Authenticity: Remembering Where You’re From
Clothespins still hang from a line at Aunt Nora’s house.
H Squared Communications Value #1 – Authenticity
We will ensure your company’s or organization’s communications are true to your brand, and we’ll also maintain a relationship with you that is dependable and genuine.
A rather odd-looking key dangles from my key chain. It’s an old skeleton key that unlocks the door to a somewhat abandoned house on my parents’ ranch. In its day, it was a beautiful farm house, freshly painted white with a picket fence and hollyhocks out front. Now, the fence sure doesn’t keep much out, the paint is peeling off every possible thing, the grass is often tall, and who knows what’s inside anymore.
But when I was growing up, I spent a lot of time in that house with my great-aunt and -uncle, a third set of grandparents who were always around adding piles of love. I knew right where the cookies were kept, where the cats would hide, and where to place all the bases in the yard when my aunt volunteered to be the pitcher in our ball game.
Some time ago I asked my dad if any of the keys to the house were still around, and he gave me one. Since then, it’s been a reminder of the little curly-haired girl trying to hit the baseball over the fence for a home run. It’s been a piece of my past seen every day as a reminder to stay grounded in what I know to be true. It helps me remember where I am from.
As I began to organize my thoughts around what I wanted this new business to feel like, I decided I needed to be clear about my personal values, and how those would translate to this business I was starting. More than anything else, I personally value authenticity, and that needed to be at the forefront of how I would work with my clients.
Authenticity is a buzz word as of late, but what does it mean? Based on fact. Not false or imitation. True to one’s own personality, spirit, or character. Sincere. To me, it means remembering where you are from.
How does authenticity translate into action at H Squared Communications?
The work I do for you will not be the same as the work I do (or did) for another client, because you aren’t another client. You are you. Although I have a variety of already completed items to pull off the shelf to get me started, each project and deliverable will be unique to each client and true to your brand.
You are never going to have to guess what I am thinking. I generally wear my thoughts all over my face, and my heart on my sleeve. I try to be deliberate and thoughtful with my words, but often my face says something before my mouth is ready to talk.
You can trust me to tell you the truth. If something is bad, I am going to tell you that. I don’t sugar coat. I don’t exaggerate.
You can count on me to follow through with what I have committed to do, and when I said I would have it done. My goal is to provide realistic expectations―never over promise, always over deliver.
I care deeply about each individual client, and each person with whom I interact. H Squared Communications isn’t just a business to me. I know behind every company logo is a real person who needs my services and my understanding.
Nothing I do is not carefully thought through. I have always wished I was better at spontaneity, but it’s just not a part of me. I plan, strategize, and analyze and am no longer trying to be anything other than what I am.
For communications to be trusted, they need to be consistent, and I will be consistent in my interactions with you as well.
I strive to be truly present, whether that means leaving my cell phone at home when my husband and I go out to dinner, or making sure to give each client my full attention when you need it.
I have vowed throughout my life to be true to myself and do what I know is right. H Squared Communications is an extension of that deeply held belief, and if a project just isn’t a good fit for the services I offer, I will be honest about that. If a project could benefit from my knowledge base and skill set, I will fight for your business.
I remember where I came from, what I have accomplished since then, and how all of it makes me me. There won’t be any pretense with me. In the beginning I was just a little curly-haired girl playing baseball in the sunshine of the Black Hills. And she is still a big part of me.
The peak of the old farm house is steep and tall. While all the grown-ups were talking after Sunday dinner, my sister and I would sometimes try to get the baseball to roll up one side of the roof and down again on the other side. And even though I have been working to get rid of a lot of things in my house, I still have that baseball, too. Some things are worth hanging on to as a way to keep track of your past self, to ensure that person never gets lost. That’s what real authenticity is.
We’ll explore the other three values of H Squared Communications in future blog posts, but they are gratitude, passion, and honesty.