During this episode of The Community Builder Show, Travis sits down with Jason Harris, President and CEO of Mekanism Inc., a San Francisco-based creative agency and the Author The Soulful Art of Persuasion. Learn about his 4 principles for success, how he’s leading his team through adversity, and even what he’s doing to stay connected with his friends. This is one you won’t want to miss. Jason Harris Short Bio Jason Harris is the co-founder and CEO of the award-winning creative agency Mekanism and co-founder of the Creative Alliance. Harris works closely with brands through a blend of soul and science to create provocative campaigns that engage audiences. Iconic brands include Peloton, Ben & Jerry's, MolsonCoors, OkCupid and the United Nations. Under his leadership, Mekanism has been named the #6 Most Effective Independent Advertising Agency in the US by the Effie 2020 Index. Mekanism has also been named to Ad Age's Agency A-list and twice to their Best Places to Work. Harris has been named in the Top 10 Most Influential Social Impact Leaders, as well as the 4A's list of "100 People Who Make Advertising Great." His methods are studied in cases at Harvard Business School. Episode Highlights Principle 1: Original Be Yourself - Everyone Else Is Taken: Don’t be afraid of wearing your personal idiosyncrasies on your sleeve. Collect role models and draw inspiration from their uniqueness. And stick to your core values Learn to Be a Great Storyteller: If you want to make your point of view real to an audience or someone else, you need to be able to transport them emotionally through narrative Never Be Closing: Let go of short-term transactional thinking and focus on building meaningful relationships Principle 2: Generous Give Something Away in Every Interaction: Whenever you cross paths with someone, your goal should be to leave them just a little better off than they were. Whatever you give, make sure it’s genuine as you are laying the groundwork for collaboration Practice Positivity: Cultivate your sense of gratitude for the good things in your life, recognize that every interaction could result in something great Take Others Seriously by Showing Respect: Keep your promises, be as present as possible, and admit your mistakes quickly and sincerely Principle 3: Empathetic Make It About Them: Develop a natural curiosity about others, listen and learn more than you judge, and seek to understand others more deeply Seek Out Collaborations: Find value in joining forces with people from diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise See Commonalities, Not Differences: Seek out the common ground and what you share with, approaching each individual as an equal Principle 4: Soulful Live Skillfully: Hunt out new skills and keep learning to develop passions that create a life defined by proficiency Be an Inspiration: Strive to be inspirational in your daily life by preaching less and acting more, finding a cause to fight for, and reaching out to those who inspire you My Notes on Jason’s 4 Principles Be Original Beliefs, what you value in life Have a point of view Be yourself, everyone else is taken Be *Generous* Give things away without expecting anything in return Builds trust and helps keep business flowing Jason had a ball hog mentality and knew it wasn’t right Over time, developed the idea of mindfully being a generous person Try to give something to everyone you come in contact with Advice or an article to let people know you’re thinking about them Be Empathetic Collaboration Connecting with people Working on ideas together How do you become a collaborative business person Be Soulful Trying to give something back that’s bigger than yourself Examples for agency owners Positive persuasion vs negative persuasion b2b marketers, sales, people,
