Hello, My Name Is…

When followed by compassion-driven action, the act of listening can result in positive change for yourself and others. Listening empathetically and acting compassionately is not always easy because of the systems that restrict us and is often pushed against by ignorant and fearful individuals. None-the-less, these human centered acts fall in line with a social evolution that is continuously opening the world to more people. We cannot stop this evolution, which is good. We can help its progress by being empathetically observant and compassionately action oriented.

Speaking of observation and action, the True Name™ feature by Citi in collaboration with Mastercard shows that they listened to their card holders and observed the pain that was caused by old systems (experience design + software design) that the financial services company had in place. Rather than turn their corporate back on the transgender and non-binary communities and forcing them to use their legal name on their profile, debt, and credit cards, they made a systemic change. With the True Name feature, members and cardholders that identify by another name are now able to update their identity and be fully recognized by Citi.

Full recognition, by name, of who you are. A simple act that EVERYONE deserves. Judged and recognized by the content of their character.

While this move by Citi could be seen as a marketing scheme for PRIDE month, its systemic change and ripple effect will set the standard of how corporations recognize those that they serve. This alone, is a step in the right direction that helps move the social evolution that is continuously opening up the world to more people. This is what empathy driven innovation looks like.

Watch this video by Citi that focuses on how much a name means. At the end, yes, feel those feelings with them. It's beautiful.