’s simply just another broken promise or patronising corporate purpose.
For a leader or an organisation, there is no higher accomplishment than to help realise somebody’s dreams or aspirations: that should be the bullseye. A better boyfriend? A mindful runner? A better vegan chef? Or maybe all three? If your “why” as an organisation doesn’t answer the “who” you can help people become, you’ll end up being a screaming idealist. Apple can be the most creative and innovative company in the world, but without enabling me to “Think different,” it’s fruitless. This changes the very relationship by putting me, the customer, in the driver’s seat with a single-minded goal to transform my life. As people are their own biggest barrier to change, it’s really a no-brainer. If we want to create a better life for people, better societies, a better planet, we need to give people the ability to become actors in creating that better life!
Also read: The Hero Trap: Purpose is done. And what's next.