The Pyramid of my Work
Storytelling. History/Legacy. Energy.
^ The three core elements that make up the pyramid of the work that I do.
I explored a lot in my 20s - in many ways I’ve grown to become what one might call a marketing generalist. In that I have a wide range of skills that I’ve acquired throughout my career.
Ads.
SEO.
Social media.
Branding and marketing training.
Marketing strategy.
Business coaching.
Content production.
Copywriting.
Editing.
Community.
Email marketing.
Internal & stakeholder communications.
Public relations.
Client & account management.
Events.
You try different things until you find what makes you excited to get up in the morning.
Until you find the role with the ideal fan that lights you the fuck up.
Until you have clarity
around what you want to do, why you want to do it, and the legacy that you ultimately want to leave. And who you want to do it for. Like many millennials I only want to do work that matters.
Aside from needing the basic necessities. Finding the career that’s aligned is the most important. I refuse to be someone clocking in and clocking out. I need more.
I need depth.
I’ve found that there’s three core elements that I always come back to. Core pieces that play a role in everything.
Storytelling. History/Legacy. Energy.
Story.
I have always been drawn to people with stories. It’s not just what you’ve gone through, it’s what you’ve taken from it. The wisdom that comes from the failure or/and the pain. The willingness and grit to relentlessly go after something that you believe in.
There’s one sports book that I can read. And reread. Numerous times. That never fails to fuel my fire, brings a wave of passion, makes me feel like I’m on the field, and draws me in. I know how the story goes and I still get tingles from reading it.
It doesn’t matter how many times I read it, the magic in it is never lost. And that’s powerful.
“I want to show exactly what it’s like for me - an offensive lineman, a right guard, definitely not one of the glamour positions - to struggle through a professional football season. I want to show what my teammates are like in all their dimensions. I want to show what it’s like to push yourself almost beyond endurance for a coach who considers pain only something that you must shrug off.
And I want this diary to have a happy ending. Afterall, this isn’t Hamlet, and I’m not Shakespeare. I’m a professional football player”
Jerry Kramer, Feb 1967, Instant Replay
Kramer played under Vince Lombardi. During the 1967 season he kept a recorder on hand - speaking into it at least once a week, often daily. At that point he had been in the league for 10 years. He had other business ventures. He was financially secure. He had multiple surgeries, many of them major surgeries. Many of them the result of playing football.
And yet, he kept finding himself coming back. He couldn’t figure it out. He couldn’t put his finger on the why.
In Instant Replay, Kramer takes you behind the scenes. He uses the history, shares through powerful stories, and paves the way for their legacy.
It’s a trifecta.
Story is the element that draws us in. It’s where we draw connection. As fans and consumers, there’s a lot of competition that’s trying to steal our attention. In order for someone to drop their credit card and then move down your funnel to become a loyal fan, they need to feel an emotional connection.
I’ve taken jobs based on the stories, one company's tagline that spoke volumes to me was, “your story matters.’ I was a blog writer, an email copywriting, and content writing. In any position that I’ve held that involves writing and/or strategy, I find myself always going back to the story.
When I first start working with a client, we do an audit. We deep dive into the organization or athlete’s history. We talk on a personal level. It’s here that the gold is uncovered. The elements that form your brand stories, the articles to pitch, the keynote speech.
Asking:
What is it that we’re actually trying to accomplish?
Who is our ideal fan and why does this matter to them?
What is the action that we want to inspire?
We all have stories. Stories about the things we’ve been through, what’s happened on our journey, and why we want to leave the legacy that we want to leave.
I was sitting in on a conference, listening to a speech by professional soccer coach John Herdman. Many things from his speech stood out to me (you can read more about that here), he highlighted a trend that he’s noticed.
All high performers that he’s come across have displayed 3 key components behind their why. And those 3 components are: history, legacy, heroes.
Are you successfully inspiring action from your prospective fans?
History/Legacy
A respective look into the past and into the future. What is your organization's history?
Look back on the early days - the passion and fuel that brought your team to life. Think about the stories that made headlines, the athletes on the team, the triumphs and the defeats.
There’s many pieces of history that can be pulled into your story. There’s a chance that there’s a lot of components getting sidelined right now. Components that can and will speak to your ideal fan.
If you’re an athlete, what journey did you go on to get here? What adversity did you face? What did you learn along the way? What motivations did you have, who inspired you and played a role in getting you here?
Looking back puts things in perspective. It shows us how far we’ve come.
Next you can move onto the future - what legacy do you want to leave?
THIS is what wakes you up in the morning, the reason why you go to the training session at 6am, what keeps you studying the playbook late at night. It’s the promise that you make to your fans - it’s what sets you apart from the competition in what you provide.
I’m not talking about looking at your KPIs or your 3 month, 1 season, 5 year goals. I’m talking far into the future. The long game.
P.S. it should seem and feel huge, an enormous stretch. But the thing is - if you’ve envisioned it, if you can smell and taste it, it’s possible. No matter how far away it seems. The fact that it’s on your radar, means it’s possible.
Not only is it possible, it’s within your grasp. And it’s yours.
When we start working together - I need to know where it is that we’re going. I reverse engineer like no one’s business. And more importantly, it’s the gold star that we keep reaching for. It keeps us focused on the big picture vs getting caught up and sweating the small things.
Energy
Our energy determines so much. Without even realizing it, our energy is what prevents the universe from surprising us & dropping gifts to us.
Our energy determines our capacity - what we can hold, the strength of the relationships we’re developing, and passion behind the work that we’re doing.
If we’re burnt out, holding onto fear from things that previously happened, stressed about the future, that’s going to inevitably determine what we call into our lives at that time.
Is your cup on empty? Are you saying yes to the things that light you up? Are you creating a schedule that allows you to play and bring joy into your life?
It’s an area that’s a work in progress for many of us. Personally, there’s lots of growth for starting the morning slower, leaning into what I’m needing and desiring from a state of fun. Before I jump into client work. Before the emails and support is needed.
Your energy, your employees, your athletes energy, whether you realize it or not it all shows through in your content. Fans and prospects can read it from a mile away. And it impacts your bottom line.
If you’re looking to connect and work together: I offer a self study course on storytelling (great for the team looking to do professional development on your timeline) and customized consulting for organizations. Reach out and we can chat through which offer would be most beneficial based on your needs/goals.