March 30, 2011

According to the annual research report from the Small Business Administration, over a half million new businesses are started each year.

Which is great for the economy.

The problem is: Many of these businesses have no soul.

And the last thing our economy needs is need another faceless, conformist hierarchy governed by hopelessly dated policies that imprison the artistic spirit and convert the workplace into a mechanical indoctrination center that strips people of their individuality on a daily basis.

Instead, we need companies with soul.

Here’s a collection of ideas to help your organization boost its soul equity:

1.     Don’t outsource the human function. People frequently ask me if my name tags are printed. Which makes perfect sense, since they all look identical. But you have to remember: It’s not name tag—it’s a brand. And my brand comes from my hand. Sure, I got arthritis at the age of 30, but it’s the small price to pay for injecting soul into my work. The question is: How much of your brand comes from your hand? Because as technology accelerates and analog falls by the wayside, anything handmade instantly hurls you in a position of rarity. And companies that stand on the foundation of their rarity—their soul—are the ones who change everything. Try this: Make a list of every handmade touchpoint your business offers. Then triple it. Then keep a log of every customer and employee reaction to each one. Your company will embody more soul than Al Green at The Apollo Theater. Remember: The hand is the agent of the heart. Does soul have a palpable presence in your labors?

2.     Shoes make the man—and the brand. My family’s business, Closeouts With Class, has been a major player in the wholesale industry since the early seventies. But here’s what most customers don’t know: Frank, my grandpa and the founder of the company, never asked his successors to fill his shoes. Instead, he fabricated the foundation. The soul. And from that foundation, he gave each of his future leaders permission to make their own shoes. That’s how companies win: They give people permission to wear their own shoes, wear them loud and wear them proud. After all, people engage when expression isn’t restricted and their dearly held sense of individualism is honored. If you want to deliver a dose of soul, stop forcing employees to play cover songs. Petition them to deploy the best, highest version of themselves. It’s not only branding—it’s being a human being. Is your brand an echo of someone else’s?

3.     Story isn’t enough. Here’s the problem with concept movies: They’re rich with funny moments and interesting characters, but when screenwriters haphazardly insert mediocre stories the audience doesn’t care about, box office numbers tank. On the other hand, smart movies do it right. Think about The Blues Brothers: That film never would have become a classic if it was just about Dan and John. There was something bigger at stake: They were on a mission from God. Which meant they engaged the audience in their goal, frightened people with their obstacles, and ultimately made you want them to succeed in the end. That’s a story with soul. And if you want to build soul capital for your organization, here’s my suggestion: You can’t just tell the story—you’ve got to stick the landing. You’ve got to attach meaningful concrete immediacy to your story; otherwise nobody is going to repeat it. Remember: Story is a soul medium. But only if you tell one people care about. How many people in your audience are checking their email?

4.     Emotion is technology of the soul. Watson is an artificial intelligence program who recently wiped the Jeopardy floor with reining champions, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. However, the computer did manage to answer one question wrong: The one about art. Interesting. I guess having access to two hundred million pages of content still doesn’t mean you know how to feel. Lesson learned: The heartbeat of the human experience is fueled emotion—not information. Instead of speaking to your customers and employees with bland, lifeless jargon, try putting a little blood into it. Instead of delivering emotionally illiterate, robotic non-service, try bringing your humanity to the moment. And remember: Companies who win operate from the heart—not the handbook. If you want more soul, turn off your computer and turn on your corazon. How colorful is your company’s emotional palette?

5.     Take the soul need seriously. Giving people a free soda a day isn’t enough. You have to tap into the human longing for freedom. That’s what people want: A yes answer to the question, “Can I live my truth here? Because the reality is, people engage in their work when they have permission to express themselves without resorting to code. When they can take a piss without having to meet compliance. Otherwise the feeling of formality prevents them from communicating freely, and they end up injecting about as much soul as Colonel Gaddafi. My suggestion: Lighten up on procedures and load up on philosophy. Instead of initiating restrictive devices that keep people from doing things (policies), implement enabling devices that empower people to do something (philosophies.) Is your company’s work experience mechanical and transactional or emotional and transformational?

Remember: Soul is like water for the dehydrated workplace.

If your organization isn’t place where soul finds expression, the people who work there will struggle to keep their humanity in tact. And companies that lack humanity leak profit.

But.

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