My Values + Feminist Business Practices
My Values +
Culture-Making
Business Practices
believe...
that we are all culture makers and that we can use our culture making power deliberately, to create new realities for ourselves and our world.
Here are a few of the ways I try to do that in my own LIFE AND BUSINESS
Profit + Money
- I offer payment plans and I don’t charge any extra fees or interest for accessing payment plans. I think it is unjust.
- This is a business. I advertise. I market. You're going to see social posts and emails about my offers
- I don't pause the business or my marketing when there are tragic world events or crises and I push back on the expectation that I should.
1) My team still needs to get paid and my family still needs to eat
2) It is revealing that so many people expect that of independent small businesses (especially of women entrepreneurs) but not of blue-chip companies who are vastly more capitalized.
- I have a LOT of financial responsibilities — children, elders, extended family, team— so I need to earn a lot of money. I do this unapologetically.
- If any of this upsets someone, I am not for them
How (and When) I Offer Critique
- When I’m critiquing, I strive to name patterns, not people
- Because my focus is on patterns, not people, I will not comment on online controversies nor will I participate in "public humiliation spectacles"* on social media.
- I do not respond to attempts to discipline me if I'm quoting someone you disapprove of
* My thanks to Dr.Christine Marie for the language of "public humiliation spectacle" and "media misinformation/misrepresentation campaigns"
How I Respond to Tragedies, Wars & World Events
- When there are mass tragedies, my first efforts are direct and relational, which means they're often publicly invisible. I strive to offer my time, support, care and resources behind the scenes the people in my spaces who are most impacted by events. Just because something isn't visible on social media doesn't mean it is not happening
- When there is a crisis that is outside my zone of leadership & expertise -- which means I don't have useful analysis to contribute -- I deliberately get quiet so that I do not contribute noise that can obscure valuable signals from actual experts. In cases like this, my form of contribution is to signal-boost those experts rather than strive to overlay my voice or platform onto the situation (I'm not here to build clout off tragedy)
- I strive to only comment on events where I have leadership to offer AND, importantly, 'skin in the game'. To me, skin in the game is RISK. Is there a risk to me for getting involved? That's when I SHOULD get involved. If not, there's a risk of posturing, performing, or virtue-signalling and generating noise that obscures the voices we actually need to hear from
- I'm Canadian, so I usually don't have 'skin in the game' to comment on US politics. By that I mean there's no risk to me for comment and only reputational upside (clout). Armchair commentary on something where I have no analysis or risk, I get the reputational benefits of looking virtuous and righteous at no actual cost to me. And often, when Canadians comment on US culture/politics, we often end up acting smug and erasing our own failings from view. And, no. Once again, I'm not here to build clout off tragedies, signal the appearance of change or simulate change; I'm here to be effective in the places where I can actually be effective
- I am not a newspaper. I do not have the expertise, resources, bandwidth, or team to publish regular updates and commentary on the ever-intensifying crises impacting our world and communities
- I do not issue statements or position papers on international events or wars because (a) that is outside my zone of expertise & analysis and (b) because I am not an institution, Prime Minister, President or an elected government representative. I don't have the ability to directly intervene in world events -- but they do and it is literally their job to represent our will. That's the most effective place to direct our change-making energy: Let's call them. Email them. Write letters to them. They have a responsibility to legislate in our interests. Let's make sure they do that
- I do NOT stop selling during social crises because bills don't stop coming. It is not reasonable to expect indie providers with the least access to capital to stop their livelihoods in times when we need them most
- I specifically don't comment on mass shootings in the US because
- Again, I have no skin in the game
- Because I'm not a citizen, I have no ability to influence US legislators
- Research shows that the more media attention the massacre gets, the higher the likelihood that there will be a copycat shooting within 7 days. My silence is an attempt at harm-reduction
Solidarity, Self-Preservation,
and Culture-Making
- I believe in signal-boosting and sharing the work of the people influencing me (Citation is a culture-making practice; I’ve even footnoted a sales page!). There is so much brilliance in our community and it’s a joy to be part of it
- I do not to use mental/social triggers in high-risk sales situations
- I do not engage in money-shaming as a marketing tactic (or any kind of tactic!)
