I like to take the end of the year to reflect on the past year and think about where I want to go in the new year.
One of the big things I took away from this year was a desire to rediscover. Specifically, I’ve been looking to rediscover something that has driven me from a young age: PASSION.
When Technology Blocks Our View
People tend to know me from my work in social media strategy. I am the go-to resource for many people in my network when there is a question about how to go about using social media platforms and tools for business (primarily marketing).
What many people don’t know is that the reason I got involved with social media in the first place starts and ends, with people. What has always mattered to me are the people behind the avatars, the companies whose culture appreciates the individual employees and customers, and the way the tools naturally reflect and amplify our unique human experiences.
In a world of social media professionals singing the praises of platforms, I’ve always been an advocate of the people that power the platforms.
When I went looking for my passion, I started where you might start if you were looking to rediscover your passion.
- I asked myself the question: what am I good at?
- Next, I asked myself: what do I love to do?
Here’s what I found…
The Calling
Even when I was obsessed with social media, it came back to that: using these tools to become better humans. I never wanted to be the best at running Facebook ads, or beating the Instagram algorithm. I didn’t want to uncover the secret to building a massive Twitter following.
…yawn.
Even if I could do all of that, it would only matter if it led to something bigger and more meaningful. I came up with two rules to guide me.
- Attention is precious and we should be careful of where we spend it and, as marketers, we should be careful who we help attract attention.
- Profit is the reward that should be reserved for those who are in service of others.
When I build a social media strategy it is designed to place my clients in service of their customers and employees.
Reflect & Amplify
- What your customers say about you, is a direct result of your company culture.
- What your employees say about you, is a direct result of your company culture.
- Your ability to thrive is inextricably linked to your ability to find, develop, and retain talent.
All of this hinges on a critical component of success: Leadership.
How we treat one another matters. How we behave creates our business reality and signals to the world what we value.
This is why I am putting my energy where it can make the biggest lasting impact.
My mission is to design, build, and spread a culture of leadership based on foundations of respect and empathy.
Dream
I dream of a world where we don’t hate going to work. In this world we feel acknowledged, appreciated, and validated in the place where we spend so much of our lives. We are encouraged and supported to grow and achieve our highest potential.
In this world, we don’t hate our bosses. Instead, the person–or people–who we report to, treat us with respect, not because we’ve earned it, but because that is the default starting point.
In this world, we believe in the work we do. Where we have the incentive to be honest.
In this world, conflict makes us stronger because we have created the conditions to ensure that it does.
2019 and Beyond
Here is what you can expect out of me moving forward.
My work will move more toward consulting companies about leadership and company culture. I’ll still be working in social media and ensuring that my team and I stay ahead of the curve. However, that work will more and more focus on the employees and customers than it does the tweets and ads.
My content will address team motivation, conflict resolution, individual and team accomplishments, company culture audits, leadership frameworks, and real life coaching scenarios. I’ll be using this blog and some videos as a place to work out concepts and ideas that will make it into my book, The Lovable Leader.
My speaking career will pivot toward leadership and company culture. My current talks on social media, content marketing, and influencer marketing are actually already well suited to discuss the deeper issues of employee engagement, customer experience, and business processes.
In Service Of You
I spend considerable free time giving away advice. I do this with my team, with friends, and with peers. I want to do it for you.
If you have a question or scenario involving someone you report to, someone who reports to you, or a peer, I am always looking for new material that would be valuable to my audience.
Ask a question below or send me a message through my contact form and I’ll get back to you with an answer or a time for us to talk.