Episode 78: Growing Your Business with a Strong Strategic Foundation

Kendra Corman: 

Hello, and welcome back to Imperfect Marketing. I'm your host Kendra Corman, and I am very excited to have with me today, Claire Chandler. She provides thought partnership to CHROs and COOs of large organizations, and that's to help their teams work together more effectively in less time, with less cultural resistance, so that they can accelerate their business.

And I love that part of it, accelerating business growth. And I love the idea of thought partnership because I think that that's just a very creative way of talking about how you partner with the organizations and the people in the organizations. 

Claire Chandler: 

Well, thank you Kendra. And first of all, thank you for having me.

I've been looking forward to this conversation as to sort of unpack all of that. It doesn't land as well to call myself a leadership therapist. So I always use thought partner, but that is in fact what I end up being to, you know, to the C-suite because it is so lonely at the top. 

You know, the reason it's a cliche is because it happens to be true. But yeah, I that's, that's kind of where my sweet spot is and I love what I do. 

Kendra Corman: 

Okay. I love the fact that you admitted to the fact that you're a leadership therapist, because while that's not accepted, I am a marketing therapist. 

Claire Chandler: 

There you go. 

Kendra Corman: 

I have my clients that we have therapy sessions on a regular basis.

I actually just had a call this morning, once we're recording, with one of my clients who said, "okay, thank you for the therapy session. I really needed that." 

It was all about marketing, but it was a therapy session because mostly my answers were like, no, no, you can't do. No, you can't do that. 

And she's like, "okay, I didn't want to do that, but they were saying I had to do that."

Claire Chandler: 

So here's the thing, and I'm sure you find this too, like, the leaders, especially at the very top of an organization, are in an echo chamber, right? They can't admit to their fellow CXOs that they've got any sort of anxiety, or doubt, or fear, or things that keep them up at night. They certainly can't admit that to the people who are trying to follow them.

And so they're just surrounded by people who say, you know, suck it up, basically. And their team is saying, we're just trying to follow your leads. 

So, you know, they're, they have this big fear of being vulnerable, but they still have that anxious energy and they have nowhere else to put it. So yeah, I like you, I get several clients who sort of say to me, "why do I feel like every time we talk, it's like a therapy session?"

It's like, cuz, that's why I'm here, cuz I get it. And you need a place to offload that energy.

Kendra Corman: 

I love using that phrase. So, but I, I really do like the thought partnership too, because I do think that encompasses it in a little bit more of a more widely accepted realm of business.

So, all right. Let's jump in and talk a little bit about, we're mostly through the first quarter of the year.

I'm sort of curious about businesses that are trying to get up and running, really trying to get where they want to go and where they're envisioning their business going. So what, what do you see as the foundation of successful businesses?

Claire Chandler: 

Yeah, it's a great question. And unfortunately, companies, whether they are just starting out, or have been in business for a very long time tend to try to pass, go without, or try to get to the goal line without, you know, passing the step.

Really the foundation is a clear, compelling purpose. A mission, if you will. A reason for being in business. 

Simon Sinek calls it the why, right? And he does some great work, speaking of thought leaders and thought partners in this space. But companies need to understand first and foremost what they are in business to accomplish.

And I don't care if you are a solopreneur or the CEO of a massively complex global organization. If you don't understand and are able to articulate and can embrace your why, your purpose, you are not going to be able to attract the right people to help you achieve your mission. 

Kendra Corman: 

I'm a big fan of Simon Sinek and the Golden Circle video, so we'll have his TED Talk that is getting a little bit old. But is not outdated by any stretch of the imagination, in the show notes that you can check it out if you haven't already. 

Cause I know I bring it up regularly. And it's actually in one of my workbooks for planning because it says, okay, what's your why?

Why are you doing this? Before we get into your goals, let's figure out why we're doing this. Then we can set our goals. But you have to remind yourself about that.

Speaking of why you're in business, talk to me a little bit about why you started yours? 

Claire Chandler: 

Oh, I love that question. 

