‘The future’s bright, the future’s …’

March 2023

Do you remember the campaign for the telecoms company Orange with the strapline ‘the future’s bright, the future’s Orange’? It was many years ago now (really ageing myself here!), and the brand is long gone, but here’s an interesting question for today: what would you personally write instead of the word Orange??

‘The future’s bright, the future’s …’

It feels like there is a lot of uncertainty again right now. Lack of clarity. Ever shifting sands. I’m not trying to be dramatic or poetic, I’m just expressing my experience of agency life and business in general over the last while.?

We’ve made some significant shifts already this year. We've recently given up our beautiful studio in Maidstone, Kent and the WonderHub brand, as part of our move to a remote first work environment. We’ve also paused the podcast after 30 fantastic episodes, as well as changed our business model to an impact business model, aligned with B Corp. Time for a cup of tea!?

These changes have all been made as part of a cultural shift in the agency to put an even greater emphasis on ensuring we have a happy and fulfilled team, serving clients in the best possible way, whilst making a tangible difference to the planet and how we utilise our profits.?

One key thing I’ve learnt afresh during this uncertain season is the power of clarifying and sticking to my values, both as a leader and as a business. The journey of applying for B Corp certification has really helped to crystallise my values into a framework, and enabled fresh behaviours in the agency that build the kind of culture we believe in.?

Uncertainty can make you question so much, but the one thing you can hold on to is your values. If you haven’t done so recently, it’s a good exercise to take time out and connect with your core drivers. Asking yourself some simple questions can really help you to connect with (and maybe even rediscover) some of your core values. Questions like:?

• What are you really passionate about??
• What values underpin who you are??
• What don’t you stand for??

We love doing brand strategy work with our clients helping them to understand this in a corporate brand context, but this is also so helpful for us as individuals, for our own sake and for the people around us.?

Remember, an authentic leader is a better leader.?

There is a lot more to unpack on this topic, so if you want to chat further as always DM me and leave a comment with your thoughts.?

Have a great week

Dan?