Public statements. I know for many of us that is our stock in trade as marketers. But with what feels like a never-ending stream of global, regional, local tragedies, the cascade of public statements starts to feel like a performative cycle.
If you are silent, if you respond too soon, if you respond too late, if you don’t thread the needle of compassion with enough specificity or too much vagueness, or if it seems too innocuous…you upset someone.
I’m told words matter. I believe actions when no one is looking matter more. And with so much heartache in the world, corporate statements from on high become some kind of ephemeral game, arguably helping no one in real life.
When you are in a leadership role, you feel this pressure even more acutely. And for those of us who are deeply empathetic and sensitive, it can become paralyzing.
What do I feel in this present moment? Absolute heartache. The images of innocent people trying to live their daily lives being ripped apart, physically and emotionally are horrifying beyond belief. I am bereft to be honest.
I could make a statement affirming that I abhor violence and terrorism. That would be absolutely true. But in this moment where personally my heart is at sea, I ask myself what good would my words do? Add some momentary comfort? Possibly.
What do I also know about public statements? Most of them go unread. After so much heartache and handwringing goes into creating them. And those that are read, never resonate in the way they are intended.
What do I know that matters? That you reach out to individuals in your life, people you know who are hurting, who are scared, who want to know they aren’t alone. My mother said tell people what they mean to you in the moment when it will mean something to them. Those words couldn’t ring truer for me right now. That’s what we all need to do.
The pressures you are all already under in your daily lives to do the good work you do, to take care of yourselves and your families, and to take care of each other, is daunting enough. But to then witness an hourly barrage of images that have us question our own humanity is too much to bear.
So, what can you do? Reach out to a friend, tell them you love them, share your feelings with them, donate to humanitarian organizations that are doing the impossible work of knitting lives back together… and most of all be kind.
Some of you will be happy with this note, some of you will be upset, some may seek commiseration online, some of you won’t read this at all. That is the nature of public statements. Public actions? Those matter.
Love you,
Roy
Roy Sexton
President
2023 LMA International Board of Directors
Director of Marketing
Clark Hill PLC
