Skip to main content
Commsy creative stuff straight to your inbox

Blog

Inner Rebel Reflections – Top 10 quotes of the day

< Blog home

Inner Rebel Reflections – Top 10 quotes of the day

The diversity of world-class speakers, powerhouse panellists and the luminous lightning bolts that were plastered on, well, pretty much everything, made Inner Rebel 2022 a conference to remember.

I was beyond excited when I found out that Alive was one of the sponsors for this event (and not just because it meant James and I had the privilege of going along!) Much like Advita and the Inner Rebel crew, at Alive we love nothing more than sharing our courageously creative ideas and making work a welcoming, inclusive and fun-filled place to be.

As someone who is passionate about equity, diversity and inclusion work and lives for projects that have a positive social impact, it’s safe to say the Inner Rebel line-up was right up my street.

Each speaker deepened my knowledge on big, bold and important topics including belonging, behavioural science, leadership, innovation and diversity of thought.

I left Manchester buzzing (and not just because of all the sugar I’d had!) Both my mind and my notepad were bursting with ideas, musings and wonderful one-liners we’d heard throughout the event. Squeezing it all into this blog post feels like an impossible task, but I’ll give it a go.

In no particular order, here are my top 10 quotes of the day and why they hold so much truth, power and potential to influence positive change…

 

Number 1
“The problems we face transcend the boxes we try to put them in. To solve them, we need diverse thinking, diverse people” – Matthew Syed

When you harness the voices of people with different backgrounds, experiences and expertise, you achieve new ideas and better outcomes. This is what Matthew refers to as a ‘growth mindset’ as opposed to a ‘fixed mindset’ – fill the room with people who might challenge or disagree with you, rather than those who simply playback your perspective.


Number 2“Recruit for a cultural add not just a cultural fit” – Nichole McGill Higgins

Being told you ‘fit in’ is a complement, right? It means you’re comfortable, familiar, safe… But by shifting to a ‘culture add’ mindset you’ll find people who bring something different to the table – a new skill or perspective that adds value to your organisation.


Number 3“I’ll be a token gesture but only once. Because my presence paves the way for the next person to be welcomed in” – Sarah Brown-Fraser

This refreshing take on tokenism prioritises your presence, rather than how you got there. Grasp every opportunity to be heard, seen and represented and in turn you’ll empower others to do the same.

Number 4
“Saying ‘bring your whole self to work’ is great, but we need to remember this might not feel safe for everyone.” – Sasha Watson

It’s a privilege to bring your whole self to work. It relies on having a safe space, self-confidence and acceptance from colleagues. If this doesn’t ring true for your organisation, then there’s a great deal of work to be done to address the reasons why.

Number 5
“Be a learn-it-all, not a know-it-all” – Matthew Syed

Nobody likes a know-it-all. Instead, create a positive working environment where listening, learning and being open to change enables others to connect with you and share their ideas freely.


“Meet people where they are” – Priya Bates

There’s no one channel or platform that suits everybody. We must put people at the centre of our comms and adapt and adjust our efforts until everyone feels included.

 

“Being in a leadership position doesn’t make you a leader” – Sam Akinluyi

What kind of leader are you? It’s a question that deserves time, attention and careful consideration because everyone you work with will be impacted by the answer. Sam reminds us that people in leadership positions only become leaders when they empower others, elevate their potential and enable creative freedom.

Number 8
“If you ask enough questions, you can be a better innovator than you are today” – Tom Pullen

This circles back to Matthew Syed’s comment about becoming a learn-it-all. Innovation is all about ideas – the best ones often come along when you’re connecting, collaborating and having conversations with colleagues.

Number 9
“It shouldn’t have to happen to you for it to matter to you” – Nichole McGill Higgins

Allyship is profoundly powerful. It’s about using your privilege to break down barriers, challenge inequalities and pass the microphone to someone who may otherwise be silenced. I love this quote.

Number 10
“Stand in the truth of who you are” – Sharon Amesu

We all have something unique to offer the world – own it.

 

When we create safe, supportive spaces for people to share their knowledge and lived experiences, ask rebellious questions and challenge the status quo, we become better learners, leaders and allies.

Thank you to Advita and her team of Inner Rebels for pulling off such a cracking conference, you should be extremely proud.

Search #InnerRebel2022 on Twitter.

Read about how our team unleash their inner rebels.

Written by Lauren Castle at Alive!

“I feel like they own and care for the project as much as we do! I would not use anyone else for my creative work and think Alive is ahead of the game.”

Jo Hobbs — Communications Manager

“Thanks for all your help. We are delighted with the campaign, both in terms of the creativity and messaging but also the thought taken over the rollout of the materials. All looks absolutely fabulous!”

Sarah Crowdy — Campaign and Media Officer Communications, South East Water

“We went to ‘Alive’ for ideas on how to run a specific employee program in Europe. Alan and his team were brilliant in coming up with fresh, creative and practical approaches. The team took charge and executed brilliantly. We are pleased with the progress made so far and hope to have the same level of partnership and commitment going forward.”

Sobha Varghese — Tata Consultancy Services

“Alive helped us create a video of our response to the floods of winter 2019. Our Chief Officer received messages from all round the country praising us for it and was really pleased with both the video and the response to it.”

Alexander Mills, Communications Manager — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“We had the privilege to work with the Alive team. It was our first time to be involved in creating an animation for our patients within paediatrics. The team were approachable, friendly, creative and very accommodating. Your vision for what you want to create, is at all times acknowledged, appreciated and accommodated by the team. They worked effectively and with great passion towards our project and worked not only alongside health professionals but also our patients who really enjoyed the experience of working with the Alive team. It has given our team the confidence and inspiration to do further projects in the future. We highly recommend Alive and their exceptional team.”

