The Core
Have you ever heard the expression “shaken to my core”? It is used to communicate a jolt to our human systems that goes far beyond what we can brush off easily. It is a fright or trauma or instance that is able to penetrate our being so swiftly and so deeply that it changes our thought patterns, perspective, and values. Recovery from being shaken to one’s core can be difficult, depending on the surrounding circumstances, and is often accompanied by counseling and practices like meditation that are intended to reset our connection with our core so that we are able to attach to positive values and live happy and productive lives.
The core works hand in hand with our values. Our core holds our values securely in place so that we are able to rely on them when we need guidance towards good choices. When our core is shaken, the first step to recovery is to return to the most basic elements of our composition: water and breath.
When a successful brand is asked how they survived a particular core shaking, the response the brand will almost always give is that they focused on their core values and let them guide their decisions on how to overcome this challenge.
On NPR’s How I Built This Podcast hosted by Guy Raz, Lyft founder, John Zimmer, recently shared how his brand was shaken to its core by its biggest competitor. Ubër was doing everything they could to crush the Lyft. Ubër was hitting so hard that Raz described their tactics as “blood sport”. “It was very difficult,” Zimmer told Raz, “I woke up one day…and Uber had raised three billion dollars.” Lyft had about $100,000,000 in the bank at the time which, Zimmer said, “is a lot of money but only a few more months left and now we have a crazy competitor who wants to kill you. That was definitely, definitely tough. But we stayed focused on our values, we stayed focused on our vision and mission and put our heads down and executed and tried out best not to get distracted.”
Imagine this instance for a moment. Your brand has $100M in the bank and a powerful competitor is doing everything in their power to crush your brand. And, at the same time, that $100M will only last you the next three months. Yikes! It is time to double down and focus, yes. And, more importantly, it is a time to hold true to core values and allow them to empower decisions and steer the ship.
Now, imagine what solid core values can do for your brand every day.
Curious to know more? Contact us to find out how core values provide the key to brand success.
