I am a generalist. A slice of talent and a dollop of white male privilege has created a monster that can move around in various institutional environments adding value here, there and everywhere.

Being a MarComms professional means I can work in any industry too, in any community, globally, or online. This gives me flexibility, but sometimes difficulties in finding a fit, a place to call home.

I developed a personal brand a few years ago that said “I am an organizational fixer. If you have challenges to noodle on, I can help, especially if it is creative and emergent.”

I still like the fixer idea – behind the scenes, thinking things through, finding a pathway forward that is clever and impactful, but without need of a big team or budget. No fuss.

The organizational brand I had was mapped to the organization I worked for. I was the most creative thinker there. I worked that angle. I stood apart.

More recently, I have been thinking about the offering I have for anyone, at any time, in any circumstance. What is my “whole self” approach? It requires more balance, between the head, heart, and hand functions.

I developed a personal narrative architecture for this, and landed on an updated workplace promise. Firstly, there is a broad MarComms lens:

Trusted to drive brand outcomes through creativity, content and culture.

This is the work.

How is the work approached? The heart, which is foundational, says Encourage. The hand, today’s commitment, delivers Act(ion). And the head, tomorrow’s plan, promises to Reimagine.

• Encourage. Approach work(place) opportunities with optimism. Stimulate and support colleagues and partners to stretch for more. Constantly grow and help talent to be ready for what’s next. 
• Act. Work at velocity: speed with direction. Leverage skills and technology to execute at scale. Connect everything: map big picture requirements to culture, tactics, outputs as organizational fixer. 
• Reimagine. Ready talent and the brand for the future of work by sponsoring creative tension. Implement and iterate edge ideas to drive emergent brand outcomes.   

Note that none of this is about “corporate communications” or “social media” or “video production” or “speechwriting” or… My brand promise is how I will show up. Give me the work to do and this is how I will achieve or exceed outcomes.

What is the work to do, then? Well, over a decade I broadened my interests and skills. Whereas communications, especially corporate, had tended to be technical, project management, rhythms, writing and change management, it morphed to be people, culture, storytelling, community building, ambassadorship, transparency and collegiality. In so doing, it became way more interesting (to me and others), more impactful and meaningful. My brand promise was unlocked. I moved in the direction of quantum activation.

Suddenly I was up in HR’s grill – engagement, personal and professional development, brand and corporate leadership, training and coaching…

In my recent job search, some of the accountabilities seemed rather limiting. I was looking for a hybrid role that “stretched towards everything.” No pressure.

To hold the space for fit, for a co-created path forwards towards excellence, a quantum workplace…this is the personal journey. 

This Much We Know.