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SMARTY.

The human side of business

Big Brands

Marriott.

September 27, 2016 · By Amy Swift Crosby

An unexpected message from an expected player. I bet he holds his head differently now, even when he’s not at work. Photo: JW Marriott.

I haven’t noticed Marriott in years. When I think of that hotel chain, my brain goes to airports, insurance conferences and big plastic name tags. And they’re good at those things. But this ad, which is now running globally, disrupted that status quo for me.

The industry analysis on this campaign has been to emphasize the company’s investment in employees and celebrate a heritage of service. As we all know, when employers invest in employees, they feel motivated and committed to the work they do facing guests. But why I like it, apart from the brilliant creative by the New York agency Mother, is that exposing staff members to ballet isn’t just about witnessing culture, poise and grace – it’s about learning to embody those qualities in one’s self – physically applying those concepts and forms. This demands a relationship to your body, an awareness of the expression on your face, the nuance in the curve of a hand, attention to posture at all times – even when no one’s watching. For all the reasons we love watching a ballerina in action – and can spot one on the subway sans tutu – Marriott gifted a legion of employees with movement that feels intentional and precise, because they knew that it wouldn’t just have an impact on how a man carries a tray or the way a meal is presented – but how he is, as a man – or how she is, as a woman.

You don’t have to come to that training with mounds of self-respect / self-esteem / self-knowledge. But what you get out of that training is all of it – without the traditional focus on external service practices, “the booklet” in this case. When you teach people how to own the feeling you want to embody, not just wear a mask that looks like it, they become aware of it across all the roles they play.

You can arrive to your desk everyday, unshowered, in your pajamas with bed-head-bun, or you can get dressed, brush your hair and smell amazing – whether anyone sees you or not. Circumstance – being a waiter, a remote freelancer, a stay-at-home-mom, doesn’t dictate who you are – but how you hold yourself, treat yourself and regard yourself, tells the world everything about how you are. But mostly it tells you.

Small Business

Attachments.

July 26, 2016 · By Amy Swift Crosby

On the ship, but not behind the wheel.

When your hands are clenched around it.
When losing it feels like a heartbreak.
When what you have the power to do, and what will save it, aren’t the same.
When you’re so far out to sea, the land has disappeared.

It’s normal to be attached to outcomes. If we weren’t, good and great work (they’re different) couldn’t and wouldn’t materialize. But what happens when your attachments run so deep on a project, to a person, to an idea or to a business, that the path to getting there – even if you get there – is so circular and sideways moving – you start to question whether the prize is worth having? In other words, is what it takes to have it / do it / achieve it, worth the battle scars? It’s a personal question. Everyone’s ability to tolerate a process is different. You only know how thick your skin is, how deep your patience runs, how much fight is in there – by doing it.

Part of my job requires attachment. So does yours. Like you, I sink my teeth in. I care. A lot. I’m invested and serious about meeting the standard of excellence. But where I have a question is here: how do I remain attached and engaged enough to bring my best, continue to commit my energy and mindshare, my emotional real estate – when it might, or easily might not, steer the ship to new, more profitable territory?

For me, the results only feel good if the process was one of earnest commitment from everyone.

I don’t know how to answer my own question.
I do know I can’t function at less than 100%.

So now I have a new job: Figure out how to deliver best possible level of thinking, creativity, teamwork and communication, give people the best context and visibility from my vantage point, guide with an open palm, not a fist – and then release 90% of the attachment to what happens.

I’m so not there.
But I want to be.

Big Life

The Ensemble Life.

March 22, 2016 · By Amy Swift Crosby

With Chef Tyler Sterling living out the only menage a trois I’m into - food, design and friends. Dream home by architect Santiago Ortiz. The ensemble life can mean whatever the $%&@ you want.

I’m gonna give some love to Gwyneth Paltrow today. Hold the tomatoes please. I see a lot of love/hating about GOOP and GP’s seemingly impenetrable veil of superiority. But I view it and her differently. I actually think she’s doing a lot of things right, and I’d venture that she’s a lot more vulnerable than most people perceive.

