“Are you GEL’n?” is the new question buzzing around the OneDigital office in Boston. Bob Williams, Director of Client Services, recently began using the popular catchphrase as an innovative approach to wrap up his team meetings. The call and response mantra has garnered a great deal of positive feedback, but considering our area of focus is insurance and not so much orthopedic comfortability, it raises a great question. Of all the catchy slogans from the 90s, why, “Are you GEL’n?”
The Backstory
It all goes back to our recent Retention and Growth Summit in Atlanta. If you were able to attend, at some point you either heard or saw someone referencing the three key focus areas—Grow, Elevate and Leverage. At first, it’s just a list of words plastered about the room. But, as you delved deeper into the conference experience, you began noticing how each piece tied into a component of a greater objective, all cleverly orchestrated by our team of marketing gurus. What seems like an effortlessly done slogan to most is, in fact, the finished product of several brainstorming sessions accompanied by lengthy, in-depth conversations with the leadership team. Zannette Ricketts (known by most as Z), Director of Conference and Events, points out that “we have to look at the goals of the company, get an idea of the direction we’re headed, and what’s going to resonate with the people.” She goes on to say, “It’s great knowing that people are utilizing different elements from conference. Everything we come up with is intentional, made to have an impact.”
The Takeaway
Making the connection between the focus areas and the services Bob and his team provide their clients, Bob latched on to the message and how they could relate it to their day-to-day activities. After asking himself, “how do we apply it and how do we make the message tangible,” that’s when it clicked! Bob discovered the first letter of each word spelled the acronym GEL, and the 90s slogan quickly came to his mind. Now, with all his monthly and weekly meetings, he asks his team, “Are you GEL’n?” to which members of the team respond by sharing how they’ve personally added to each area. “Not everyone has a cross-sale opportunity, but we can all contribute one way or another to each of these facets,” says Bob. “As important as these conference themes and messages are for us—it’s important to practice them daily and bring them to the forefront of our client interactions.”
The Culture
Using the acronym as a verbal checklist to monitor weekly progress is just one example of how we can all contribute to the culture of the company. We’re creating an environment where team members feel comfortable bouncing ideas off of each other, strengthening team morale. At the same time, we’re passing along the supportive attitude to our clients. So the question we pose to each of you today, this month and the rest of the year… Are you GEL’n?