- If I cite or mention someone's work, it does not mean we know each other. It doesn't mean they even know I exist nor does it mean that they like me or approve of my work. Nor does it mean I endorse them unequivocally or that they endorse me. It means that there's a particular cultural thing that I'm trying to talk about and an idea or project of their's is relevant and I want to give credit where credit is due
- If I quote an idea from someone you object to, I am not obliged to respond to attempts to discipline me or silence me. If your concern is that there's been a call-out of this person, or you are responding to generalized claims of harm and are worried that I don't know about it: I probably do. I may have access to different information than you have or have come to a different conclusion than you have. We need to be able to tolerate differences in perspective rather than aiming for homogeneity and purity (neither of which have ever been liberatory)
- Please never substitute my judgement for your own. We don't have to agree or even like each other to respect each other's work.
- I do value good-faith critique and feedback from my co-travellers and will take the time to process it, learn from it, and integrate it (thank you!!!)
- If we know each other, I welcome your critique, feedback and correction. Call me! Email me! Text me! (If we know each other, you have my deets)
- If we don't know each other and you feel compelled to discipline me or sabotage my work, that's weird. I reserve the right to treat that as the unwelcome behaviour of an intrusive stranger and take protective measures. Instead, if my work is not for you, I invite you to unfollow me
- I won’t tolerate attempts to erase me or my work nor will I accept intellectually dishonest or personally malicious “arguments”. I believe in my body of work and I will protect it, and myself. That’s part of being a culture-maker.
Culture Making (aka Thought Leadership) Means Speaking *Their* Language
Culture Makers and Thought Leaders have a Language Dilemma and it is getting in the way of our work in the world.
Here`s the invisible barrier in our IP & thought leadership:
We are practitioners. We are in mastery. We are in love with our subject matter.
And so we speak Expert.
We speak Nerd.
We forget how to speak People.
And if there`s not a bridge between those two languages, our people won`t be able to hear us, find us or understand that we`ve got things that will help.
Because we`re speaking a different language.
And so we need to understand what the person --who we want to influence or who wants to learn from us-- wants, in their own words.
We need to understand what THEY think the problem is (especially if we`ve come to a different conclusion).
We need to understand what it is they`re trying to learn.
We need to know what`s going on in their life.
We need to know the words that fall out of their mouth and then start using them, ourselves.
We need to know intimately and forensically the person we`re trying to influence or who wants to be influenced by our systems of thought.
And when we`re over here in love with our subject matter, we don`t speak that language anymore.
We speak Expert.
We have to remember how to speak People.
#BridgeTheLanguageGap #ThoughtLeadership #ThoughtLeader #SpeakTheirLanguage #IP #IntellectualProperty #MeaningfulWork #BodyOfWork #WeAreTheCultureMakers
#CultureMakersLanguageDilemma #Externalize #GetYourIdeasOutOfYourHeadAndIntoTheWorld #PutTheThoughtsBackInThoughtLeadership
Jun 10
Most of the people doing the *real* thought leadership work -
the ones in the mix with us, developing new practices, processes, ideas, solutions and challenging industry norms --
would cringe at the idea of calling themselves a thought leader.
Because the dominant narrative around `thought leadership` is about positioning, posturing and clout-chasing.
But that, IMHO, is fake thought leadership. That`s about manufacturing authority rather than earning it with a robust, methodologized, coherent body of work.
(No wonder we cringe.)
True thought leadership -- culture making! -- is about so much more than just standing on a stage or topping Google searches.
True thought leadership is about externalizing your ideas into a meaningful, systematic body of work.
Let`s get our ideas out of heads and into the world --
And let`s put the thoughts back in thought leadership.
#ThoughtLeadership #Externalize #MeaningfulWork #BuildYourBodyOfWork #WeAreTheCultureMakers #FakeThoughtLeader
Jun 9
