Step back, think again, tone it down

My work is important, but it's not everything.

Our purpose drives us, yet it doesn't define us.

Your EVP is vital, and it isn't.

As I finalised an EVP recently, I took onboard the client's desire for warmth and fulfillment. That emerged, naturally. And during testing we got really strong agreement, so I tried to amplify the language.

But then it lost its human touch. It started portraying these purpose-obsessed automatons, devoid of personal life or motivations.

People, both inside and outside work, are busy. Sometimes, they excel even without being relentlessly driven by a company's purpose. Sometimes, they'll want to join you simply because it's a great role.

So, in communications, at times it's worth taking a step back, a dose of humility and a bit less of our own snake oil.

Work is only part of the person, and in any employer communications we need to talk to the whole person, or we're not talking to them at all.