So, I consider myself a corporate survivor. So I was, I spent the bulk of my career in corporate America. Most recently as the vice president of human Resources for a large, complex global organization. 

And I was on an executive track. I was, you know, I had a really good brand reputation. I really enjoyed the work that I was doing, and certainly the team that I was leading. But there was this voice in my head that I kept drowning out with work and with being busy and with traveling all the time. 

And in 2011, I had to drop everything and take time off work because I was diagnosed with cancer. And fast forward to today, I'm cancer free. So that's, that's not where the story is heading.

But it really forced me to stop out running that voice that was trying to ask me, are you, it's great that you're good at what you do, but are you passionate? Is this what you are meant to do? 

Coming back, you know, and I didn't recognize it as, are you pursuing your why? But that in fact really is the heart of that question.

And so I finished recovering from my surgery and my treatments and all of that. And I came back to work in a company I had been working in for about 15 years, and I gave notice. 

And they said, where are you going? 

Right? 

Is it a competitor? What are you doing next? 

And I said, I honestly don't know.

I don't know the answer to that, but I do know that where I am right now, while it's comfortable, and it's secure, and I have a steady paycheck. It's not revving my engine.

And so that started me in late 2011, on a journey of a little bit of self-discovery, a little bit of trying to get in touch with not just what I was good at, but things that would inspire me and fulfill me because otherwise it, it's not worth the pursuit.

Right? 

And so fast forward to two years later, in 2013, I finally formed my company and we were talking off camera just earlier about, you know, standing kind of behind a, behind a brand. So I formed a company called Talent Boost and really it took me those two years to narrow in on my sweet spot of what I wanted to do.

And it has, it has, you know, come to be this idea of being a thought partner. You know, being somebody who can sort of metaphorically put my arm around the shoulders of senior level leaders and say, I've been where you are. I've been both in the corporate environment that you're in, and I've been in the leadership seat that you're in, and I know the struggles you're going through.

I know how hard it is to attract the right people and to motivate them versus compel them to go after, you know, your collective mission. In ways that will make them stay, in ways that will make them, you know, inspired enough to bring their best talents and their best ideas forward. 

So that's really you know, kind of coming through the fire of both cancer, certainly, but also corporate cultures that didn't always get it.

I wanted to be part of the solution and I wanted to help senior level leaders create better cultures for breakthrough and innovation and for true fulfilment. 

Kendra Corman: 

I really love that. I mean, I can hear your passion as you're talking about it. 

I too am a corporate survivor. I have never heard it put that way, but yes, I did survive corporate. And it is the reason, and what I did there is the reason I started my own company. 

I had more talent to offer than trying to figure out in a down economy how to get out of 30 year long-standing agreements or working on business cards. 

And not that there's anything wrong with that. It's all part of the brand and the marketing and things like that, but I knew I could do more and that I could make my experience valuable to those who couldn't afford a large agency. Or couldn't afford to bring on a marketing director at, you know, the pay that someone at my level and experience would require. 

You know, cuz once you get to a certain level, I think sometimes you stop being able to do things. But, you know, and they'd need a team too. And it's like, it just, it made marketing unaf—not affordable. 

And, or professional marketing, I should say. Not affordable, but I think, you know, retaining people is so important and so key to businesses nowadays. Like they need that, they need to know how to inspire people. 

What do you, what would you do at a company that struggles?

So I had, I was talking to a friend of mine and they work at a place and they're like, "so I watched the Golden Circle finally, Kendra, cuz you've been telling me about it for a long time." 

And he said, "I figured out that our why is to make the owner rich and richer. I'm thinking about quitting." 

I'm like, and this is, you know, one of the top executives at the company.

Claire Chandler: 

Yeah. 

Kendra Corman: 

Like, It's really not your why, but okay. You know? 

What do you, how do you go into a situation like that, where they view them as either their sole purpose is to make shareholders money, or the owner if it's privately held richer?

