This is one of a series of interviews by students and alumni from
the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) with
practitioners from the Sustainable Brands community, on a variety of ways
organizations can, and are, Redesigning the Good
Life.
Simon Mainwaring, founder and CEO of We
First, has an “all-hands-on-deck” sense of
purpose — and that purpose is to help us find ours. He led attendees of SB’18
Vancouver, in June, through
a hands-on, collaborative “CMO Accelerator: A Crash Course in Redesigning Brand
Purpose.” Meanwhile, for those interested in jumpstarting their impact through
purpose, the new online educational platform, [We First
Works](http://www.wefirstbranding.com/we-first-works), can help.
We recently caught up with Mainwaring to learn more about his purpose and
connection to “The Good Life.”
This is the third year Sustainable Brands’ theme has focused on “The Good Life.” What does “the good life” mean to you?
Simon Mainwaring: I think the good life is one in which the way we live our
lives serves life itself. It’s not about doing less bad anymore — it’s about
doing more good. We see that in the form of companies becoming net-positive,
energy-wise; in the form of product innovation that takes things that are
harmful to the planet, such as ocean
plastics,
and repurposes them into products that consumers love; we see it in the form of
company
cultures
that celebrate the human being — each employee. I think the good life is really
about living in a way that celebrates life and adds value to life, rather than
taking away from it.
What would you redesign to “live our lives to serve life itself”?
SM: I think I’d redesign people’s mindsets. Everything is a function of how
we think — that forms our behavior and in turn defines our impact. I’d reconnect
us with many of the insights from indigenous people and first nations around the
world — and with our symbiotic relationship with the natural world. We are just
one part of a much larger ecosystem of species and plants that are all one —
fundamentally, codependent on each other as we all share one fragile planet — in
which case, we should play a meaningful role to that end, rather than thinking
that somehow we are absolved from our responsibilities to care for other things.
One of We First’s brand beliefs is that “Social technology is teaching us to be human again.” How might this belief contribute to “the Good Life”?
SM: I believe that social technology is teaching us to be human again
because it has facilitated a dialog between institutions and citizens, brands
and consumers — so the monopoly on media channels that were held for a long time
by corporations and institutions is no longer the case. As a function of
conversation, you need to give both people air time — both need to listen — and
if you’re an institution or brand, you need to win over a citizen or a consumer
and build trust. After that, you need to lead with a quality and make sure you
share values that are meaningful to [your audience] and bring those to life in
ways that demonstrate authentic commitment and measurable impact. If you do
that, then all parties experience a deeper relationship — and over time, your
stakeholders and consumers will build your business with you.
What is We First Works and who can benefit from it?
SM: We First Works is an online platform that takes best practices in terms
of defining your personal and company
purpose,
and bringing it to life in a way that anyone — from any organization, of any
size — can quickly understand and apply to their business to unlock value to
that business. All of the insights that we’ve learned from working with
wonderful companies … and brands have really been built into a very easy to
follow, step-by-step process that allows you to unlock the value of purpose
inside your organization and to get the most out of your people — to make sure
you’re as relevant and resonant with consumers and younger demographics today,
so they are inspired to build your business with you. This is a
business-building tool because we find ourselves working in a marketplace where
people want to know the good that a company is doing, and they want to support
companies that are doing good.
At We First, we are passionate about taking the insights and learnings that
we’ve gained through our work with many of the top global brands and making them
available to more people — not just in isolation or individual companies, but as
a collective — so we can work individually and collaborate collectively to scale
our positive impact, at a time where it is needed more than ever.
Simon Mainwaring leads a CMO Accelerator at SB'18 Vancouver | Image credit: Sustainable Brands
How did the idea for We First Works come about? What drove you to build this learning experience?
SM: We First Works was a result of hearing from many entrepreneurs and
organizations about the challenges they were facing to define, integrate and
scale their purpose and their appetite to make a difference. So, we took a lot
of the work we had done inside of many corporations, startups and high-growth
companies and codified it into a practice. We married the best of it to a
learning platform … so there should be no barrier for any company of any size to
understand how to define their purpose and how to activate it. By doing so, we
can have more people rise to this challenge of using business as a force for
good. When we do so, it not only enriches our own life but everyone’s lives —
and I think, hopefully, that will become the new normal moving forward.
Since the launch of your bestselling book, We First: How Brands & Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World, what changes in the landscape of social technology and brand/consumer relationships have been inspiring?
SM: There have been a lot of circumstances that were inspiring, from the
initial engagement around Arab Spring movement, and the ability of citizens and
consumers to not only find out the truth, but share it more readily with each
other. There have also been countless examples of consumers leading activism
against brands that have been behaving poorly — or saying they believe in one
thing and doing another.
There’s also been some frustrations. Platforms…are currently being challenged as
to how transparent they are about the data they’re collecting, how they use it,
and what they’re doing in terms of selling it to advertisers. Every technology
is a double-edge sword. In some way, it connects people and makes our lives
richer; in other ways, [it] is being used to target and manipulate audiences in
ways that are not necessarily healthy. The world has changed a lot, as a
function of sophistication and maturity of social media. What we’re seeing right
now is a watershed moment where institutions, citizens, consumers around the
world are saying you need to be more responsible and transparent about what
you’re doing with our data.
What current challenge or opportunity sticks out as something to consider further, as people and companies aspire to creating a better world together?
SM: I think we are becoming increasingly aware of the challenges we face and
how they’re much larger than anything one company can do on its own. In which
case, the challenge moving forward is how we work together to scale our impact.
We’re going to need to partner more, become more collaborative in nature and
work together to serve issues higher than ourselves.
I suppose there is always a tension between necessary self-interest for
companies — especially if they are public and have shareholders — and the
collective wellbeing. There’s an ongoing dialog as companies try to thread this
needle between growth and contribution. As the world becomes more and more
challenging — and more people are suffering the consequences or becoming more
displaced — it’s going to become more and more important for businesses to play
a positive role.
What thought would you like to people to take out into the world?
SM: There’s a very powerful through-line when you are aligned with your
personal purpose and your company’s purpose, too. You transform your experience
of life, because who you are as a person and what you do on a daily basis are in
alignment. And that’s when you find the fulfillment and satisfaction that so
many people want in their life. That is a true gift we can give to ourselves as
well as others. I think that is a great opportunity for all of us.
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Shanna Ruyle is an Art Director and Graphic Designer helping local, national and global companies amplify their products, services and messages through design and discover sustainable opportunities within their offerings and processes.
Published Feb 22, 2019 7am EST / 4am PST / 12pm GMT / 1pm CET