This means that we don’t only focus on marketing campaigns geared toward the consumer. It means that we also work on material that is employee-facing—like onboarding and training—to help bolster employee satisfaction and performance in a way that will ultimately impact the customer’s experience.

Every once in a while, our work will overlap with an organization that has a strong connection to community affairs or social responsibility, and we need to shift our strategy to engage in cause-related marketing.

If you’re new to this term, let me explain.

Cause-related marketing is when a business or organization puts resources into charitable projects and then tells that story to consumers.

This is important because individuals are drawn to companies, brands, and organizations that stand for things that are bigger than themselves. However, within each of those organizations, there’s this constant struggle to focus on making a difference while also telling the story of impact without being disingenuous, manipulative, or self-serving. This is not an easy thing to do.

You might be thinking, “Why does this matter to me?”

I believe that every brand, both business and personal, can benefit by strategically aligning ourselves with causes and initiatives. Unfortunately, I also believe that if it’s done poorly it can be manipulative. I believe our organization, ADDO, has found an honorable and strategic way to do both—make a difference and tell our story effectively. One of my favorite ways we’ve done it is with the Baltimore Ravens.

Any time we design a program, project, or initiative that is meant to make a difference in other people’s lives and build a brand, we take these three steps in this order:

1) Impact. The first thing we think about is how we are going to impact the person we’re trying to help. For the Baltimore Ravens Leadership Institute, we first considered how to most effectively inspire and equip student leaders to live and lead at a higher level.

2) Integration. Next (this means AFTER we have considered the impact), we determine how to integrate the brand (or brands) in an authentic way. The program’s sponsors, the Baltimore Ravens and T. Rowe Price, are committed to helping high school students in the Baltimore area grow in the same leadership qualities key to excelling in professional football, financial stewardship, and beyond. This is why we decided to focus on four key areas of leadership: Lead Yourself, Lead Others, Lead Change, and Lead Community. Each one is widely applicable to any vocation, and each one easily gleans from the experiences of our corporate sponsors.

3) Influence. Once we have carefully considered the impact we want to make and integrated the brand in an authentic way, we work to articulate the influence that this program is making to the broader community (that’s the marketing part). We work intentionally on public relations, storytelling, and how to measure impressions of the program or product we’ve put in place.

Cause-related marketing might seem simple, but if you don’t follow these steps in this order, it won’t work. The initiatives that focus first on impact, have authentic brand integration, and share their influence in the community are the ones that are most effective.

Our communities need you to make a difference.

I hope there are more businesses and individuals who will leverage their brands to leave a lasting impact.

There are many new subscribers this week; I’m glad you’re here. You’ll notice that some weeks, these posts are very tactical and apply to our professional endeavors. Other times, they have a more personal application. However, each week tackles something I’m learning or feel compelled to share. This one falls on the more personal side, as it’s coming off a trip to Texas last week where I caught up with Jon Seidl, an old friend who lives in the area. I hadn’t seen Jon for several years, so I wondered what the dynamic would be like. Would I get together with Jon and realize that after time, distance, and change, we have nothing in common anymore?

This meeting wasn’t like that at all.

It felt like we picked right back up where we left off. We recounted stories of the trip we were on together in Israel 10 years ago, we shared updates about our own children, and we talked about our faith. We felt known, even though we hadn’t spent time together in so long, and it reminded me there really is something special about old friends.

Can you think of relationships you’ve cultivated for years?

How about someone you’ve met recently who might be a friend for life?

The great philosophers Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, reunited thirty years after recording “Islands in the Stream,” to perform another duet called “You Can’t Make Old Friends.”

‍What will I do when you're gone?

Who's gonna tell me the truth?

Who's gonna finish the stories I start

The way you always do?

