The Power of Kindness, and connections that transcend good.

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There is a certain level of authority that comes from wearing a Hi-Viz vest. The donning of a bright yellow polyester waistcoat gives instant gravitas when directing and corralling a crowd. In my time as a trustee at Projekts MCR skatepark (aka the Pumpcage or just the Cage) I often used it’s powers of officialdom to manage the crowds at skate demos.

My first demo was somewhat of a baptism of fire, but it led to one of the best encounters of my “skate life” and taught me a lot about the power or kindness.

Tom Dougherty of UNRVLD talks about the four principles which underpin brands developing customers into fans, two of which are building emotional affinity with your audience, and ensuring your values inform your communication. This was the case for me when it came to helping at?my first demo, Converse CONS World Tour at the Pumpcage in 2015.?

CONS is the skateboarding arm of Converse, taking the classic Converse silhouettes from the past, like the Chuck Taylor or Jack Purcell, combining them with technical materials and design of their big brother Nike, and fusing the two together to create great skate shoes. They have an impressive team of skaters on their roster, and when asked to help at their demo in the summer of 2015 by the awesome, then Pumpcage park manager, Lewis Threadgold, I was happy to be volunteered.?

My job was pretty simple, clothed in my high-viz vest I was instructed to keep spectators off the single-story café roof, as this presented health and safety issues should they accidentally fall off.

I have generally found most skaters to be pretty cool and mellow, and most kindly agreed either to get down from, or not climb onto the roof when I explained the issue. However, as will happen, I struck resistance from two that did not fit this laidback mould, and were particularly disagreeable in refusing to get down.?

Faced with a challenge to my luminous yellow authority, I bought all my neuro-linguistic skills to bear, presented the logical arguments of why it was an issue, appealed to their aspiration, discouraged their indifference. Moved them towards the solution and away from the problem. They wouldn’t budge, and part of me was embarrassed at my failure to resolve the situation. I was stuck with the conundrum that they weren’t to be on the roof because of the insurance implications if they fell off, and yet right now my only option was to pick them up and chuck them off. I remained composed and they remained in situ.

Sensing my frustration and ire at this somewhat public, awkward, and unproductive encounter, the CONS Team Manager (TM) came over for a chat. The CONS team and general skateboard press had been given permission to film and photograph from the Café roof and had signed the relevant forms. The Team Manager knew this, but he was kind enough to check this was still okay and that their presence on the roof wasn’t causing an issue for us. I assured him he was fine.?

We got chatting, and I explained how my teenage son was a huge fan of the Converse CONS and Chocolate Skateboards pro Kenny Anderson, watching his part in the Pretty Sweet skate movie so many times that I am sure he wore out the DVD . I pointed that he was lurking just round the corner from his hero, too nervous to say “hello, you’re awesome”.

In an instant of me saying this, the TM had grabbed a tour t-shirt, clambered down off the roof, and was running across the park to Kenny. A quick conversation and the next thing there is my sons skate hero Kenny Anderson shaking his hand, handing him a CONS Worldwide Tour t-shirt, and having selfies with him and his skate rat mates. I think I was so moved that I had to pretend a small insect had flown into my eye.

That T-shirt was THE wardrobe staple for the next three years.

Let's just say the Converse CONS TM had me at hello. It's a brand I have felt an affinity for ever since. Years later when Kenny was playing with his band in Manchester, my son and some fellow members of the Uni Skate Society got to skate a couple of Manchester spots with him. Apparently, he was just as approachable, just as humble, still kind?and just seemed stoked to be skating with some locals. Truly a great ambassador.?

Then a few months ago on I read on Insta a post from my son’s friend and former President of the Skate Society Keiyu (Jing Yow) Lin amazing customer experience with the new CONS Alexis Sablone Pro shoes. As sometimes happens, there had been some manufacturing issues with gluing and stitching the upper, and him being a kick-flip master, was through to his socks after the first session. He dropped Alexis and CONS a note on Insta, probably expecting he would have to just suck it up and buy some shoe-goo. Not at all, by way of resolving the issue Alexis herself arranged for not just a single replacement pair, but a pair in all three colourways. Far beyond good customer service, this is someone with empathy for a fellow skater showing kindness and generosity?above the situation.

It got me musing on how people who embody kindness, and have generosity and empathy hardwired into them, are such great ambassadors for a brand. How that ability to connect and be positively generous creates a culture that raises a brand to a level above clever, edgy content and backing the right influencer. That kindness creates a connection which transcends merely being a recipient of a good product or service.