Claire Chandler: 

Oh man, I, you know, I'm feeling this one so personally right now because this is exactly the journey I'm taking a couple of my clients through in particular. And let me say first, there are some corporate environments and cultures that are toxic, right?

And I know that is not a shock. I think we have all either experienced that or know people who are in the midst of that and don't necessarily think there is an off ramp. But in my experience and with some of the companies that I have had the great fortune to work with. It's actually not that it's toxic, but that there is a severe disconnect in perspective.

And so, let me explain that. So, I work with senior level leadership teams. The higher in the organization the better because I deeply, deeply believe that the biggest impact on a company's culture is the behavior of its leaders. 

So rather than perpetuate this, do as I say, not as I do mentality, let's start from the top right?

And if in my discovery process, I find that those top level leaders truly don't get it. Thankfully I'm at a point in my career, and it sounds like you are as well, where I can pass on that opportunity and not just take it because they have, you know, a big fat wallet, right? 

But I have these conversations with leaders all the time because before I come in and do things like leadership retreats, executive coaching, and strategic planning, and all of those things, I wanna understand the raw materials I'm working with.

And so, you know, recently I was having a conversation with several members of an executive leadership team. And I was getting a sort of a very wide array of feedback about the very senior level C-suite leaders. 

And I had some who were going, "I would walk through fire for these people. These people are amazing. They get it. I've never worked with such world impacting leaders before!" 

And, you know, work with them in a past life. And I came here and I couldn't wait. 

And I had other people telling me you know, "these people are here just to get their picture in the paper. These people are here just to win awards, and I'm just gonna wait them out because eventually they're gonna run through their tenure and they're gonna leave and we can go back to doing what we were always doing."

They were talking about the same people. And so, then I had a conversation with those C-level leaders. Individually one-on-one, because I think, as we were saying off camera, you know, sometimes you, when you talk to a C level leader, they can't admit, in the company of others, where they're vulnerable or what they're anxious about.

But being a leadership therapist, I kind of have this way of getting them to unload on me, right? 

And so in these, these conversations, these CXOs will say to me, you know, "the people that I struggle with most on my team are not the ones who challenge me with their alternative perspectives. I want them to do that cuz that's how we make a better product or that's how we become more competitive. It's the ones who doubt that I am being authentic." 

And I thought that was such a, first of all, a tremendous insight for somebody in that level to admit to. And such a real anxiety that you never hear, right? 

Because they genuinely care about the company that they're leading. They genuinely care about the people that they are trying to inspire, and they genuinely care about the opportunity to impact the world through this organization and through the role that they have been asked to play.

And so this disconnect is what is preventing them from actually coming together in a constructive and collaborative way to execute on the plans that they have identified for themselves. 

Kendra Corman: 

That's really powerful. And some of you guys might actually be thinking, this is imperfect marketing, Kendra, what the heck are you talking about? Leadership and culture?!? 

But I think that this is so key too, I don't, doesn't matter what size business you have. Even if you're working with independent contractors. You know again, every single person in the organization that works with the organization, even your clients, whatever it happens to be, are part of your marketing and sales team.

Claire Chandler: 

That's right. 

Kendra Corman:

And so, if they don't believe in the company, they're not out there marketing or selling you. They're not saying wonderful things about working there. So they're not helping you recruit their friends and family if you have job openings. They're not saying what a great organization you are if they find somebody needs your services.

And I think that that's huge.

And I love the thing is that they are doubting the authenticity. And I think that that happens a lot where people doubt the authenticity of their leaders a lot more than we talk about. 

Do you, or do they have a plan for how they're going to portray that? Or are they going to sort of tough through it until everybody gets on the same page?

Claire Chandler: 

Yeah. So, it, so what's interesting is, you know, in one of these conversations. We kind of segued into, you know, this one particular CXO was expressing to me, you know, we've got this town hall. All, every company does these town halls. Now we have this, you know, this town hall coming up in the spring.

And the CEO has asked me to sort of address the troop. And I, you know, I need to, I need to carve out time to put together my talking points. 

It's exactly what the person said to me, and I think, you know, and you're in marketing, so you would very likely have given the same sort of response that I, that I gave to this person.

