Building a Human-Centered Culture

On April 27, some of BBG&G’s staff had the opportunity to attend the Generate Conference in New York City. We’d like to share a few of the things we learned – specifically, about building a human-centered culture in the creative workplace.

Whenever a company sells something, they sell more than a product or service; they sell an idea. The fact is, humans are emotional beings and crave connection with one another. Stories sell. So naturally, the best way for us to get better at our jobs as marketers is to become better humans.

As Ben Callahan, CEO of Sparkbox, shared at the conference, great creative solutions happen when we work as a team, which requires us to master empathy and diversity.

Developing empathy for the members of your team paves the way for separating idea conflict from personal conflict, so that criticism can be voiced freely and used to construct the best possible solutions. If we’re not investing in the people on our team, we’re not investing in the project.

Being on a team doesn’t just mean getting along; it means collaboration. Each person comes from a different background. They vary in age, gender, race, experience and skillset. Working together with people who have differing perspectives broadens the scope of what you can accomplish together.

So learn about your teammates. Grow in empathy towards their diversity. Remember that your collaborative idea belongs to the whole team, not just you. Expose disagreement, and encourage participation from those who are less outspoken. Be humble enough to realize that your skills paired with the skills of others will always be greater than your skills alone.