Empathy. It all begins with Empathy. And Equity. Empathy and Equity.

Whenever I work with a new client I always make sure I take some time to reflect on the people that came before me, whether it was the founder(s), former employees, board members, etc. The combined energy, resources, and perspectives of all those folks represent the “equity” of the situation, and whatever good I’m able to accomplish is in some way because of the prior investment of those that came before me. (The “We” of the situation helps lay the foundation for “Me” to succeed.) I also try to put myself in the position of those other parties to better understand their strengths, weaknesses, problems, and anxieties relative to the equity they have invested in the situation.

I feel like my job while I’m wearing the “Brand Management” hat, in part, is to help increase the “value” of that equity, whether literally, figuratively, socially, or all of the above.

So it goes back to Empathy and Equity: understanding the perspective of others and their “skin in the game”, and how I can do my best to influence that in a constructive way for the life of the relationship.

Always Keep Learning,

-Floyd