︎ Re-thinking brand culture in uncertain times
Written by Giacomo Felace
2020.07
Two months ago, like so many others, I received communications from clients telling that it was better to wait to kick-off, to suspend projects until we would be back to “normality”, that the contract we were about to sign would be blocked until who knew.
I understand the reasons, I would have done the same.
I decided that if the opportunities were stopped it didn’t mean that I had to stop too. So the current situation has inevitably forced me to re-think my present and near future and I worked according to this framework that I called “No name framework”:
︎ WHO — IDENTITY & CULTURE
Mission, values, reputation, tone of voice, visual identity
︎HOW — MINDSET & WAYS OF WORKING
Space, routine, approach, timeline
︎WHAT — VISIBILITY & IMPACT
Community engagement, knowledge sharing, impact program
︎WHERE — LOCATION
Office, homeworking, city
I have redefined my deep essence, my dream, my goals, what moves me and where I want to go. Who I want to be and who I don’t want to become, what I want to do and what I will say no to.
I find this moment a disaster but also an opportunity. Most of us started thinking and evaluating the type of life and work we have. Vertical values have shifted rapidly into more collective values.
We’re reavaluating the idea of time, space, work and organization.
Since this crisis started, loads of remote platforms immediately jumped into the opportunity of offering their services to help businesses adapt to remote working. That’s great and we definitely have a lot to learn from them, but I think we are missing something here.
The current situation has forced most companies to modify their ways of working and mindset to a completely new scenario and we should see it as a turning point for big changes.
At moments of crisis, everyone expects things to be burnt down and be rebuilt. Therefore, your team/audience/client won’t ask you why right now as they’ll understand that this is the right time for changes. Some companies are forced to pause their activity for a few weeks, so this the perfect time to reflect and plan ahead for your business.
If the people around you was sceptical about making changes before, they will believe and take the chance with you now.
︎ Ask yourself the following questions:
- Did you cultivate empathy and mindfulness with your team?
- Did you spend time listening to them?
- Did you nurture a culture that empowered your business to react to any situation?
- Did you make the most out of your team’s talent?
- Did you cultivate the type of leadership you wanted for your organization?
- Did you implement processes that helped to produce the best outcome for your organization?
- Did your organization positively impact the local community? Did it offer fair opportunities for the underserved?
- Did you do good work that does good with good people?
These questions are crucial points to provide clear answers right now because our structures and processes will be tested through stress and uncertainty.
At this moment, most of us are spending more time with our own selves, thinking and evaluating the type of life we have. A lot of us will question why we are doing such things, and as a consequence, the quest for meaning and community might eclipse the quest for a job.
After the crisis, people will start questioning if their work gives them meaning and provides them with a healthy space; that’s when some companies will see their talent run away, and other companies will see the ability to form great teams who are ready to take on the next big challenge.