If you go to the Clorox Bleach website you will find a tab at the top of the page that says “Our Story”. When you click on the link you’ll find that Clorox bleach has rich history spanning almost 100 years, self-proclaims itself the “Miracle in a Bottle”, and is doing philanthropic work by “Rebuilding Hattiesburg” and “Helping to Save the Frog”.
Everywhere we look companies are showing their goodwill and talking about their past and future plans. Target is touting the news that it recently gave away $3 million to a variety of charities. GM says that I can have “total confidence” in the company because it has a long record of selling affording vehicles to Americans. And Dell is giving money away to support education and information technology in developing countries.
Companies tell these stories for a lot of reasons. Stories connect people to their past, and companies are able to share what products, services and philanthropic efforts they currently (and will) offer down the road. For the most part, people like hearing these stories. There’s a level of authenticity and trust that I can have in the company because I know the company’s purpose.
What initially brought on these thoughts was a good friend of my wife and mine who asked us: What are you and Ashley going to be about as a couple?
At that point, we had the opportunity to share our story. We could have talked about the ways that we’ve been formed, shaped and molded to be the individuals and couple we are today. And we could have told our current and future plans for our careers, family and community. But, very truthfully, silence reigned because these ideas weren’t in the forefront of our minds.
Since that point, we’ve tried to do what many companies have done and decided what “what products, services and philanthropic efforts we currently (and will) offer down the road”. Translating this to non-corporate language, we’ve been thinking about type of people we want to become, what kinds of careers and activities we want to (and don’t want to) be a part of, and who will be receiving our time, resources and money.
We feel that we’re ready when asked: What are you and Ashley going to be about as a couple? And hopefully, a level of authenticity and trust will emerge after being asked.
