Connection. To feel connected and to be a connector.
If I had one piece of advice that would truly help you to feel more passionate about your work, it would be summed up in this one word.
This is how business is actually done.
Authentic marketing, the people and brands we deeply connect with, is about connection.
There’s a new economy and it’s centred around it.
The paradox of the internet is that we are “more connected than ever” yet our willingness to connect through our work, connect in our work and to create new work via connection is diminishing.
Despite the fact it’s the thing we all crave deep down.
My education in this idea of connection, didn’t come from five years of university, instead from several years spent working for lululemon athletica.
There, we learnt that connecting powerfully with our customers (or guests as we called them) and fitness professionals in our community, creates lifelong relationships and buyers for life. Money in the bank yes, but I can honestly say that this is THE THING that when practiced consistently allowed me to love my work.
For my clients who are looking to make a change, or find the confidence to do things that help them love their work, I always suggest we start with connection.
This practice of putting yourself in front of others, in real time, for feedback, was something I took from Tara Mohr’s book Playing Big (I wrote about here here). As women, we tend towards hiding and researching, not through our own fault, but because society shows us this is where we are better. However, if the recent US midterm election results are anything to go by, this is rapidly changing.
Think about it next time you want to start something, explore a curiosity or a calling even. How can you use connection to drive your forward?
This quote from Seth Godin sums up what’s possible for our careers through connection – he calls it the new American Dream:
“Be remarkable
Be generous
Create art
Make judgement calls
Connect people and ideas”