When somebody knocks at the door

Someone new walks in

I will smile and shake their hands

But you can't make old friends

‍

‍Life is full of transition. We all have new friends, community, and co-workers, but there is something special about people who have been in your life for a long time. These are the people who knew you before you became the person you are today. These were your coworkers at your very first job. These were the members of your favorite organization in college. These were the classmates who sat with you at lunch everyday in high school. These were the other parents on your child’s sports team. These were the neighbors who walked through that difficult time with your family.

We must remember the value of investing in long-term friendships—ones that span the many seasons and changes of life.

And if you’re thinking, “I’m here to get better at my job, Kevin,” friendships matter there too. Gallup has found that having a best friend at work is strongly linked to business outcomes, including profitability, safety, inventory control, and retention. If you’ve read this far, you’re probably either encouraged because you’re picturing certain friends in your mind, or you’re discouraged because you feel like it’s too late—you’ve lost touch with your old friends.

It’s not too late to make an investment.

When discussing friendship, Zig Ziglar would say: “If you go out looking for friends, you’re going to find they are very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.”

“If you go out looking for friends, you’re going to find they are very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.” –Zig Ziglar

Reach out. Take the first step. Initiate. Be a friend, and reconnect with some old friends. You’ll be surprised by how reaching out could reform a meaningful connection that could last a lifetime.

There are no good movies for kids to watch.

There is no great restaurant in our neighborhood.

The tools we use to communicate with our clients are inefficient.

All of the new books coming out are shallow and poorly written.

Our local coffee shop is below average at best.

The data system we use at work is archaic.

There are endless things to complain about in our rapidly evolving culture and society, but might I make a suggestion? Instead of complaining, let’s start creating.

Instead of complaining, let’s start creating.

Every single created thing is the product of a problem that a person noticed, addressed, and found a solution.

What’s stopping you from doing the same?

Create the solution. Create something to make the world better. Make something better than the bad movie, the subpar dining experience, or the terrible communication system.

The best products are created in response to real problems that we see with the world.

I’m well aware that it’s not practical for each of us to create a business every single time we see a flawed product or service, but I firmly believe that the best businesses, products, and services are created in response to real challenges that people face.

Uber was created in response to the problem of hailing a taxi at a busy time or on a busy street. Instead of chasing down yellow cars, you can call for an Uber, see the exact time of their arrival, and pay on a convenient mobile app.

HelloFresh was created from a desire for easy, healthy home-cooked meals. They answer the question, “What’s for dinner?” with easy-to-follow recipes and pre-portioned ingredients delivered right to your door.

Angel Studios was created from a desire for high-quality values-based entertainment. They are completely crowd-funded and have managed to launch hit shows like The Chosen by seeking the financial help of individuals and families who possess the same desire for excellence in both the value of production and truthfulness of the content.

The famous artist, Michelangelo, had a modus operandi: “criticize by creating.” He believed the best way to voice your complaints about the status quo was to create something to fix it.

Learn from the examples of the great artists, innovators, and problem-solvers before you. Stop complaining, and start creating today!

This truth struck me at a pivotal time in my life. A mentor I respected told me that my energy had a profound effect, both positively and negatively, on my team. When I was excited, the team was more committed to an idea. When I was checked out, the team was less engaged. My disposition, my attitude, and my tone mattered to the success of those around me. Lately, I’ve been considering some of the more intangible elements of leadership. What are those crucial components that drive success? I believe that energy is one of them, but there are also other things to consider when looking for people to bring onto your team or qualities to promote within your organization.

Here are my top four:

1. Energy:

After the introduction, this one is a given. A leader’s personal energy is crucial to the success of their influence. This energy includes their disposition and their outlook on the work your organization is doing. Personally, I value people who are underdogs and optimists. These people naturally have a positive outlook on life even when the odds are stacked against them, and they are great for increasing morale on any team.

2. Enthusiasm:

Enthusiasm is different from energy. This is rooted in a passion and ability to rally the team around a common goal. We use the word inspire at ADDO a lot, and it means “to breathe life into.” I want enthusiastic leaders who can breathe life into the people on our team and the projects they are creating.