And I said, okay, well, we'll come back to that. But just, why are you here? Like, what about this role, about this company, about this particular point in time gets you excited?

And it opened up the floodgates, and this person just went on for about seven minutes about how humbled he was. To be in this role, in this particular organization, under this leadership and with this team to impact the world. 

And had a very personal story about why this was so important and how in awe he was about this awesome responsibility he had and this opportunity that he personally gets to impact the world through this company and the strategic plan. 

And I just sat back, let him talk for seven minutes, and then I said, you just wrote your talking points. 

Because I think, you know, again, the C-Suite, first of all doesn't know how to manage their calendar or their time. And they equate a full calendar with being productive.

And what they forget is at the C level, they need to be thought leaders first. You know, I love the fact that they pull me in to be a thought partner, but I can only partner as a thought partner with somebody who's equally a thought leader, right? 

And they have to lead with that. It is not about running from meeting to meeting and board meeting and stakeholders and all of this. Although all of that is important.

They need to take one step back and remind themselves of their why.

Remind themselves of what they are in the position to accomplish. And in the authentic, there's that word again, sharing of their personal story and their connection with their role. That's what gets people to follow them. That's what gets people to have tears in their eyes and a chill run through their body in hearing those leaders and say, that's a person I would walk through fire to help.

Kendra Corman: 

It's so powerful. And I mean, there's so many of my clients that I would walk through fire to help them succeed. 

And then, you know, when I lose that connection or, you know, something disrupts that connection. It's, it does, it takes the fun and the energy out of what I do. It's just, it's so powerful to think about that.

So, thank you so much for sharing that story. I love that. 

Now, again, as we're on our path to, you know, having a successful business and growing our business, I love talking about planning, and strategy, and marketing strategy. And, you know, I talk about this often 90% of a business plan. You take that out, it's the marketing plan.

Claire Chandler: 

Yeah. 

Kendra Corman: 

When you really look at it. And so, when you're building strategy, so much of it feeds into marketing. 

So many people have goals for 2023. I have 2023 goals. I have 2028 goals too, but, or 2028 vision I should say. 

But you work a lot with people on their strategic plans and their strategic planning. And I find that some people tell me that they have a strategic plan that is neither strategic nor a plan. We talked about that before we jumped on here. 

So what's the first step in building a five year strategic plan that's achievable?

Claire Chandler: 

I love this question. And we were talking off camera about sort of our pet peeves of companies that are, they're so cute when they say," oh, we've got a strategic plan", or "We've got a long-term vision!" 

And it doesn't go beyond 2023 which makes me chuckle. But, you know I also have to keep in mind the people on the front lines who are trying desperately to follow somebody that they can believe in, in an environment that they can belong to. 

And so they're, you know, they're, they're waiting for a higher purpose, right? They're waiting for you know, some measurable impact that they can make through their individual role.

And so I am often called upon by organizations to come in and help facilitate the building of their strategic plan. And I always have one condition. Say, I'm happy to do that. We can facilitate, you know, a really well thought out cohesive plan if we work on trust first. 

And I say that because most companies, especially at the executive leadership level, decide that they need to have a strategic plan because I mean, you do, right?

The fastest growing companies have a strategic plan that not only they have thought through and mapped out, but that they are executing on. 

But then there's all the rest of them that don't, that don't do this hard work, right? Or have what they think is a plan. But as you said, it's neither a plan nor strategic.

And so my condition is always to work on trust first. And what I mean by that is if your leadership team from the very highest levels do not trust each other. Are not trusting that the other person in the room with them is authentic, right? 

Again, there's that word. 

They are not going to lean in and co-create a plan that is not only achievable, but one that they will embrace and one that they will go out from that conference room to rally support of by the, by the team, right? By the frontline contributors who actually have to get the work done. 

And so I always, when I come into an organization to help them build a strategic plan, we always spend equal time, first on building trust. And there were, you know, there were some great ways to do that, right?

