No Man Left Behind

The word “we” has become one of the most overused buzzwords in marketing and branding. It has been used so much that I have placed it in the basket of bullshit buzzwords used in branding that have lost their meaning - right alongside the words “luxury,” “bespoke,” and “organic.”??

Almost every brand and company invokes “we” in their copy to emphasize who they are and how their selflessness is for the greater good. Some companies even disingenuously include the word “We” in their namesake while the leadership leaves behind a trail of destruction as they run off with the profits.?

My issue isn't so much with the word itself. It’s a necessary pronoun that we use every day. My problem is with the hypocrisy of some brands and leaders who attempt to leverage the word’s meaning into their culture or product, pretending to act in the best interests of “we” while acting in the interests of??“themselves.”?

Veterans are different. Without their selflessness and sacrifice, there would be no “I.”??And as difficult as it is for most people to wrap their minds around why someone would lay their life on the line, Veterans are cut from a different cloth. Thankfully.?

Instead of forging forward at any cost, they live by the mantra “ No man should be left behind.”?

Side Bar:

One of the people whom I find daily inspiration from is David Goggins. He is a retired United States Navy SEAL and former United States Air Force Tactical Air Control Part Member who served in the Iraq War. If you want to be inspired, read his memoir “Can’t Hurt Me” and follow him on Instagram.?

Let’s do this!?

Shaun