Boldness Is a Muscle: Why Marketers Must Push Limits and Think Culturally
Let’s be honest, boldness isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you build. Like going to the gym, it takes consistent reps, exposure to challenges, and a mindset that embraces discomfort.
In one of my recent talks, I explored how boldness, curiosity, and cultural fluency are no longer optional; they're essential tools for marketers, leaders, and creators trying to stay relevant in today’s fast-moving world.
Here’s why that matters more than ever:
Boldness Isn’t Innate It’s Trained
Boldness is just like any other skill the more you practice it, the stronger it becomes.
You don’t become bold by waiting for permission. You become bold by stepping outside your comfort zone repeatedly. The trick is not to go all-in at once but to stretch yourself incrementally in meetings, in strategy, in creative decisions.
You have to train boldness like a muscle. And over time, those small stretches add up to big breakthroughs in your work, in your confidence, and in your team.
Generalists Will Own the Future
Here’s the thing: specialization is great until it boxes you in.
Today, the best marketers, creatives, and leaders are generalists. They consume everything: science, politics, culture, economics, and memes. Why? Because everything is connected. If you want to understand your customer, your brand, or your market you need to understand the culture they live in.
When you’re informed across disciplines, you don’t just react to trends, you anticipate them. You see how the dots connect before others do. That’s how you stay relevant and valuable in any industry.
Culture as the Core of Marketing
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you’re in marketing, you’re working in culture. Full stop.
It’s not just about selling a product. It’s about understanding what people value, believe, and respond to in real time. Whether it’s a political event, a viral moment, or a shift in generational mindset, culture shapes the market.
Great marketers aren’t just selling products. They’re interpreting culture. And to do that well, you need to be paying attention to everything, not just what’s in your industry bubble.
Small Steps, Big Shifts: How Repetition Builds Innovation
There’s this imaginary line, a tipping point where people start to see themselves differently. They go from being safe players to bold innovators.
How does that happen? Through consistent exposure to risk.
Innovation doesn’t come from one heroic leap. It comes from repetition. Every time you take a small risk, you build muscle. Eventually, boldness becomes part of your identity not just something you do, but who you are.
Destination Marketing Is Cultural Work
In that talk, I also acknowledged the audience marketers working to promote destinations. And I reminded them of something important: you're not just driving economic activity. You’re shaping how people experience culture.
When you highlight a city, a region, or a community, you’re telling a cultural story. You’re amplifying voices. You’re influencing perception. That work is powerful and it deserves a bold, meaningful strategy.
You’re Not Just Marketing, You’re Shaping Culture and Economies
One thing I always try to remind people: your work matters.
When I spoke to destination marketers, I told them how much I appreciated the role they play in shaping not just economies, but identities. You’re not just promoting places you’re influencing how people feel about where they live, travel, and connect.
That’s a big deal. And it deserves bold, creative energy.
Curiosity Is Your Superpower
More than anything, I believe in staying curious.
I’m obsessed with learning. I try to learn something new every day, I listen to everything, read everything, and stay open to all of it not because I have to, but because I love connecting the dots.
If you want to stay sharp, relevant, and impactful, stay curious. Engage with the world. Look beyond your feed. Ask better questions. That’s where real innovation lives not in the answers, but in the questions.
Culture Isn’t Just Trends, It’s Politics, Society, and Human Behavior
When we talk about culture in marketing, it’s easy to reduce it to memes, influencers, or what’s hot on social media. But real cultural fluency goes much deeper.
In my talk, I emphasized that culture includes politics, societal values, and the shifting behaviors of people at large. If you're a marketer, you’re not just selling into a market, you're operating within a living, breathing ecosystem influenced by elections, global events, social movements, and public discourse.
Understanding how these forces interact with consumer behavior is essential. It’s not enough to know what’s trending. You need to understand why it’s trending, who it affects, and where it’s going next.
That’s the level of cultural intelligence required today. Because when your strategy is shaped by real context, not just content, it resonates in a way that truly moves people.
Final Thoughts: Push the Limits, But Stay Grounded
Boldness today isn’t about shouting the loudest. It’s about being intentional. It’s about choosing to step up, again and again, even when it’s hard, especially when it’s hard.
As marketers, as creators, as leaders we have a responsibility to engage with the world around us. To understand culture. To push boundaries. To keep stretching. To keep questioning.And to do it all while staying true to who we are.
That’s how you build real insight. That’s how you move the needle. And that’s how you create work that actually matters.
About the Author:
Shawn Kanungo is a globally recognized disruption strategist and keynote speaker who helps organizations adapt to change and leverage disruptive thinking. Named one of the "Best New Speakers" by the National Speakers Bureau, Shawn has spoken at some of the world's most innovative organizations, including IBM, Walmart, and 3M. His expertise in digital disruption strategies helps leaders navigate transformation and build resilience in an increasingly uncertain business environment.