We can do that through working one-on-one with the leaders first on increasing their own awareness of what makes them authentic. What are they uniquely talented at? What are they motivated by? Right? 

What is their individual, why? What is the reason it gets them up in the morning? And it's not the paycheck. And it's not the opportunity to go to yet another board meeting, or to win another award.

What is it that truly will bring fulfillment to them? Because if they are fulfilled as leaders in a very deeply personal way, they're going to be far easier to follow, right? 

And so we always work on that first in building better awareness at an individual level of, you know, what uniquely drives them and makes them talented and what they bring to the table. And then bringing them into a room and having them come together in a way that deeply accelerates trust.

And then we can do the hard work, but the less complicated work of building a strategic plan. Because now you've sort of turned the light on in all of them individually and collectively, so that now you can almost get out of their way and watch them co-create. 

And I've seen this in action. I have seen this happen, and it's an amazing thing to witness.

Kendra Corman: 

I love that, and I think it's so true too. Again, you know, taking that back and relating it back to marketing. 

If you trust the messaging and you're being authentic, to use that term again, then it's more successful. Because you can feel the energy and the passion of the people that are behind it, whether it's social media posts, or videos, or podcasts, or whatever, blog posts.

You start to see the authenticity of the people. And if that culture isn't coming through in your marketing and that why, and that vision isn't coming through your marketing, you're not gonna grow. 

Claire Chandler: 

That's so true. That's, and I, you know, to keep coming back to marketing, I do completely agree with you.

I think the authenticity of your marketing, and your brand is as important, is as important as the authenticity of your leaders. 

If your brand promises one thing and the reality of the company is something different, it won't take people but a day to realize. Right? 

And it is far easier to get everyone to sing from the same songbook if you don't assign them the songbook and order them to sing, but rather you give them a reason to find their own voice and to use that in concert with everyone else.

Right? Because then they're not making up a story. They're not, you know, searching for What was the, what's the mission statement I'm supposed to repeat? 

They're actually telling something from their heart and living it authentically. And I, you know, I know some of your audience is probably hearing that word authenticity and saying that's such a fluffy word.

It is so business critical that leaders and, you know, employees, and brands practice what they preach and walk the talk and actually fulfill the promises that their brand you know, kind of puts forth in the market. 

Kendra Corman: 

I have conversations with clients on a daily basis, it feels like, about authenticity because you have to be authentic.

If you're a solopreneur or running a multi-billion dollar company, it doesn't matter. That authenticity has to come through. 

And I think that that's so key to not just motivating teams, but motivating prospects and clients and customers. Again, it's an extended team and an extended universe, but it's so important to everything that you do.

So let me ask this question. One of the things that I think every marketing department will tell you, and every, you know, almost every team, I think in any company will tell you. Is that they don't have enough resources to get everything done. And I don't necessarily know if that's always the problem.

I think sometimes the teams aren't necessarily working together correctly. How do leaders, or how do you help coach leaders to help their team work more effectively together to grow the business?

Claire Chandler: 

Yeah, it's so important. 

And remember how I said a few moments ago that, you know, especially in the C-suite they equate a chock full calendar with being productive. And actually, the opposite is true. 

I have seen, more so than ever before, people's calendars being completely outta control at every level of the organization. From the C-suite to executive leadership, to senior leaders to middle management. 

And there is this sort of cultural expectation in, in corporate America, and smaller businesses certainly as well, that equates being included in a meeting as being an indication of value.

And it's not true, right? 

Because we get more burnt out, we don't feel productive. How can you possibly actually execute on the action items you just committed to in that meeting, if now you have to run to the next one? 

And by the time you get home and get the guilt from your partner, because your dinner is cold. Or your kid because you missed another soccer game. But you know, mommy's working or daddy's working or this is really important.

I think more people are standing up and saying, we need balance. And there has to be a give and take. And so, I think, you know, part of part of what I try to get people to understand is busyness does not translate into outcomes. 

And it does come back to that notion of purpose, the clearer you are about the purpose of your business. You know, before you even set pen to paper to map out what are your five year strategic objectives. 