3. Execution:

To put it simply, can you do the job? If you were thinking my first two components were fluffy, rest assured that I’m not naive.

Energy and enthusiasm will help, but you have to be able to get things done.

A great leader must be able to accomplish their work with excellence in order to have a positive impact on the people around them.

4. Edge:

This one might be the most undervalued and overlooked, but I believe it’s pivotal. Leaders must have a decision-making edge and a bias for action. They have the courage to make the hard calls, and when the time comes, they pull the trigger, even when it’s difficult.

Leaders must have a decision-making edge and a bias for action.

When I am looking for a leader on my team, I want people with energy, enthusiasm, the ability to execute, and a decision-making edge. I’m curious: What would be on your list of crucial components for leaders?

It was a devastating day for Alabama fans and a joyous occasion for every college football coach, player, or fan who has ever been a victim of his success.

Throughout his storied career, Coach Saban has frequently made statements that apply far beyond the football field. Here’s one of my favorites: “You’re going to suffer through one of two things in life: either the pain of discipline or the pain of disappointment.” This truth drove him and his players to focus on process and preparation and to outwork their competition year after year. Saban is right. Life is hard, and pain is inevitable.

But the question is this:

Will you pursue the pain of discipline or endure the pain of disappointment?

Think about it. The degree to which you are disciplined has a correlation to how often you are disappointed. There are times we will face disappointment due to factors outside of our circumstances. However, greater preparation often leads to decreased pain. Gary Player said, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.”

All of us want life to be pain-free. We want things to come easily to us, and if we’re being honest, we don’t want to have to go through the blood, sweat, and tears necessary to accomplish something great. But if we want to accomplish anything of value, we’re going to experience the pain of discipline. Otherwise, the pain of disappointment is waiting for us. Discipline is initiated by you.

Disappointment is initiated for you and to you.

You’re disappointed by your failure to meet your weight loss goal again this year.

You’re disappointed by the stack of books on your nightstand that you haven’t got around to reading.

You’re disappointed by your performance review, outlining the same areas for growth your supervisor addressed last year.

You’re disappointed by your lack of deep friendships; though, you can’t remember the last time you reached out to a friend about spending time together.

You’re disappointed that another year went by without you pursuing that idea.

More often than not, disappointment reveals areas where you need to grow in discipline.

Discipline can be initiated by you.

Here are three practical steps toward discipline:

1. Identify the areas of your life where you need to grow.

‍Discipline starts with direction. This may be many areas, and if so, that’s OK. Take one or two to focus on first, and you’ll be surprised by how developing habits of discipline in one area of your life can increase your discipline in other areas. The principles of discipline are the same, even if they look different when applied to different things.

2. Set specific goals to grow.

Once you’ve identified where you need to grow, make some goals to define what growth looks like and stick to them. Read for 20 minutes a day. Exercise three days a week. Respond to emails within 24 hours. Create an innovative solution for a problem at work by a specific date. You get the idea.

3. Celebrate the process of growth.

Remember, discipline comes with pain. It’s not going to be easy, and it may not come quickly. But it’s going to be worth it. Celebrate growth. One way to do this is to share your discipline goals with someone you trust (maybe a mentor or a close friend) and to update them through the highs and lows of developing a certain discipline. They can encourage you on your journey and help hold you accountable when you want to give up!

When we understand the connection between discipline and disappointment, we can take the first step toward the future we want to create.

The high stakes meeting next week has you stressed, working late hours.

You received a call last week about your child struggling in school.

Your annual review is looming, and you’re anxious about what your supervisor will say.

You need to have a hard conversation with a friend whose life is spiraling out of control.

The sales deadline is looming, and you’re working overtime to meet it.

You got in a fight with your spouse this morning, and you need to address it after work.

The HVAC unit in your home has finally given up, and you need to pay a fortune to replace it.

