Inherent in the concept of corporate citizenship is the belief that it’s the right thing to do. The role of the corporate citizen is not just to raise awareness for causes, but to set a new standard—in changing how businesses operate and shaping the world we want to live in. And yet, for the dutiful corporate citizen, this can feel like pushing water uphill. It can be frustrating and downright wearying when the rest of the organization fails to take a real interest, let alone champion, worthy efforts like sustainability, philanthropy, and community. Fact is, you can’t achieve sustainable real and worthy efforts in the corporate citizenship department alone. Plus, conflicting ideas about your company’s intention and leadership can make this even harder. So what is the solution? More passion? More purpose? Not quite. In this entertaining and insightful keynote, award-winning writer and speaker Terri Trespicio takes a closer look at how cultural myths about passion and purpose are doing us harm as we try to do good—and how a fresh approach to sharing what you do and why is key creating company-wide engagement and lasting change. Originally presented at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, April 2018

1. Who Cares?
Why you need more than passion
to compel an organization
Terri Trespicio

2. Anyone ever taken a
pay cut?

3. I have.
It cost me $15,000.00

5. I needed a side hustle.

8. I didn’t get into this
because I was
passionate about
sales. Or jewelry.

10. I fell prey to the
worst myth in
marketing:

11. That if something
is good enough,
it will sell itself.

12. Then, I met Sally.

14. Sales wasn’t about
me at all.
It was about them.

15. This changed
everything.

16. Maybe you don’t
see yourself as a
sales professional.
(Neither did I.)

17. “A sale is made in every
exchange of ideas or
communication. There
are no exceptions.”
Grant Cardone, Sell or Be Sold

21. Top 3 Rookie Recruiters of the Year

23. I sold Martha on
bringing sand to
the beach.

25. I went on to contribute to major media
outlets and publications

26. As a brand advisor, I help individuals and companies put their
message and mission into the words that compel.

27. I delivered a TEDx talk that
has 3.6+ million views.
“Stop searching for your passion”

28. Let’s talk about
passion for a sec.

29. Myth: If you follow
your passion,
everything works out.

30. This is profoundly
unhelpful advice.
And it can be limiting.

31. It presumes that
passion is an end
in itself.
(And that you should
know what yours is.)

32. …and that if you don’t
have Oprah-level
passion, you’re not
interesting or
ambitious.

33. Passion is a feeling,
not a plan.
And feelings change.

34. (It’s also kinda elitist.)

35. Passion = the full force
of your energy and
attention to whatever
is in front of you.

36. Passion = electricity:
you can’t use it if it’s
not hard wired to a
source.

37. When you make passion
do ALL the heavy lifting,
you end up…
Stressed.
Tired.
Resentful.

39. You don’t follow
your passion; your
passion follows you.

40. So if you sit around
waiting for passion,
you’ll be waiting a
long time.

41. Don’t confuse passion with purpose.

42. I know you care quite a bit
about what you do.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy.

43. the fantasy…

46. reality is more like…

47. If you don’t
have an aspirin,
get out.

48. Kinda busy at
the moment.

49. We have a problem.

50. You already know
the challenges
of CSR.

51. "No one realizes how important this is.
"Everyone’s trying to treat me like their personal charity
fund
"The company wants credit without the investment it
takes.
"How am I supposed to do my job?

52. What we really want
is for our causes to
sell themselves.

53. …and for people to stop
accusing us of being “evil”
because we can’t devote
resources to their causes.

56. (Sometimes full-time jobs make us lazy.)

57. more attentiongood intention

58. I. Mindset

59. Iceberg belief (coined by meQuilibrium)
A thought or belief about
how the world works.

60. Most of it lives
below the surface.

61. “I have to be
passionate about
this to succeed.”

62. “If it’s for a good
cause, it’s more
important.”

63. “I have to be the
underdog to make
a difference.”

64. “I don’t have to be
nice to people who
cut me off in traffic.”

65. These thoughts
make life, and work,
harder.

66. “I have to be
passionate
about this to
succeed.”
Passion is all I need
to be effective.
SubtextBelief
My personal
interest drives my
success.

67. Plans change.
And so do priorities.
(And jobs.)

68. When you over-
identify with any one
cause or outcome,
you limit yourself.

69. “This work is for
a good cause,
therefore it’s more
important.”
A good cause is its
own reward.
(And everyone should
see it that way.)
SubtextBelief

70. Priorities change.

71. CSR must serve
a business need.

72. The problem with
non-profit pitches.

73. Check the urge to
be noble.

74. “It’s not truly
giving if someone
profits from it.”
Profiting from a
thing cancels out
the good.
SubtextBelief

75. Puts you at odds
with integration
and ownership.

76. “I have to be the
underdog to make
a difference.”
I can’t champion a
good cause and be
in the pocket of big
business.
SubtextBelief

77. Beware of putting
yourself at odds
with your key
resource.

78. II. The Message

79. It’s one thing to have
passion; it’s another
to be compelling.

80. Your brand is not
a website, logo, tagline,
product, or your last big win.
Copyright © 2017 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.

