There are more freelancers and contractors than ever before supporting the traditional 9-5 industry—so many, in fact, that we’ve given this workplace shift an official name: the Gig Economy. It’s no passing fad, with research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that in the U.S. in 2018, 16.5 million people were working in “contingent” or “alternative work arrangements.” The breakdown? Nearly 6 million people held contingent jobs, while 10.6 million folks were independent contractors, on-call workers, filled in as temps, or had signed up with contract firms.

Have you ever witnessed something so amazing it brought tears to your eyes? Put a lump in your throat? Or stopped you dead in your tracks?

You might never have thought about it until now, but that intense physical, emotional and mental response is the emotion of awe.

When you download our free Bright Culture Pledge (use the form at the bottom of this page), you’ll get 15 guidelines to help you develop great company culture. We’ve thought long and hard about every point on this pledge (trust us, there were plenty that didn’t make the cut). Here, we explain why each one of these commitments is essential to building a culture where your teams and your organization can shine.

Have you ever received an invitation to a celebration that includes the note, “Your presence is the best present?” You might think this phrase is a kind of corny way to let people know you’re hosting a gift-free gathering. But at Live Bright Now, we think replacing “presents” with “presence” is a brilliant approach to getting through the sanity-testing, budget-breaking, stress-inducing holiday season. Here’s why we hope you’ll think about presence, not presents, in the weeks ahead—plus three easy ways to keep your holiday season bright.

We all know the importance of company culture, but we are less clear on just how to create it. Culture drives an organization’s performance, engages its employees, and inspires a clearly defined direction and link to a meaningful mission. However, in order for a strong company culture to grow and thrive, it needs to be led by strong leaders.