There is a lot of pressure in your life. It can feel like it’s coming at you from all sides—above you, beneath you, and around you—at work, at home, at school, at church, and wherever life has you. It’s immense, and it often feels crushing. But I want to remind you (and me) of something important: Pressure is a privilege.

Pressure is a privilege.

I know. It sounds simplistic and way too optimistic. You’re probably thinking: Really, Kevin? But hear me out:

If you feel pressure, it means that the things you are doing are meaningful.

If the things you’re doing didn’t matter, there would be no pressure. If the stakes weren’t high and the implications not far-reaching, it wouldn’t matter what you did. But because you have important roles and significant work to do, your life comes with pressure.

Here are the facts:

1. You have pressure.

2. Pressure is a privilege.

3. You need to press on.

We find a strong statement in Scripture after Paul was reflecting on a particularly challenging situation in his life and ministry. Paul said it this way, “I press on toward the goal...” (Phil. 3:14).

That’s my encouragement for you today.

Whatever your calling or station in life, press on.

Don’t let the pressures of life stop you from pressing on to the high calling you have in your life. Remember, pressure is a privilege, so press on.

This is a constant question for me. I love biographies, books about business, and books about leadership. I look forward to new books and concepts. However, there are a few classics that I go back to over and over again. One of my favorites is the first leadership book I read in college: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell.

All 21 laws are excellent, but the one that has stuck most firmly in my mind for the last 20 years is Law #5: The Law of EF Hutton.

Some of you reading are thinking, "Who the heck is EF Hutton?” (And those of you not wondering are probably over the age of 50). Let me set the stage: EF Hutton, a financial company, ran an advertising campaign in 1970’s and early 1980’s. In the commercials, two people would be talking in a crowded area (like an airport or a park on a nice day) about what their broker says about a certain kind of investment. Inevitably, one of the people will respond with, “Well, my broker is EF Hutton, and EF Hutton says . . .” At this moment, all of the hustle and bustle around them stops, everyone grows silent and leans in to hear what this person is going to say. The narrator concludes the commercial saying, “When EF Hutton talks, people listen.” John Maxwell calls Law #5 the Law of EF Hutton to illustrate this principle: When real leaders speak, people listen.

When real leaders speak, people listen.

A “real leader” is a leader with personal power, not just positional power. This is a person whose voice carries weight. Think about your last team meeting and the most influential voice in that room. When this person shares something, it has an effect on the other people present (positively or negatively) because they naturally influence the people around them.

I remember vividly who this real leader was in an organization I was involved with in college. If she liked an idea and expressed approval, everyone was on board. If she didn’t, it wasn’t going to happen. I quickly learned that if I was going to accomplish my agenda as the positional leader, I needed her in my corner. Before I presented a new idea or strategy to the group, I began to solicit her feedback first. This made all the difference in my ability to influence my team. It wasn’t enough to have positional power. To win the hearts and minds of the others, I needed to leverage personal power.

When you learn to identify those individuals with true influence, your effectiveness will increase exponentially.

But I’d challenge you to take it a step further: Work to become that kind of leader. If your goal is to build personal influence, regardless of your position, I’d encourage you to focus on three areas:

1. Character:

If people trust your character, they will be more eager to listen to what you have to say. To put it simply, do you do what you say you’re going to do? Often leaders over-promise and under-deliver. Be a person who keeps your word, and others will believe what you say is true.

2. Consistency:

This is related to character, but it’s proven over a period of time. When you are consistent, the people you lead know what to expect from you and are more likely to listen to what you have to say.

3. Candor:

People like honesty. They appreciate it when you don’t mince words, but tell the truth unapologetically. Peggy Noonan says, “Candor is a compliment; it implies equality.” When you’re up front with people, you are able to develop trust more effectively. If you’re not the real leader in the room, don’t be discouraged. You have a voice, and you can be heard.

