Are you in your comfort zone?

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Here’s a friendly reminder that customers don’t care about how brilliant your technology is, they only care about how simple your solution is. Therefore, we should focus on the latter at all costs.


I think that ordinary is not something you strive for, it’s something you end up being! In my experience, once an organisation has reached a certain level of success, it becomes very easy for them to rest on their laurels and become complacent. This is a good way for businesses to quickly get passed over by competition. No matter how big and successful your business is, you cannot stop questioning how to improve.


I have observed too many organisations that are stuck in their comfort zone, going through the motions and are not interested in economic empowerment. This is of no interest to me as I can only help if there is an appetite for change and the willingness to discover the hero amongst yourselves.

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Queen's Birthday Honours: My sister becomes MBE

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Everything starts with a story and it’s never been so easy to get your message out there. Because it’s never been easier, everyone has the power to publish and everyone thinks that they have a story to tell, paradoxically, it’s never been harder to get someone to listen or care! Our story has to be authentic if we really want to connect with an audience. Everyone’s telling their story online and everyone thinks they have something to say.


I think that only by applying the ancient art of storytelling with precision and power can we truly reach out and connect at a deeper emotional level with our audience, and this is when everything changes. My sister has become an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for her work in education.


- Who is the hero of the story?
- Who is Valerie really trying to help?
- Can we empathise with her audience, I mean really understand what they are thinking and feeling?
- What are the challenges that they are facing?
If we can show and tell them that we understand their reality then they will listen to us. And if we do it with a story then it will be even better and easier for them to share.
You can read Your Croydon’s article about my sister here



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Curiosity killed the cat

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I was recently asked whether curiosity was my primus motor? No, I think that curiosity is what fuels me! What drives me is a desire to make things better. I see what I think is broken and I see what people will benefit from learning, not because it will make things better for me but better for them. And the tool that I use to see those things and provide the insight is my curiosity of asking, “Why didn’t that work?” and “Why is this not what it could be?”

Most of the entrepreneurs I know are not saying, look at my bank balance and they are not saying here’s how I cut corners. They are people who would like to make things better by making better things. And I am proud to be in that category, and all I am trying to do is spread the word.


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Sharing is caring

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What are the fundamental capabilities of a human system that are crucial to its capacity to execute flawlessly and innovate consistently?


I think the simple answer is sharing. When I say sharing, I mean sharing knowledge, expertise and secrets. I think that in order to get what you want you will need a roadmap, not a conventional roadmap - a roadmap that contains an idea, plan and a series of steps to execute that plan.


Knowledge isn’t everything, you may need a guide - someone who’s been there before - someone who understands what you are going through and wants you to succeed. Someone who can give feedback, motivation and pick you up when things get tough. When you combine a proven roadmap with a skilled guide and an army of supporters - this makes an unstoppable combination. It’s important to have likeminded people beside you on your journey, people who understand what you are going through and want you to succeed.


Who are your customers?

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“Today, we are in a connected economy and picking your customers is easy!”
A bold statement, in reality your customers are the group of people who define what you do all day and what you are going to do next. This is because you are not looking for new customers for your products, you are looking for new products for you customers. I hope you know the difference.

“You get to choose your customers!” - another bold statement 😊.
You never say I have this great product who do I sell it to, you say which group of people are open to being connected , open to being led in a particular direction or open to your art form. “I pick you” - these people will be your customers, now let’s work together and make some business.

Do more people trust you and pay attention today than 6 months ago?
What are you going to do today and 6 months in the future to radically increase the number of people and how deeply they pay attention and trust you?

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What is your purpose?

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You either believe when there is no evidence and sometimes that is delusion fuelled by denial. And sometimes, you believe where there is no evidence and this shows that you have faith in things that have not been seen yet. The challenge is knowing the difference between the two.

The mind is an element, strategy is an element, but it’s PURPOSE that is the missing link that binds everything together. Purpose is what really matters!

The majority of human beings have never had a deep thought in regards of self-regulation. Everyone is so busy, we are all so distracted that we do not give ourselves time to ask questions that matter. What truly matters is giving yourself the space and time to ask these question.

What is the purpose of your organisation?
I think that purpose is the core, root or foundation of your organisation. Therefore, if anything is poisoning the roots, then we must stop and get rid of the poison.

How?
- By looking at the relationships, dynamics within your organisation.  
- By looking at what’s driving people within your organisation.  
- By looking at the crap that you drag into the business and what poisons the purpose within your organisation.  

And I think that if you don’t do this work, you will never get purpose within your organisation.  

Truth & Lie

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According to a 19th century legend, the Truth and the Lie meet one day. The Lie says to the Truth: "It's a marvellous day today"! The Truth looks up to the skies and sighs, for the day was really beautiful. They spend a lot of time together, ultimately arriving beside a well. 

