To the Creators (and we’re all creators)

Those who know me well, I’m kind of a grip it and rip it person. I typically don’t shy away from a challenge. In fact, my dad likes to say about me, “When things get hard, they get just right.” I’m wired to move fast, make decisions, and there’s nothing I love more than building. So, it might surprise you to know that the idea for The Servant Marketer was planted in my brain almost a year ago. It’s sat there festering, and in my spare moments, I would fantasize about interviewing people I look up to (the known leaders and the behind the scenes heroes) like I was Oprah. I have notebooks where the pages contain notes about work interlaced with whole seasons of podcast content.

But…I didn’t act on it. The biggest lesson I’ve learned in my thirties is there is a big difference between doing work because of FOMO and doing work because it creates that spark inside of me. Every time I thought of The Servant Marketer, I felt that spark, but I didn’t trust myself to act on it. In fact, I made a lot of excesses to not act on it, including:

wasn’t in the budget to buy podcast equipment
convincing myself that certainly I was not the first person to think about this or offer anything new
that I was already so busy and I don’t want to go down that road again of chasing achievement (and maybe I didn’t know the difference between feeling passionate about something and wanting my blue ribbon)

The first person I asked to be on my podcast said no, but showed me an incredible amount of grace and kindness by giving me his thoughts and a list of potential guests/resources. Let’s not forget that no can look like opportunity and rejection can be incredibly kind.

Then COVID happened, and my world, just like yours was upended. I have never worked so much in my life, but also found new flexibility. Amid all the stress, and a time that pushed my leadership abilities, this nugget of an idea couldn’t be ignored anymore. What became clear during this time is that goo leadership is needed more than ever, and that marketers are not the poster makers of every organization. We’re strategic partners who have been called on constantly since March to do the damn thing. And boy, have we done it. This season of life has handed us so many lemons, but what we do with them will make all the difference. We could wallow or we can light a fire on new ways of being, thinking and doing.

This podcast and blog are for you. Marketing and marketers are powerful influencers in a world of constant change. With that power, comes the responsibility of doing our work ethically, questioning whether our work harms or serves society, and then doing what the world needs from us; not the other way around.