Before you even know, get more deeply connected on a personal level, peer to peer, you know, and try to accelerate trust. You have to deeply understand your purpose and if it's truly a purpose, you're gonna understand, embrace, and commit to.

That becomes the barometer for what is important, right? It truly becomes the sort of decision point where you say, okay, is this meeting something that's gonna help me move the needle? 

Is this new hire the right person versus the rockstar in the industry that's gonna help me move the needle? Is this 2023 priority one that is going to help us move closer to our next milestone on our road toward that 2020 you know, 2028, 2029 vision. 

If you skip over that fundamental foundational work of clarifying your purpose, you're not going to be able to make those decisions with any sort of clarity. You're not going to build a brand that is authentic and reinforces that vision and that purpose. And you're not going to attract, let alone retain, let alone inspire the right people.

Kendra Corman: 

And I think that inspiration is so important. 

So as a corporate survivor, as we mentioned, me Too. Yeah, I mean, it was, if you weren't included in a certain meeting, you're like, okay, are they trying to drive me out? Am I gonna get fired next week? Like, what's going on? 

And my calendar used to be, and like I say, used to be haha. 

No, I mean it still is packed, but it, yeah, a packed calendar was a sign of responsibility and authority in the organization. And the more time you had to work on stuff, clearly the less important you were cuz you weren't in meetings. 

And I've actually personally taken that as a goal in 2023, and I've talked about my ideal calendar, and I use my full focus planner all the time to get away from the head trash that's around that. 

Because it was a hundred percent head trash. It was a hundred percent me. 

Like I had a meeting with a fellow female solopreneurs group that I love. And I said to them, I said, I'm drowning in meetings. I don't know what to do. How do I tell my clients that I can't meet weekly anymore for the amount of work that I'm doing for them? 

I was using three quarters of some of what they were paying for me just in meetings, which meant the meetings were free and then I was just working and killing myself to do it.

So the question I asked them was like, how do I tell them? 

You just tell them that you're freeing up time on your calendar to get more done for them cuz that's what you're doing. 

And I'm like, huh, I didn't even think about it that way. 

But it's, we get that mental block and think that our calendar needs to be full to be able to do that. 

I mean, I have no recurring meetings now on Mondays anymore. No recurring meetings on Fridays anymore. I have my status meetings and my larger clients have like set aside time that I work on them and things like that, that aren't just meetings. So, my calendar looks a little bit fuller than it really is.

So maybe that's my security blanket. 

But it's so true. A full calendar does not equal being successful, or getting things done, or any of those things. I love that barometer of when you know your purpose and your why and that feeds your strategic plan and your goals, then you know what to say yes to and what to say no to because there are, there's limited time in the day.

And that's true for marketing. 

Claire Chandler: 

It's so true. And you know, something that I have very likely heard over the years of being a solopreneur, but I never totally got until very recently, was that you have to say no more than you say Yes. 

And I think female entrepreneurs in particular struggle with that. Because we have been conditioned to be people pleasers. We have been conditioned to be nurturers. 

And if we are also business leaders, which is what we are, and we are advisors to others, and we would be the first to tell others, you've gotta minimize and you've gotta focus. You have to practice what we preach it is it truly in. 

And so, I, you know, have had to kind of challenge myself and get comfortable with it, and the more you do it, the more comfortable you get. With saying no to more opportunities or more meetings or more commitments than I say yes to.

Because what I have found is, I got over the guilt real quick of saying no and turning things down. And what I also found was when I narrowed my focus to things I would commit to, I am much more able to bring my full self, be fully present, and bring my best energy to these conversations. 

I'm fairly certain you and I rescheduled this conversation once or twice, and I think the last time I did was because I was not only double booked or I was going to be running back to back. And I knew this conversation was too important for me to just slot it in, in between other things.

And that's how you have to approach every interaction, whether it's with a client, with a prospect, with you know, your employees, and certainly with your family. 