First, be strategic by gaining the support of the real leader in the room. If they support you, you will naturally gain influence.

Second, and more importantly, become the real leader in the room by cultivating character, consistency, and candor in the way you lead and communicate with your team.

Don’t forget: When the real leader speaks, people listen.

When asked how we did it, my most consistent response was “We don’t buy cheap toilet paper.” It was a funny response, but it was meant to illustrate a simple truth: We take good care of our people.

Today, I want to highlight another simple truth, but it has far-reaching implications for our interactions with our clients and customers.

Here it is:

Pick up the dang phone.

If your organization delivers a product or service to clients and customers (I would say this is the majority of us), you have likely received an email expressing disappointment. Maybe they were unsatisfied with the product. Maybe they thought the service advertised wasn’t what they received. Maybe your response time wasn’t fast enough. Whatever the case may be, our natural reaction is to start drafting an email in response.  

After all, this provides you ample time and space to think through and write out a counter-argument that defends your position. It sounds like a great plan, right?

Wrong.

When you receive bad news and need to respond…PICK UP THE DANG PHONE.

I recently saw a post on LinkedIn that unpacked the benefits of phone calls over emails. It explained that when a person makes a phone call in response to an email, they immediately establish a closer connection with the recipient and have natural tangential conversations that lead to more relational capital.

Not only do phone calls help to diffuse conflict, but they often reveal other underlying issues that may be exacerbating the situation.

You might think a client is upset about one thing, but then you learn something else is going on in their business that is causing strain. Or you may learn that the person who just sent the disgruntled email has a mom in the hospital and is going back and forth from the office to her bedside.

This principle doesn’t just apply to the corporate setting. This is true for the teacher who receives a disgruntled email from a parent about their child’s recent test grade: Pick up the phone.

This is true for the church leader who receives an email outlining the problems with the children’s ministry: Pick up the phone.

This is true for you when your sibling sends a passive-aggressive text about your most recent holiday gathering: Pick up the phone.

Our relationships matter, inside and outside of the workplace. The best way to strengthen them and work through conflict, disagreement, and disappointment is to skip the impersonal email and text message response. . . and just pick up the dang phone.

Before we dive in, let me be clear: money matters. But our motivation matters more.

If money is what gets you out of bed in the morning, you’re going to be more loyal to your bank account than to your employer.

But how does life look different if our job is tied to an important mission?

If you signed up to serve in the US military, there is certainly financial compensation. But, there are many jobs with higher pay and better benefits. If you are signing up to serve in the military, it’s because you have a desire to serve your country and fight for the people in it. And without a doubt, if an enemy military offered you more money to fight for them, you would be disgusted by the prospect. Why? Ultimately, your work is about the mission.

In ADDO’s early days, we knew everyone was there for the mission—because we couldn’t afford to pay them more than the company down the street! Fortunately, as ADDO has grown, our ability to increase compensation has grown. However, profit cannot be the biggest aspect of our value proposition. Purpose has to be paramount. David Salyers, former Vice President of Marketing at Chick-fil-A, recently shared this truth with our ADDO team: “When the exchange between employer and employee is all about money, we turn our employees into mercenaries who’d quickly sell their services to the highest bidder.”

“When the exchange between employer and employee is all about money, we turn our employees into mercenaries who’d quickly sell their services to the highest bidder.” – David Salyers

As leaders, we must connect people to our mission, not just the money. If the only thing we’re doing to fight for talent is to offer them more money, we are playing a risky game that we will probably lose. Some people will say focusing on mission is fluffy and superfluous, but I’ve worked with enough organizations to know that if your talent strategy is only about money, you will struggle to retain talent.

Mission isn’t just a feel good thing. It’s also not a manipulation tactic—it must be authentic. When done correctly, mission creates employee engagement and loyalty over the long haul.

Money definitely matters, but mission matters more than money.

Spend some time this week reminding folks in your organization why you do what you do.