How Courageous Leadership Shapes Customer Affinity

Being a fan of something that’s not popular requires courage. 

Think about the (secret) fandom you hold but don’t announce to the world. Maybe it’s from your childhood or the best remnants of an old relationship. It matters to you, even if it’s your best-kept secret. 

Courage starts with leadership. When done right, courageous leadership inspires employees to live out values authentically at work. We can see it manifest, too in the customers and fans of the brand or organization. 

Brands that aspire to lead with values must summon the courage to do so. 

This brings me to the brand-new (back from summer hiatus) Brand to Fan Show episode. Ryan Berman , founder of Courageous and the host of the Courageous Podcast, joins me in an interview that is much more of a conversation (he even has a few questions for me!). We talk value-driven leadership, courage vs. bravery, and falling out of fandom with the things you (once) cared deeply about. 

Ryan dives deep into the power of knowledge, faith, and action. He reminds us that intentions alone aren't enough; we must take action to make a real impact. But, of course, we shouldn't dive in blindly, either. It's important to gather knowledge and data before making bold moves.

We explore the multitude of connections between brands and their fans. Ryan and I discussed the need to tell compelling stories that resonate with customers and how social media and crowdsourcing continue to force brands to evolve and be more authentic.

And as to what comes first – bravery or courage – Ryan defines a clear difference between bravery and courage. Bravery is more impulsive and happens momentarily, but courage is deliberate and requires intentional effort. It's a marathon, not a sprint. 

(Sort of like this episode – it’s 52 minutes. #SorryNotSorry)    

TL;DL (too long; didn’t listen)

Lauren’s notes from the conversation...

• Courage requires Knowledge, Faith, and Action – and you must have all three to move forward courageously. Bravery is a moment in time, an impulse that is driven by intuition and instinct.  
• Ryan describes the state of courage as stuck, scared, stale, spinning, safe. 
• Realized in agency life that brands are creating inauthentic narratives, even though that doesn’t make good sense in any world other than business. But this also demonstrates the power of social media and crowdsourcing communication. 
• How valuable are your values?  When the values don’t inspire, a groundswell will arise and force the hands of change. When a customer can identify a brand's values, they can tell more complete and compelling stories about it. 
• Experiential is back; escapism is real. So fans are asking, “help me escape in an authentic way.” Consider how you unlock that for your fans, internally and externally. 
• Leadership >> Ownership  (next time!)

🚨 NEW! Actionable Affinity Challenge 🧲

Align your internal and external narratives by reflecting on your company's mission and values. Consider the following questions: 

• Are the mission and values easy to find on your internal communications, the website, and social media?
• Are they communicated consistently internally to your team? 
• Can your external audience recognize your mission and values in your content and activations? 
• If not, identify areas where alignment can be improved and develop a messaging strategy to bridge the gap. (P.S. We can do this together -- ask me how!) 

🤨 We Ask, You Answer

How has courage played a role in your own brand experience as a fan? Have you witnessed brands displaying courage in their actions, and how did that impact your connection with them? 

(Share your answer on the episode page of Brand to Fan on Spotify, or leave in the comments below.)  

🎽 WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FANWEAR ITEM?

I have a 2003 Landon Donovan signed (team USA) jersey. And, like, this jersey, it's long-sleeved. If it were raining out, you would not be very fast. It's amazing how far soccer jerseys have come because it's like, “Wow, you played in this?”

One of the cooler side projects that I've been able to work on has been writing Landon's memoir. To now have a real relationship with him and to learn his story, which is not your atypical story, I'm proud to have that jersey. I'm very honored to be able to help tell his story. 

SHOW CREDITS

Brand to Fan Show is produced by Teague FC and supported by FanWagn

Audio production by Bryan Griggs / Griggs Production

Producers: Kimberly Voorhis and Carrie Hellbusch

Video Editing by Garrett Teague

AI assistance from Pictory.AI and CastMagic

And I’m your host, Lauren Teague.