Colgate-Palmolive CCO Paula Davis stresses the importance of incorporating the causes and issues that matter to you into your work life.

For her, one big focus of interest is "the importance of oral health and recognizing how important it is and how it's linked to overall systemic health"—something that Colgate-Palmolive is addressng with its "Know Your OQ" (Oral Health Quotient) campaign.

But Davis says that no matter how urgent the topic you're addressing is, you need to avoid crisis burnout. "When we asked people about the language we were using to promote oral health, they said, I have enough crises in my life. It could come off as tone deaf, when you consider that there are these other very big issues going on in people's lives."

The company's strategy was to introduce "a quiz that people could take" to generate greater awareness and spur changes in consumer behavior. Thought leadership and and efforts to "reach the profession" are key to the campaign as well.

She tells Simon that bringing people together and being a convener are essential to success in today's communications landscape. "If you get things done," she says, "it's about partnership. And I think this is a real superpower that communicators can bring to the table."

That makes "identifying people and what their interests are" a pivotal skill. "That's how you have influence and I feel like at the end of the day, it always helps you." However, she notes that "when you're bringing people together, be really clear on what the objectives are, why you're there. It's really important to have that clarity and focus upfront."

To help communicators channel their own passions into their work, Davis says that brands need to let staffers know that "you can be a leader no matter what your title is. If you're looking for leadership opportunities and to make a difference and to live your passion, you can do that."

She adds that "there are so many ways to be a leader, to make a difference on things that you care about inside your company, because chances are there are other people who share that passion and it all comes back to your company. If you join a board you're building your network and you're building your skills and capabilities, that's all going to benefit your employer."

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D S Simon Media helps clients get their stories on television through satellite media tours and by producing and distributing content to the media. The company also produces live social media events.