Brave Leaders New York

Brave Leaders New York

Today’s motto?  Dare anyway.

That was the most inspirational morning I’ve had in a long time! The Marketing Society Braver Conference in New York was extraordinary: an outstanding line up of speakers offering practical insights in their personal stories, sharing how to turn professional bravery into business opportunity and a masterclass in what it really means to be a brave leader.

One of those practical lessons was that it doesn’t matter what we say, it only matters what somebody heard and what they choose to tell others. So here goes..  

Bravery is taking the first step, after that it’s just learning.  

Sage advice from serial entrepreneur Andy Ellwood of Basket, who regaled us with stories from private jets to fake start-ups to driving disruption with crowd sourced data. Christopher Mcdonough of L.L.Bean reminded us that not every bold adventure works.  On his journey to revitalize the 100 year old brand, he’s being experimental (with extreme focus) in order to attract new customers while staying true to core brand values. My favourite?  Their very own ‘Marauders Map’ – a print ad that revealed its content when you took it outdoors, exactly where their customers want to be. 

There’s always something you can do. 

In her uplifting story Fereshteh Forough showed us she knows what it means to ‘make the best from the least’. Having grown up as a refugee, she returned to her native Afghanistan with a mission to provide opportunities for women through her company Code to Inspire. Using her network and social media to gather support, the 150 girls her programme has supported so far are paying it forward with social impact projects of their own. And fresh from the success of the Swing Left campaign, surprise guest Michelle Finocchi shared how mobilising audiences with a specific outcome and frictionless access to what they need can deliver results of national importance.

There’s power in the personal pronoun. 

Andy Ellwood taught us success happens when your story becomes your customer’s story. Chris Altchek and Jacob Horowitz of Mic demonstrated how purpose driven marketing can truly change the lives in profound ways, and taking risks with your brand in a positive, human centric and authentic way can reap rewards – even for Kim Kardashian. The lesson?  Without clarity of purpose and values, it's impossible to be brave.

We have a specific role to play as leaders. 

It’s up to us to shoulder the bravery burden and use our strength to push others forward, creating safe spaces for them to shine. Kimberly B. Davis, of the National Hockey League, asserted that when fear stalls action, a leader has failed. Breaking the inertia of fear is the hardest thing to do and we must create contagious courage. She warned bravery is not the same thing as bravado. Bravery requires leaders to be vulnerable, be willing to fail and not afraid to ask for help. Powerful stuff.

In a mashup of my favourite quotes of the day:

"Think there’s nothing you can do?  Think again!"

"Dare anyway"

"If not you, then who?"

I’m off to create some contagious courage …
 

Written by Alison Orsi, Vice President Performance Marketing at IBM

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