23.05.2024 By George Coleman, CEO

Culture Makes Great Work and the Workplace Great.

Whenever anyone asks me what is Current Global’s secret sauce, I unhesitatingly answer: culture.

Culture is key not only to a great workplace but also to doing great work. It’s one of those polymorphic terms that can mean many different things to different people. But peel away the layers of interpretation and, at its heart, it’s a wonderfully human thing. Culture expresses what we have in common and why we belong.

Culture exists through shared ideas, values, rituals, and behaviors. We don’t just observe it; we feel it.

As communicators, we forge meaningful connections between people, brands, and ideas. We all have an innate desire to connect and share. When we feel an emotional connection to a brand, we are twice as likely to promote it and will spend three times more. It’s why connection is a brand’s most valuable currency.

It’s not enough to earn attention. We must earn the connection.

When we personally connect, one to one, we form a relationship. When many connect with each other, it forms culture.

Creatively tapping into culture, therefore, is a potent pathway to catalyzing human connection at scale. The right idea, or spark, can create a powerful chain reaction that shifts mindsets and fuels movements.

Our ability to tap culture externally is a factor of our internal culture.

And that internal culture needs to be inclusive.

It’s not just what you say, but how communications will be received that matters. Accessibility, saliency, and cultural relevancy are critical, all through a human-first lens.

We have to ask ourselves: Do we have the human insight, diversity of thinking, and experience to tap into culture that enables us to reach every person, every community or constituency that forms our audience?

And we must be open about where our understanding of culture is lacking and intentional about seeking out and learning from those who can help us close that gap.

We believe empowering every employee to be themselves and giving them room to grow fosters an inclusive workplace culture. That, in turn, helps us do better, more impactful work.

We don’t view inclusivity as an initiative; it’s more fundamental than that. We never expect people to fit in or conform. Discovery and learning are enriching and motivating. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable helps us develop.

Along with helping attract and retain the best talent, our commitment to inclusive communications translates into business results for our clients.

The most successful brands are those that are meaningfully engaging with diverse populations who are rapidly becoming the majority in the U.S.  These audiences, a fast-growing share of the workforce, are making purchases to the tune of $5 trillion a year in the U.S.

In addition, the agency commitment we made in 2021 to Accessible by Design means that every piece of communication we develop, curate, and publish for our clients and ourselves will meet the highest accessibility standards. This is an integral part of our service offer at no additional cost to clients. And again, it drives business value for our clients: one in eight people globally has a disability—seen or unseen. This community of a billion people has a collective purchasing power of $13 trillion.

When we fully embrace inclusive culture, inside and out, we’re more successful for it.

Please join me Wednesday 29 May from 12-2pm ET at our upcoming virtual Culture Summit titled “Solving the Culture Conundrum,” where we’ll dive deep into the essence of culture, exploring its impact on organizations and society at large.