Family is never somebody you should schedule time with, but in fact, that's kind of where we've gotten to as a society. 

And so we have to, especially female entrepreneurs, have to get much more comfortable saying no more often than we say, yes.

Kendra Corman: 

Schedule your priorities, don't prioritize your schedule.

Claire Chandler: 

Ugh. Yes. 

Kendra Corman: 

Which I have taken to heart and I'm doing a rockstar job of, in my opinion, in 2023, which is 

Claire Chandler: 

awesome

Kendra Corman: 

the first year to do that. And I'd love also that you said we have to say no more than we say yes. And I think the key to that is, well, for me, my word of the year for 2023 is no, because I don't say it barely at all.

Yes. I turn down work and things like that because I know I'm at capacity. 

But a client asks for something? Okay. Okay. Okay. Yes, I'll get it done. Yes. 

There's not enough hours in the day to get it all. Right. So, at some point I have to start saying no to make my life livable. 

So, I love that. I think there's so much power in that.

I think there's so much power in the whole thing about your schedule and everything that goes around with that. There's just so much that you've shared today that I just, I think that everybody, no matter the size of your team, can really learn from. 

And again, thinking about your passion, thinking about your why, that should go into your corporate culture, and then it should flow out into your marketing. 

Because again, every member of your team is a part of your marketing and sales department. And if they're not, that's a problem. 

Claire Chandler: 

That's right. 

Kendra Corman: 

You're not gonna grow. 

Before I let you go, I do ask everybody one question cuz this show is called Imperfect Marketing, and I think we all know that marketing is anything but perfect. What has been your biggest marketing lesson learned? 

Claire Chandler: 

I think for me it has been that I needed to clarify and amplify my personal brand first before I stood either on the foundation of, or even behind a company brand. 

You know what, what I do in advising executives and doing leadership assessments and coaching and all of that sort of thing. My clients can go to a bunch of different people to get that. They go to me because it's a unique experience, right? Because of my unique, very non corporate personality. 

And I have, you know, learned and it took me longer than it should have, but I've learned to sort of step into my unique, quirky, goofy personality that is the most authentic to me. 

It is not a persona I have to remember to put on when I'm standing in front of a client. And I think more solopreneurs, and certainly more C level executives of large organizations need to understand that they have to own their personal brand first and be authentic to that before they can build out a company that is an authentic extension and expression of that purpose. 

Kendra Corman: 

Wow. I love that. Because, you know, coming from the corporate culture that you and I came from. The brand was it. I mean, when I was the Jeep advertising manager, I took the buyout from Chrysler at the end of 2008.

When I took that buyout, I didn't know who I was anymore because I was no longer Kendra Corman Jeep Advertising manager.

It wasn't a Kendra Corman without Jeep Advertising Manager or SRT Marketing Manager or whatever it was until I did that step. And I think we forget that.

There's still Kendra Corman. I was still there. I was still doing my thing. I wasn't just the Jeep advertising manager. I was more than that. I was a whole person, and I think that there's so much in that statement. 

Again, when you're thinking about your why and your passion, and if you're humbled by the role that you have at the company that you are at to change the world, there's so much to unpack out of that.

Thank you so, so much for all of this. I know that this is a little bit different than my normal episodes because it was on this leadership and culture piece, but I think it's so important to your marketing and to your brand. 

Again, no matter the size of your company, to really be able to highlight this and to talk about it, because I think without it, you're not gonna grow.

You're not gonna hit your goals, and you're not gonna be as successful as you could be without thinking about that. 

Now I'll have a link to Claire's website in the show notes, clairechandler.net. So, you'll have to check that out. I know that she's got some resources and a ton of information there, so if you're looking for a thought partner for you at your company and you want to move your company forward and grow, I encourage you to, to check her out and, and learn more to see how you guys can partner together.

But otherwise, again, thank you so much for all of your time today, Claire. I do appreciate it. I appreciate you prioritizing this discussion. 

Thank you again. Have a great rest of your day, and thank you all so much for tuning into another episode of Imperfect Marketing.