Although we aren’t friends, what I see is someone living an ensemble life. Her interests are varied – to the point of nausea for some – but I think they are genuine. So she acts, she sings, she writes, she’s an entrepreneur, a style icon, a mother, a conscious divorcee, a tech leader, a beauty expert…a chef. Ok, it’s annoying but ONLY because most of us feel like…well, that’d be nice…easy for her…I coulda done that…big deal. And I think what she also may spark in some is a sense of under accomplishment. I know for me, when I see everything she’s able to do and impact, I feel a little like – am I living my potential? And, what else? What’s my next adventure? Side hustle? Interest? Investment?

So I’d like to say something without inviting too much negative mail – this can (kind of) be your life. I’m not saying that you too can rent this villa in Italy and the private yacht that comes with it with your Spanish speaking children and two-hours-a-day-workout-body if you just work harder, but, I feel like for a modern American woman, this TYPE of life is sort of possible – just taken down a few decimal points (basis points?!).  It’s textured, interesting, multi-dimensional, adventurous, brave. Yah she’s got a lot of advantages, but who cares? She could sit back and enjoy being wealthy and gorgeous, with a few selective acting gigs. But she stepped out, threw her hat in the ring, and if anyone can say “good for you” its people like us – doing the same thing. GP is a solid muse for being unselfconscious about her ambitions, and really looking out at the world – and having it her way. I’m betting she’s having a lotttttttta fun.

Do your thing. Express. Write. Start. Join. Lead. Follow. Innovate. Make. Be who you want to be. Have hobbies, interests, ventures. Channel Richard Branson, Tim Ferris, the barrista who also tutors math, is a classical pianist, writes a blog about art and flips houses on the side. It keeps you engaged, interesting and walking the sh$t out of whatever path you’re on.

I’d venture to say this…is the new normal.

Small Business

Dualité.

November 17, 2015 · By Amy Swift Crosby

Photo thank you @reyalfashion

On level one, you just want to cry and grieve and do something (anything) to help.
On level two, you have to deliver work for a client.
On level one, you want to let them know you care, that we are connected, that their tragedy is in our hearts and minds.
On level two, you have to make dinner.

What happened in Paris, and what is in the news every day, challenges us to live two lives.  In one, we go about our days, having meetings, pitching work, seeing friends, making plans, complaining about resolvable problems.

And that’s normal, right? That’s life. You have to run your business, feed your family, listen to a friend complain about traffic.

I find it really challenging to do all this, while I feel all that.
You can’t be all business.
But you can’t be all heart, either.
The only, only take-away for any of us can be that these events have a grounding, sobering affect.
Stupid sh&t just doesn’t matter. 
But a lot of other things just really do.

 I hope somehow goodness can prevail.

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About Me

photo of Amy Swift Crosby

Amy Swift Crosby is a brand strategist and copywriter who has positioned or voiced messaging across the commercial spectrum, from icons like Ford, BVLGARI, Pottery Barn, Pantene and Virgin, to boutique brands like The Wild Unknown, fitness franchise Barre3 and the rebrand of legendary metaphysical bookstore, Bodhi Tree. She has leveraged this expertise to help entrepreneurial women and small businesses owners hone their skills, mission and message, while uncovering their own “voice.” This blog explores “the human side of business,” and universal themes like uncertainty, anxiety, the tension between engagement and disconnection, personal value and most importantly, of finding - and hearing - our own voices in our everyday life.

Photo - Andrew Stiles

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SMARTY began as a thriving community in Los Angeles and Boston with weekly panel discussions and events designed to better understand the mindset and growth strategies behind successful entrepreneurs. Today, SMARTY is a weekly blog written by Amy Swift Crosby who chronicles her life as a creative, parent, entrepreneur and spiritual seeker. As an urban refugee living in a New England seaside village, she unpacks topics ranging from uncertainty and doubt to the built environment and advertising. More on Amy.

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