DR ELENI ATHANASAKOS, Lead Paediatric Clinical Scientist — NHS Barts Health

“‘The short animation developed in co-production with clinicians and young people is outstanding! Informative, developmentally appropriate, vitally fun and engaging. We are really grateful for the expertise of the Alive with Ideas team for their innovative approach in building children’s health literacy.'”

Kath Evans — Director of Children’s Nursing at Barts Health

“Our mission was to update our brand visuals to better reflect our innovative and forward-thinking organisation. After receiving numerous pitches from different branding agencies, Alive stood out with their clear passion and understanding of our identity and goals. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the Alive Team to create an engaging new brand that we are immensely proud of.”

Lianne Springer — Communications and Engagement Lead

“Alive wowed us during the pitch process and they didn’t stop wowing us throughout the whole project. Every person we worked with at Alive were so friendly, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about what they do. They have worked with us to really understand what we do and have created a new brand and website that really stands out from our competitors. Thank you!”

Louise Burnard, Head of Marketing and Communications UK — Be | Shaping the Future

“I think the team have done such a brilliant job, particularly with responding to our requests. It's one of the best mental health videos I've ever seen. Very proud to be associated with your exemplary work. Thank you so much.”

Dr Anna Batho — Clinical Psychologist – Critical Care, UCLH

“We have worked with Alan, Caroline and the wider Alive With Ideas team for many years. In that time, they have provided a dedicated service that is second to none. We appreciate their attention to detail and creative approach to bringing our brand, communications and stories to life. And would recommend them to anyone looking for creative communications support.”

Georgia Beech — Internal Communications Specialist, Ocado Group

“This is brilliant. I wanted to give my heartfelt thanks to all of the team who worked on this. You all understood exactly what we wanted to communicate and why, and then managed to do it in a way that was far better than anything I could have imagined. I’m a bit choked up to be honest!”

Sarah Wright, Head of Communications and Campaigns — NEA

“Each time I work with the team, I am always stunned at the effort and creativity that goes into each detail and am always eager for the end result. The team is extremely accommodating and always provide a fresh approach to our projects that elevates our communications materials!”

Alana Khaytin, Communications Specialist — Braskem America

“What I really appreciate about Alive is that they work with us as partners, and care as much about getting it right for our patients as we do.”

Sara Langston, Patient Engagement & Marketing Manager — italk

“Alive are unique in how much they deeply listen and invest in you and your ideas. I have not come across a company that listens as much as they do to ensure your needs are understood and met (actually - they always exceed my needs and expectations). Everyone I recommend Alive to has an equally brilliant experience. When you work with Alive, you are not only getting some genius creativity brought into your life, you are also hanging out with some of the best examples of human beings I’ve ever known.”

Steph Tranter, Hybrid Exec Coach & Psychologist — StephTranter.com

“The (Alive) team were able to creatively pull together and document (in just over 2minutes) everything our service has achieved over the last few months, from thousands of prescriptions deliveries to hundreds of phone calls made to the vulnerable. The final product was so powerful and reflective of what our service has and continues to achieve. It couldn’t have been better received within the service – thanks Alive for once again helping us to communicate our vision!’”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire & Rescue

“We worked with the team at Alive to create our staff recognition video.
At a time like this, its never been more important to share the amazing work that our staff have done and continue to do on a daily basis under very difficult circumstances. We wanted to shout about this and recognise that when the time came, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue stepped up to the plate. We didn’t want an ordinary thank you post on social media or a basic email sent out internally, we wanted something special. Enter Alive. ”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“Our company is fun, we have great brands, but most importantly we’re all about our people – and I wanted an agency who would understand that and help us bring it to life through our website and other comms. Straight away I felt that Alive ‘got’ us and provided the creative inspiration exactly where we needed it, as well as the technical expertise to deliver a well-functioning website.”

Keren McCarron, Head of Corporate Affairs & Communications — KP Snacks

“Boom!
Thank you so much. Incredible work done at incredible speed by incredible people.
Outstanding work as ever and what a turnaround. As for the concepts – wow. These are that good it would be an insult to describe them as just good. It’s a joke, quite frankly. This is exactly the Alive effect I was after. Right now I feel like I am living in an Alive With Ideas wonderland. Thank you!”

Jack Grasby, Campaigns Manager — SYFR

“If you are looking to improve creativity and build teamwork, I highly recommend a session like this for your team. No matter where you are in your creativity journey, a workshop like this can give your team a boost of energy and ideas to invigorate their creative thinking.”

Amy Lilja, IC Manager — Hennepin Healthcare

“Alive were there to help when we were working every hour to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. They gave us the creativity, ideas and support we needed to deliver campaigns which empowered our residents in the most difficult time most of us have ever seen, personally and professionally. The team understood what we needed, worked closely with us and delivered fast without any compromise on quality. Working with Alive has been a joy in the darkest of times and I have no doubt will have helped to save lives. Thanks team x”

Julie Odams, Assistant Director of Communications & Customers — Derbyshire County Council

“We got 'Alive' involved to help us shift mindsets across our organisation and they delivered! Using simple, clear and creative ideas the team have delivered us a campaign which has seen a dramatic increase in idea sharing and development. They’ve also played a significant role in creating a culture of shared success. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with again, in fact, we already are!”

Gavin Buckle — B&Q
Alive logo