Corey Blake comes on today's episode to share with us the value in being openly vulnerable in today's world, how that's impacted the success of his business and relationships, and how he's spreading the word.
In 2005 he started Round Table Companies, which is a story telling company that supports organizations, CEO’s and thought leaders. Corey believes every successful company or person has a compelling story to tell, and he helps them verbalize it in a way that’s captivating, appealing and leads to deeper connections with their audiences.
Getting back to Core Values, RTC actually has seven of them:
- Brilliance
- Love
- Momentum
- Honesty
- Community
- Growth
- Courage
Corey went into detail on three of these values:
Brilliance allows for a black and white approach to the quality of work they produce. “Is it brilliant or not? Do we feel magic in it?” If the answer to either of these is “no”, then it’s back to the drawing board. Love it!
The staff at RTC and their clients are challenged to lean into Courage in all the work they do, to dig in there and do things that might scare them.
Momentum for any creative agency is key in finding the magic and poetry in everything they do. What a fortuitous coincidence, “Momentum” is my theme for the week!
Corey practices what he preaches in a big way, and actually has an executive coach on retainer for his staff of 40 to take advantage of at any time. He firmly believes in developing himself and his team and notes:
“The company is only as strong as I am and the company only has the capacity that I represent as its leadership. As we continue to grow, that expands to the capacity of other people on the leadership team… ultimately we’ll get the company that we deserve.”
In addition to running RTC, Corey is fully invested in the “Vulnerability is Sexy” movement that he's created. It’s a metaphor for the work they do in the world by supporting people that invite their audience into a loving space where they get to know each other’s humanity. The movement is catching on and gaining momentum (there’s that core value again).
“Vulnerability is Sexy” started back in 2014 when Corey and his team created a concept called the Vulnerability Wall after seeing how people at conferences didn’t take risks until the end when it was time to leave. The wall is a huge, blank canvas on display and people can drop their insecurities, secrets, shames and vulnerabilities in a box and his artists will turn them into beautiful representations on the canvas. This helps people relieve themselves of some of their burdens and to quickly honor each other’s humanity.
“When we have the strength to be vulnerable, there’s an opportunity for an alignment check.”
Ultimately, if you’re interested in growth and living a life of purpose, then displaying your vulnerability will guide you to this even though there may be some pain associated with it.
Corey’s a super insightful, caring and open person and we really enjoyed our discussion, as I’m sure you will as well.
THE BOLD LIFE MOVEMENT PODCAST
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SOME QUESTIONS I ASK:
- How does Corey promote personal growth within his company?
- What led him to create the “Vulnerability is Sexy” movement?
- Who inspires Corey to be the person he is?
- How did Corey’s Tedx talk come about?
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:
- How Corey plans to bring more personal development strategies to his staff
- How you can be more connected or in-touch and reflective when conversing with others
- How an executive coach can help your staff and company grow both personally and professionally
- Why and how Corey took his “Vulnerability is Sexy” idea and turned it into a full-on movement
- What the concept of “follow the invite” is all about
- Plus much more…
DON’T STOP HERE…
- Round Table Companies
- Vulnerability is Sexy T-shirt
- Vulnerability Wall
- “Vulnerability is Sexy” TedxSalisbury Talk
- Twitter | Email