Category: Culture

Categories
Culture Self

Pride

Finding ForresterIt’s known as one of the seven deadly sins. It can sometimes be synonymous with hubris, a trait leading to many deaths in Greek mythology. Some religions believe pride is the devil’s work.

I think it’s the opposite.

Developing great work

Great works of marketing, literature, and speech often come from pride. Sure, hard work plays a large role. But folks who are known as social media giants, elite athletes, or powerful orators are all proud of themselves and their accomplishments.

Instead of “hey, look at me!”, the proud think, “hey, I’m looking inside and I want this to be awesome!”

Creation

Another way to look at it: pride comes from creation. In the 2000 film “Finding Forrester,” the character of William Forrester claims that he didn’t write his novel for them (critics), but for himself.

This creation needn’t be a physical item. Everyday folks can take pride in their:

  • home, by keeping rooms clean,
  • car or workspace, by doing the same,
  • wardrobe, by taking care of their garments,
  • community, by volunteering time,
  • health, by exercising regularly, or
  • artistic development through music, dance, and expression.

It may be one of the seven deadly sins, but pride provides the one outlet that makes me tick. Why are you proud?

Categories
Apple Culture Design

Bringing Feedback to the Forefront

Finding Nemo Seagulls
Mine?! Mine?! Yours.

One of Steve Jobs’s legacies lives on at Pixar Animation Studios. Much like Apple, Pixar creates a unique, organic culture resulting in incredible, award-winning animated films. How do they do it?

Feedback

Pixar prides themselves on constant feedback, a concept discussed in this Harvard Business Review article. Peers provide candid thoughts and recommendations throughout the movie-making process. Sometimes, Pixar will scrap an entire sequence or storyline based on internal team discussion.

Implementation

How can feedback play a role in your life? I experienced an incredible session of feedback today while practicing for next week’s talk at Syracuse University. I shared the entire talk and presentation in front of my teammates (HBers), who provided straightforward feedback that will result in a better speech.

Sharing

The best way to improve your product, brand or service? Share. As much as possible. Have a design that isn’t complete? Or the first few pages of a screenplay? Or maybe the first draft of a video blog? Share, share, share. A culture of sharing results in the best possible work. Just look at Pixar.

Categories
Apple Culture Design

Legacy

Steve Jobs

As a creative, Steve Jobs’s leadership in the design of Apple’s products greatly influenced my career path. Perhaps more importantly, Jobs helped to develop an amazing culture at Apple – one that will continue to define the company he helped create. Rest in peace.

Categories
Business Culture

Props to Values

From the HB Blog

What drives your business?

Rosanna M. Fiske, APR, chair and chief executive officer of the Public Relations Society of America shares the importance of values across a company. Fiske argues that good businesses profit from products and services while great companies do the same with a higher purpose. Companies must communicate their values across the business for the greatest impact. Perhaps her most important point concerns asking employees what they feel is most important.

Talk

So often we forget to speak directly to our audience(s). Whether you are an agency, a B2B company, or a retail shop, it’s critical to know what your team thinks. How does your account manager, sales team, or cashier embody a company’s value system?

Execute

We pride ourselves on The HB Way, a set of principles guiding our actions with clients, prospects, and each other. These beliefs emerged from internal (ongoing) discussions about HB’s purpose and role in the world of marketing. When in doubt, refer to The HB Way to make a valuable decision.