We Are Unity leaders pick a ‘focus word’ for 2021.

Pick your focus word and approach the future of work with some much needed clarity.

After the year that was, it’s no surprise that individuals and organisations alike have been looking toward 2021 with a level of anticipation unlike any new year in recent memory. With a complex and confronting year behind us, many are welcoming a new calendar year with open arms, filled with excitement, expectations and opportunity for a year ahead of change and growth. 

While the new year transition is typically defined by the goals and resolutions we make for the year to come, the scope of what we need to accomplish this year goes beyond meeting a few simple milestones. (Besides, 80% of new year’s resolutions are not fulfilled) Instead, there seems to be a growing trend among the corporate world to replace new year’s resolutions with a ‘focus word’ for the year. By distilling our vision and aspirations down to a single word, we can simultaneously provide a focussed clarity to what we want to accomplish, as well as a broader canvas to guide our strategy forward.

With this in mind, the team at We Are Unity have embraced the idea of a single word that defines our approach and encapsulates what we want to see more of in 2021 – One that can be used to guide our overarching strategy and open up new possibilities. We’ve challenged leaders from across our organisation to name their ‘focus word’ of the year, in the context of ‘the future of work’. These focus words are less about personal aspirations as they are a catalyst for what we want to collectively achieve with our clients, our team and our wider community. 

Read on to discover our focus words for 2021 and perhaps you’ll even find the inspiration to choose your own.

Ben Bars, CEO
Productivity 

The working world and its new ways of operating have led to a more humanised – and therefore enabled – economy. 

The cascading impacts of Productivity:

More communication = stronger relationships = greater trust = more transparency = more sharing of knowledge and IP = greater economies of scale and more conscious self-disruption = more sustainable growth and innovation = more customer loyalty stronger market share = greater shareholder returns = healthier Gross Domestic Product trajectory.

And with the clever use of data this impact can be measured!

Nat Cagilaba, Managing Director
Tenacity

Nothing is going to be handed out on a plate this year. There are going to be targets that have to be met to survive, unknown challenges to overcome to succeed and digging deep personally to do what’s needed to reach goals short or long term, personal or professional.

JP, Executive Creative Director
Vulnerability

Most of us had a tough 2020 and the outlook for 2021 is still yet to be determined. As a result many organisations have gone back to basics... which usually means more rational and less emotional. We need to help our clients lean into vulnerability so they can make bolder choices with and for their people.

Rachel Wotherspoon, Strategist 
Prioritisation 

When operating within a crisis mindset, competing priorities seem to fall away and a laser sharp focus appears to enable individuals and teams to do what they need to do to survive, and ultimately thrive. As we lift our heads above the depths of the crisis, the path forward can start to become quickly clouded with competing priorities again. The most progressive organisations will adopt a solid Purpose-driven decision making framework to enable critical decisions to be made at pace.

Nick Tucker, Advisory Lead
Balance

Organisations are going to need to balance the influence of the competing priorities of commercial, customer and employee stakeholders. There is a sweet spot in there somewhere, and the future of work needs to find it. 

Bianca De Silva, Head of Copy
Design Thinking (not strictly one word but we’ll let it slide)

In 2021 we'll treat the future of work like that cool new product you just bought online. While 2020 already forced us to design and start using a more vulnerable 'humans at work' prototype, now's the time to take it to market for user testing with both employees and employers, tweak what's working, and remove what isn't. (And most of all, make sure it isn't a dud.) 

What does it all mean?

A true reflection of We Are Unity, these words are as varied as the people who make up our dynamic agency. The common thread woven through these focus words is our collective desire to design a better working world, driving our Purpose ‘to feed the human need to contribute and grow’. Our ‘focus words’ reflect when, where and how we believe work will get done - precisely the elements that go into designing future ways of working.

Designing future ways of working will look different for every business – it won't necessarily all be new, but the rate of change required may still catch individuals, teams and organisations off guard. To remain grounded and on track for delivering on your business strategy, a sense of clarity is just what you need. So go on and pick your focus word of the year – we hope it provides you with the guidance and inspiration to successfully navigate the year ahead.

And, if you’d like to talk about how to bring a bit more Balance, Productivity, Tenacity, Prioritisation and Design Thinking to your people and business, get in touch with us at We Are Unity and we can share the learnings and experience we’ve gained designing the future ways of working for Australia’s largest employers.