81. What you and your work
mean to other people.
Copyright © 2017 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.
A brand is simply this:

82. Copyright © 2017 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.
Your message is how you
communicate that meaning.

83. I was talking to Kirsten from
Mary Kay.

84. Reputation helps make you
resilient.
(You’ll miss it when it’s gone.)

85. Messaging is not divisible.

91. Everything a company does
is part of its brand story
(for good or ill).

92. Copyright © 2017 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.
Thought leadership.

93. Copyright © 2017 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.
It’s another to have an
opinion about it.
It’s one thing to know your
business.

94. Business leader
Builds a business
Achieves sustained growth
Creates and leads a team
Manages people & resources
Makes money
Mastered the WHAT.
Copyright © 2018 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.

95. Thought leader
Challenges assumptions
Intros new ideas
Takes a stand or stance
Starts a movement
Breaks with tradition
Points at the why.
Copyright © 2018 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.

96. Thought leader
Known for what they think.
Business leader
Known for what they do.
Copyright © 2018 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.

97. A leading Functional Medicine
practitioner who wants to change
the future of healthcare.
Take, for instance…

98. unconventionalmedicinebook.com

100. The messaging has to reflect
their expert opinion.
They’re passionate about helping people create
wealth. But you don’t just say that.

101. One of their
messages:
Wealth takes
patience.

102. Patience is a little like wealth—the more you
have, the more resilient you are.
It’s not just a behavioral trait—it’s an art and a
discipline, like playing a sport or mastering
the violin.
The practice of achieving wealth demands
patience—and those who bail, fail. It’s as
simple as that.
Patience is more than a virtue; it’s a discipline.

103. Copyright © 2017 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.
What story are you telling?

104. Copyright © 2017 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.
What story are you selling?

105. Messaging that doesn’t work:
“This is important.”
“We worked really hard on this.”
“I’m really passionate about this.”

106. Master your ability to
communicate the value of
your idea to someone else.
The way to get buy-in…

107. So why is this so hard?

108. We’re too
close to it.

109. We’re too
attached to it.

110. We haven’t made
it a win-win.

111. “There is a fundamental
disconnect between the
way we pitch anything
and the way it is received
by our audience…”
Oren Klaff, Pitch Anything

112. Oren Klaff
Raises capital for
businesses looking to
expand fast.
He does it at a rate of
$2MM per week.
Pitch Anything

113. A very short lesson in evolution.

114. A very short lesson in evolution.
Pitch Anything, Oren Klaff

115. A very short lesson in evolution.
Pitch Anything, Oren Klaff
Filters incoming messages

116. A very short lesson in evolution.
Pitch Anything, Oren Klaff
Interprets meaning,
social situations

117. A very short lesson in evolution.
Pitch Anything, Oren Klaff
Problem solving,
reason

118. A very short lesson in evolution.
Hey what’s up? Not much.
You?

119. A very short lesson in evolution.
You know
where we
should give?
Stop talking.

120. A very short lesson in evolution.
You don’t pitch a smart idea from your neocortex to theirs.

121. A very short lesson in evolution.
You have to go around back, like everyone else.

123. Pitch Anything, Oren Klaff
• If it’s not dangerous, ignore it.
• If it’s not new/exciting, ignore it.
• If it’s new, summarize it.
**Do not send anything up for solving
unless the situation is extraordinary.**

124. Our brains are wired to
weed most things out.

125. The croc brain wants…
Simple.
Clear.
Nonthreatening.
PLUS: intriguing/novel.

126. Beware the curse of
knowledge!

127. This is Donna Razik, head of
innovation at Molson Coors.

128. Why are their CSR efforts so seamless?
Asked to: Customers want it.
Have to: Their industry is regulated.
Want to: There are tangible rewards.

129. They worked it into their
DNA a long time ago, and
it informs every decision.

130. Donna says:
“If you can point to a cause, it’s not
integrated. It’s separate.”

131. Their CSR is not another
fish in their sea.

132. It’s the water.

133. Beware of
pet projects.

134. THE GREAT
IRONY OF CSR:
You want to raise
awareness, awaken
concern…
…and at the same time
make it unconscious and
automatic.

135. III. The Goal

136. GOAL:
Get people to care.

137. New goal
Connect the cause to what they
already care about.

138. Think of it as an
organ transplant.
Suppress the immune
response!

139. And when someone tries
to give YOUR dept
another organ?
I don’t need a third
kidney, thanks.

140. GOAL:
Raise awareness

141. Your new goal
Remove friction.

142. GOAL:
Serve those
affected by a cause.

143. new goal
Serve all who
play a role in the effort.

145. " Be a resource, not a cost
" Lead with solutions, not agenda
" Be unattached to the outcome
" Have passion for work, without falling in
love with any single idea.
What if you could:

146. Of course your
passion matters!
Use it wisely. And
don’t wait for it.

147. Your passion is sustainable…and recyclable.
It’s consumed in one
form and reused in
another way.

149. Get the slides
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