#meetthemoment
By: Arti Kumria
Tags: Gender Equality, Oprah, Careers, Sheryl Sandberg, Kardashian

Read the vibe. Then capture it. No one ever achieves greatness without tapping into the mood of the moment. With her bestseller Lean In, first lady of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg wrote the right words at the right time in history. In her #metoo moment at the 2018 Globes, Oprah was the right voice in the right place.

Just what we needed to hear… Oprah knows how to #meetthemoment. Credit: Paul Drinkwater/NBC

Yes, these women have timeless appeal and their universal message would probably still cut above the noise 10 years from today. But the reason they achieved greatness is that they hit a killer note at the perfect moment. Timing really is everything. Oprah would’ve gone unheard if she were raising sexual harassment in the ’80s. Though no one connects like master broadcaster Oprah, in that Globes moment, she spoke with moral leadership in a calm, confident way that distilled the message of our time for every woman, and man.

Veering from Oprah to the Kardashians may seem a stretch but they have one important thing in common. They met the moment. The ’90s had sitcoms, the ’00s had reality TV.

The Kardashians were never going to cut it 30 years ago. But Kris, the brains behind the outfit, had a vision for her brood and enough characters to develop the pop culture phenom we see today. Kris has defined, positioned, packaged, promoted and delivered her particular KarJenner brand like a rockstar. Decades ago, it would have been practically impossible for seven members of one family to be influencers. It has been done. Their individual and combined social media currency is ridic. Kylie wiping $1.3 billion off Snapchat’s valuation after a single tweet is a case in point.

Kardashians, Kardashians everywhere. Credit: Steam Pipe Trunk Distribution Venue/Creative Commons

The KarJenner appeal lies not just in their relatability. (If you’re into glam, Kim is your girl. Kendall mixes model with cool-girl cred. Kourt has the smarts and razor-sharp wit. Khloe is brash and doesn’t hold back. The list goes on.) It lies also in the family’s ability to capture the zeitgeist (the spirit of the time) and embody this overexposure moment we’re living through. They are on every social media platform 24/7. They do selfies with abandon. They know that this period in history is about unapologetic self-obsession. And they embrace it.

You have to be able to read the mood around you and tailor your offering to it. Whether it be a start-up, bricks-and-mortar venture or a different role in your company, you need to be on point. It sounds obvious, and it is. Don’t start an e-store selling plastic-fantastic lippie when the trend is for organic cosmetics. Don’t open an exclusive wine bar when everyone’s drinking cider or champagne. Don’t pitch for an editorial role without owning serious digital skills when the publishing industry has moved online. You won’t only be left behind, you’ll be seen as out of touch and not able to read the vibe or your consumer.

Start by doing your research. If you’re keen to start a business, what is everyone into these days, particularly the early adopters? You don’t have to focus on the young, focus on your target market. If your market is 35-44 year olds with young children in the highest income/socioeconomic brackets, look at what they search for, watch or listen to online. If they’re downloading podcasts covering, for example, how to parent an introvert or extrovert, there could be opportunities for your fitness studio to start a kids’ mindfulness class (to recharge the introverts who need time alone) or introduce fun junior dance sessions (to energise the extroverts). Every bit of data is a chance to better your business.

If you’re keen to make a strategic move up within your firm, meet the company’s moment. Look at where the organisation is heading, that is, the big picture. The C-suite gets paid the big bucks to create the vision and take the organisation there.

So if you want to be a leader, you need to think like one. Is the company trying to build sales through high-volume, low-margin turnover? Ask why. Then position yourself to take advantage of this realisation that your peers haven’t yet clocked. If you’re in the sales area, pitch to management potential new clients who previously had a lower budget and might now be open to your business. If you’re in finance, ask if a growth in sales is generating more end-of-month and how you can help with the increased workload. You’ll be seen as proactive and a doer, while you upskill on the company’s time. You’ll also likely be ripe for promotion because you’ve done it all and worked with higher-ups at month end. Win-win-win.