The Lie tells the Truth: "The water is very nice, let's take a bath together!" The Truth, once again suspicious, tests the water and discovers that it indeed is very nice. They undress and start bathing. Suddenly, the Lie comes out of the water, puts on the clothes of the Truth and runs away. The furious Truth comes out of the well and runs everywhere to find the Lie and to get her clothes back. The World, seeing the Truth naked, turns its gaze away, with contempt and rage.

The poor Truth returns to the well and disappears forever, hiding therein, its shame. Since then, the Lie travels around the world, dressed as the Truth, satisfying the needs of society, because, the World, in any case, harbours no wish at all to meet the naked Truth.

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What do you stand for?

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The early adaptors are people who are playing with new ideas in the culture. NIKE are selling to the early adaptors of fashion and make their money at the front end of the curve. NIKE is a disruptor in the marketplace and the brand DNA is so clearly identifiable with “We stand for something”.

c/o Nike

c/o Nike

Colin Kaepernick is a symbol who stands for something and the other sneaker companies have been afraid to stand for what he stands for. NIKE helped to transform Colin Kaepernick from a kneeling quarterback to an icon of change. I think when you wear NIKE, you are symbolizing that you also stand for something. 

Just keep practicing

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Now, more than ever, we need to be equipped with sharp skills, fresh ideas, more drive and new techniques in order to achieve our goals. 

Respect the power of words, choose them with care, speak them with heart and listen to them with sincerity. With a little practice every day you will slowly and surely get there. It may take time, so trust the process and don’t be afraid to make mistakes, as mistakes mean that you are trying. 

Start with the heart

Getty Images

Getty Images

I recently asked a friend of mine who happens to be a medical doctor, “Who is in charge, the heart or the brain?” He said, the brain and I said, “I am going to challenge you on that one! You can find many people in the hospital who are still alive - clinically brain dead, but when the heart stops, it’s all over.”

I think that if we look metaphorically at the brain and head, then the brain is mental and the heart is emotional. And if we put them together in harmony, we will have the mental and the emotional - one starts with “M” and the other with “E”, when we put them together we have “ME” and nobody can mess with “ME”.

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How can you become a meaningful specific and not a wandering generality?

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This means that you should not become someone who is wandering through life with no specific purpose or meaning to your life. Instead, be someone who stands out from the crowd. With dreams and goals that add meaning and purpose to your life as you accomplish them along your life journey, you become a meaningful specific.

I think that marketing is creating true stories, that when they intersect with people who want to hear them, these stories will change those people for the better. Seth Godin recommends reaching your “smallest viable audience that you can be sustained by.” And he describes the smallest viable audience as “that core group that you know, you understand and seek to interact with and so delight them that they will tell others.” 

 

I don’t want to trick people into paying attention for a short while by making interesting click bait. I think that whatever your brand aesthetic may be, consistency in tone, voice, and style is crucial in building trust and keeping your audience coming back for more.

 

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I care enough to see you

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People are always drawn to those who are genuine, willing to show who they truly are and who make it safe for others to be fully themselves. I have always taken the risk of leading from my heart, knowing the reward was greater than any inadequacy I felt. I think being vulnerable is always the pathway to making meaningful connections, and being authentic and vulnerable is also the secret to becoming charismatic.
Ken Blanchard said, “If you don’t know who you are - or what your strengths and weaknesses are - and you are unwilling to be vulnerable, you will never develop a trusting relationship.” 


In my humble opinion, authenticity means taking a risk to show others our true selves. It’s uncomfortable and vulnerable, and always carries with it the very human fear of not fitting in. I think that if we want to see others then we must first allow them to truly see us. It takes courage to be authentic and aligned with our values, especially in these turbulent times. Right now we are all using FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, Teams, etc., to stay in touch with our colleagues, family and friends, but we are still in our own spaces. I think that it’s really hard to transcend that separateness, no matter how good the camera lens is, technology has made the connection possible, but seeing authentic emotion makes it tolerable. 

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Do you agree that in our heads and hands we have the specialist skills that will get us hired? I think that what really separates us is our ability to connect with, motivate and inspire others, what do you think? 

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How do branding and company culture interact?

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c/o Sacai @ Lane Crawford

c/o Sacai @ Lane Crawford

In 2016, I managed to fulfil a lifelong ambition and traveled to Tokyo and Kyoto as I have been fascinated by Japanese culture throughout my life. I was not disappointed, Japan was exactly as I imagined. I worked with Beams way back in 1990, and I subsequently worked with all the major Japanese department stores.


I think you cannot successfully tell a story to the outside world for long which is opposite to the culture you actually have. We didn’t invent culture to inform capitalism, we invented capitalism so our culture could get better. 

- Culture defeats strategy every time. 
- Culture is people like us do things like this.
- Culture is how we make decisions. 

Would you like me to look into your culture?