A Word from Our Founder
A Word from Our Founder
April marks a special month for Guardian: our three-year anniversary as a firm. While our foundation as a group of thinkers and strategists began much earlier, we celebrate this milestone and all we have been able to do together. Thank you for the privilege and opportunity to partner with you to make a Kingdom impact.
To mark this anniversary, we want to share a little “insight” from a brief interview with our founder, Rob Forrester.
What made you want to start Guardian?
A few years ago, I saw three trends converging and knew this unique team could help. The first was that the world has become media- and perception-driven, and this will only increase as technology advances. We are all now living in a hyper-competitive communications environment—and people, brands, organizations and ministries are fighting for time and attention.
The second: Christianity is facing a growing resistance in culture, and its influence is currently waning in the public sphere.
And the third: Culture and humanity are in a state of upheaval and transition. For these reasons, I felt compelled to start Guardian and provide a specialized communications partner for people and organizations of faith.
What excites you about Guardian’s work?
Communication is the foundation of civilization, and it in large part determines the health of a populace. Unfortunately, the quality of communication has deteriorated severely in recent years, while the methods and mediums continue to rapidly evolve—and not always for the better. Add to this the reality that people are hurting and institutional Christianity is going through a challenging time. All these factors set up a really meaningful opportunity for service. As a team, we are now working to address these issues by helping our clients impact lives and cultures through exemplary communication. Our clients are changing the world, and it’s thrilling to support their work.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of our work?
People. It’s always about people. Our clients, their constituents and my staff inspire me to do better and be better every day. Plans, procedures and systems are necessary and helpful, but if they don’t serve people, they are hollow. Caring for, connecting with, challenging, inspiring and helping people—this should always be at the heart of any business. This relational element is what I love most about our work.
Where do you see Guardian in another three years?
As we look to the future, I know we will be offering more services, and supporting more people and organizations driven by faith. Both endeavors will be beneficial for all our clients.
We are already seeing that communications can no longer be siloed in this connected era, so over the next three years, we will offer more and more services in order to provide a holistic and integrated option for clients. We are already in the middle of this transition, having added SEO, web development, digital journeys, executive and internal comms, social management, brand strategy, project management and more.
I also believe that as we continue to grow our client base—from eight in our first year to 30 in our third year—our resulting footprint in the faith sector is making us an even more fruitful connector and ally for all our clients. Our communications insight into trends, opportunities and threats is likely unmatched due to our experience and dedication in this space.
What has been the most valuable thing you’ve learned since launching Guardian?
My role as founder and leader of our team is to be a diligent steward. God’s role is the provider. As long as I remember my role and His role, it all works out—and even challenges become valuable growth opportunities in a greater story.
What encouragement or advice can you provide to other organizational leaders?
Be a storyteller. I was recently reminded of the tremendous power of story. As communications professionals, we are storytellers. As Christians, we are storytellers. But all humans should be storytellers. Jesus told stories, and for thousands of years, all information was passed through stories. Whether you are telling the greatest story, or a story about your company vision, a project initiative or an employee’s role at your organization, storytelling is the truest and most powerful framework. Let’s recover this oft-forgotten art and keep engaging people through storytelling.
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Thank you for being a part of our story and journey. Here’s to the next three years and beyond!