Clear is Kind
“We need braver leaders & more courageous cultures”
-Brené Brown
Our everyday lives rely heavily on the online world where it’s easier than ever to remain anonymous and vague in the ways that we communicate. We avoid tough conversations through fluffy emails and ghosting messages. While it may feel easier to be polite and avoid confrontation, in her blog post “Clear is Kind, Unclear is Unkind”, Brené Brown makes a case for why we need to embrace vulnerability, tough conversations, and own our failures with a sense of curiosity and understanding.
In a study asking senior leaders what needs to change to be successful in a rapidly changing world that is constantly hungry for innovation, the leaders had one answer in common: We need braver leaders and more courageous cultures.
To dig more into what exactly being courageous means, she identified that the greatest concern for these leaders were people who avoid tough conversations, and who avoid honest and productive feedback. Some of the drawbacks of the culture of avoidance and politeness included a “decrease in performance due to a lack of clarity and shared purpose”.
This isn’t to say that being polite is a bad thing, but it’s to say that politeness can’t be an excuse to avoid tough conversations. When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and approach both our successes and failures from a place of curiosity, we can have more fulfilling outcomes for our work and for ourselves.
Brown leaves us with the simple but transformative advice to changing outcomes in our lives both professionally and personally: clear is kind, unclear is unkind.
The Momentum of TikTok
If you know anyone born after the year 2000 you very well may have heard of the newest social media app climbing the charts: TikTok. While many new social media apps have struggled to maintain growth and a stable audience, TikTok has achieved over 1 billion downloads with over half of those downloads being from 2018. And of course, brands are starting to take notice.
The app consists of users uploading short videos up to 15 seconds in length. The social media platform came to fruition after the company behind it bought out a similar platform called Musical.ly. After the disappearance of popular video apps Musical.ly and Vine, TikTok surfaced to fill the void they left.
It’s no wonder Facebook and Snapchat are worried they may have a run for their money.
Click here to see TikTok in action (WARNING!! mindlessly addictive).
Click below to learn more about TikTok and its growing relevance for brand (and your kids).
Unique Media of the Week
Burger King in Brazil is taking competition to the next level using technology, free food, and creativity. After noticing other fast food chain advertisements everywhere, Burger King figured they needed to stand out from the crowd. What better way than to use their competition’s advertisements to fuel their fire?
Burger King created an app that allows users to point their phone’s camera at one of their competitor’s advertisements to watch a visual effect of it burning. After the advertisement “burns”, it reveals a coupon for a free burger. Burger King’s clear, direct, and candid approach to messaging certainly won over some attention. If you can’t beat them and you can’t join them, give out free burgers.