106: Theology of resistance and snarky nuns, how to stem the tide of mistrust in tech, leaning in and falling over, serious advice
Hey hey, hi hi, happy Saturday!
In this edition of The World's Best Newsletter:
1. The nun that tweets to Trump every day
2. Theology of resistance
3. Three ways to stem the tide of mistrust in tech
4. Do you need to be serious to be taken seriously?
5. Leaning in and falling over
6. Linkedin tips just for you
7. Quote of the week: Decide you want it
Bonus: My origin story in marketing.
Let's do it.
1. The nun that tweets to Trump every day
Call me old fashioned but I love me a snarky nun.
I recently learned that every day, Sister Susan Francois tweets @POTUS with a prayer.
Interviewed by NPR, she said:
"I felt like I needed a daily practice that would keep me grounded but also engaged because we really have to be engaged citizens and not just tune out. So I was in the Chicago airport waiting for my delayed flight, and it just came to me. He's on Twitter. I'm going to tweet him a prayer every day.
I appreciated this consistent, grounding, active act of civil engagement. She follows in the footsteps of rabble-rouser Oscar Romero, who I learned about thanks to my friend Megan (a pastor at Nahant Village Church.)
2. Theology of resistance
When Sister Susan was asked if she thinks POTUS reads her tweets:
No. I have no conception that he reads them. I'm not sending them to his personal account. I'm sending them to the POTUS account. And the reason for that is I in my theological studies studied the theology of resistance as an ethical response.
I hadn't heard of the "theology of resistance." So, down the rabbit hole I went, to discover a mindset of activism and organizing for action.
I learned the four key components of the Theology of Resistance model are:
Encounter
Disruption
Reimagining
Action
We identify an uncanny Encounter that breaks open a reality and demands that we see the world in a new way. These encounters Disrupt our complacency in an unjust system and force a confrontation with our self-understanding... Disruptive encounters require that we Re-imagine our identity as moral agents in public life... Prophetic Action in public life adds moral and social power to our re-imagining. In teaching, training, preaching, public writing, and congregational organizing we proclaim a new vision for ourselves, our communities and our nation.
Source.
A solid framework for any of us trying to better understand what gets human beings to change.
3. Three ways to stem the tide of mistrust in tech
Per Sanjay Nair, global chair, Technology at Edelman: “Techlash” is very much alive, and there are significant cracks in the foundation when it comes to trust in tech.
The phrase “techlash” was runner-up for Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year, defined as the “strong and widespread negative reaction to the growing power and influence that large technology companies hold.”
The firm conducts an annual trust barometer report, its 2019 edition finding:
While a majority of both the general population and technology employees still see tech sector as a force for good, both have seen a loss of confidence in that belief over the past year. The largest relative drop came among tech employees aged 18 to 34.
(The call is coming from inside the house...)
What's more:
65 percent of people overall believe technology companies have too much power to determine what news and information we see, and 61 percent of respondents in developed markets believe tech is putting profits before the welfare of its customers.
Nair recommends 3 ways firms can proactively stem this tide of mistrust:
Move to the forefront of societal initiatives to guide people through technological evolution ("There is a strong desire to receive guidance through these changes, and companies must take responsibility for the disruption they’re causing.")
Take a long-term [view] of the globally rising tide of people who feel profits and the greater good are not mutually exclusive. ("Technology companies must prioritize making a positive impact in their communities over quarterly revenue and margin metrics in order to raise the tide for all boats.")
Activate employees as community ambassadors and advocates. ("Technology employees expect their employer to speak up on issues and act in accordance to its core values. Employee trust is critical in cultivating a loyal, engaged and outspoken workforce.")
4. Do you need to be serious to be taken seriously?
Via Tamsen Webster (who btw is keynoting Content Marketing World, and I'll be there too speaking so you should probably join us):
People need the ridiculous to fully absorb the sublime. They need the release of the silly to lighten the load of the serious.
...the path from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again is the path of any great story, and of all of us as humans
Seriously good advice.
5. Leaning in and falling over
Per the typically click-baity-but-oh-so-effective Business Insider title: "A personality scientist says that if you're a woman and you lean in, you'll actually become a dysfunctional leader."
In summary: It's been six years since Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In" book, which advised that if women aspire to gender equality at work, they ought to show more drive and determination, put themselves forward for daunting tasks, and showcase "the same level of confidence we see in male leaders."
This view is an outdated perspective that the gender gap in leadership may be predominantly caused by an "ambition gap" between men and women. This may backfire when it's taken as a the backbone of D&I initiatives to increase the number of women in leadership.
He argues:
"the main problem of picking leaders on the basis of their desire to lead — or rather, to advance their career and acquire status — is not that we end up with too many men in charge, but that we end up with too many incompetent leaders (most of them men)"
And another fascinating point - narcissists and psychopaths often lean in.
"There are dysfunctional traits that are inadvertently selected when we look for signs of assertiveness and confidence. The clearest example of this is our tendency to glorify fearless risk-taking in leaders.
In fact, though we often pretend to value humility, we mostly give lip service to it, choosing instead leaders who are charismatic and disinhibited. This is why we value authenticity and why there is a recent tendency to applaud leaders who are not politically correct — as if their rudeness signals honesty and trustworthiness."
This is hitting too close to home. Read the full article.
6. Linkedin tips just for you
LinkedIn has allowed me to build a powerful platform to broaden awareness of issues I’m passionate about and find new opportunities. This is not a paid endorsement, I'm truly grateful for it.
If you're looking to get more out of this powerful tool, check out the NEW anniversary edition of the Sophisticated Marketer's Guide to LinkedIn.
The first edition was published five (!!) years ago, and its update features some great advice from a whole bunch of smart people and hey, look - it's my face on page 11:
Get a copy here.
7. Quote of the week: Decide you want it
This week's quote comes from Goldie Chan, who's been dubbed the Oprah of LinkedIn Videos for her pioneering and consistent use of this medium on the business network. She's an early user of the LinkedIn live video capabilities and was named a "top voice" on the platform thanks to her efforts.
I recently met her as part of the cohort of Adobe Insiders, where I also learned she is remarkably thoughtful, passionate about what she does, and, per Twitter, damn inspirational at times:
Yes, girl.
Bonus: My origin story in marketing.
Thank you to Kristen McCabe for publishing a collection of stories about how me and bunch of fantastic colleagues got started in marketing (hint: I definitely did not go to school for marketing at first). Read it here.
Have an extraordinary weekend, and thanks as always for reading.
Katie Martell
Website | LinkedIn | Twitter
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Event calendar:
I'll be speaking at the Society for Marketing Professional Services Boston bootcamp April 23rd.
PLAY 2019 from Brightcove is May 14th-16th, 2019. Let's talk video and how it moves buyers from apathy to action. Join us in Boston?
San Diego, here we come, for ConquerLocal 2019 - an event all about driving digital success for local businesses from Vendasta, June 10-12.
Save the date, I'm speaking at Content Marketing World, September 3-6 in Cleveland.
New: I'm back at INBOUND 2019 in their new startup marketing track - let's talk about the 7 deadly sins of startup marketing, and how to avoid them!
>> Book me to speak, I'm a hoot. <<