The word aloha is one of the first Hawaiian things we all learn, right before hula dancing and umbrella drinks. While everyone knows it can be a greeting or parting, few realize it has a deeper cultural and spiritual significance. It’s also a way of living and treating each other with love and respect. Aloha defines the epitome of sincere, gracious, and intuitively perfect customer service from one person to another.
That’s why Rosa Say’s book, Managing with Aloha: Bringing Hawaii’s Universal Values to the Art of Business, speaks to us as an agency so strongly. In fact, our agency theme for 2020 is Bringin’ Aloha.
We’re tapping into Say’s trailblazing work in which she explores how businesspeople can bring universal values into every kind of business practice. Values like honor, integrity, cooperation, intent, perseverance, initiative, and balance.
We’ve been leaning into ways to manifest these values with clients and with each other every day: By soliciting feedback from clients in order to serve them better. Dedicating time and energy to brand trainings and our creative process. Balancing service delivery with consultative services. Seeking conversations to stay connected with clients and colleagues in these unique times. Generating layups for each other to foster delivery of unexpected work. And through it all we’re embracing Say’s notion of hō‘imi – we’re looking for better and best. Better cooperation, better balance, better relationships, and better business outcomes.
For us, business as usual is business with aloha. As Rosa Say herself writes ––
