This is to have succeeded
Portrait of Ralph Waldo Emerson by A.E. Smith (Getty Images)
Success according to Ralph Waldo Emerson is:
· To laugh often and much.
· To win respect of intelligent people and the affection of children.
· To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends.
· To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others.
· To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition.
· To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
Are you familiar with ikigai?
For those of you that know me or follow my blog then it will come as no surprise that Japanese culture is near and dear to my heart. And this curiosity has led me to find out more about the concept of ikigai.
In Japan, true ikigai is not about making money. It’s not about what the world needs from you or what you’re good at, or even what you love. It’s not any lofty goal to achieve. True ikigai is embracing the joy of the little things, being in the here and now, reflecting on past happy memories and cultivating a state of mind that can lead to a happy future.
The 10 rules rom the book IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret To a Long and Happy Life, are:
Stay active, don’t retire
Take it slow
Don’t fill your stomach
Surround yourself with good friends
Get in shape for your next birthday
Smile
Reconnect with nature
Give thanks
Live in the moment
Follow your passion
Why does your organisation exist?
Jay Shetty is an award-winning storyteller, podcaster and former monk who is making wisdom go viral. I have been listening to the Jay Shetty Podcast, “On Purpose” over the last couple of years, I think that it’s fascinating to hear a former monk interviewing global stars from his LA base with a British accent.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “purpose” is a noun and means the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. Here’s how I could design an “On Purpose” workshop that fits your organization:
Does your purpose:
- Address an industry problem?
- Inspire a community?
- Disrupt the marketplace?
- Make the world a better place?
I would then split you up into groups, teams or departments and ask:
- What do we care about?
- Why do we do the work that we do?
- What really matters?
- What is the purpose of our organization?
- What do we want for the future of this groups, teams or department
- What can we give that really matters to the world?
After establishing what your organization does with something that really matters in the 21st century. I would ask questions like these:
- How does your purpose link to really significant, worthwhile issues, challenges and needs in the world?
- How clear and alive are those issues in the minds of your people?
Please contact me via e-mail (link) to discuss an “On Purpose” workshop for your organization.
I am at your service
What do I do?
I have built up a rather unique combination of skills, knowledge and experience. I have been an owner, director, senior leader and commercial executive, with experience of running teams and have a proven track record of exceeding results in highly demanding environments from start-ups to corporates.
Why do I do it?
I have been fortunate to have worked with some outstanding professionals which has enabled me to understand organisational dynamics through people, process and technology. These skills have been proven to be invaluable as I engage stakeholders, explore ideas and opportunities in line with your business priorities. If you want to experience significance and success, I am now in the position to share this valuable knowledge of how to become extraordinary in what you do.
How do I do it?
I currently help organisations, teams, leaders, and front-line employees identify and remove barriers to success. I specialise in addressing issues involving people, processes, and technology - especially where consumers are affected. As part of this focus I examine strategy, culture, interaction design, customer service, branding and leadership practices. I am passionate about spotting emerging best practices and guiding companies to master them. I also speak about these topics in keynotes and lecturing engagements.
Trust is as scarce as attention
So, now I have you attention, how long will I be able to keep it and make you take an action that I suggest for you?
Human beings crave simple narratives. If you are a fan of the brand, Supreme, you know exactly when you should go to the store if you want the latest “drop”. If you take the train from to Hellerup, you know what people like us do when we commute. You know the conventions of behaviour, you know the rules, they are very clear!
Where did those rules come from?
Who gets to invent these rules?
You are either a victim of these rules, following these rules or you are the inventor of these rules.
Learn how to sell
You cannot change the system all at once, but what you can change is the voice in your head. And if the voice in your head is holding you back then that's not helping, in reality, what this means is the power structure has corrupted the voice in your head and put it to work for themselves. What is essential, whatever we are trying to get people in power to listen to, is to first change the voice in our own head. Find out how to befriend the “lizard brain” and the resistance, and not let it sabotage what we are doing. I think that what people like in us, is our confidence, our authority, our belief in what we are actually doing and working that out helps us get 80% of the way there.
Learning how to sell, learning how to talk to somebody about something you care about and getting them to believe you and pay you money for it. Nowadays, we are in the ideas business, I mean we have the opportunity to show up with an idea that’s worth more than it costs. And some people are going to be stuck in their “old ways”, so afraid of a person like you that they are not going to buy from you, but their competition will and that’s how we change culture. We change the culture because the losers learn a lesson, and the lesson they learn is that diversity pays off.
It doesn’t matter what the messenger looks like or the clothes the messenger is wearing, what matters is what will get you to move forward. I am optimistic that we are at the cusp of this cultural change happening even more. Hopefully people will look beyond DNA, gender or sexuality and start to understand that seeing people for who they are and understanding ideas for what they offer is where we need to go. Along the way a lot of people like me are paying the price. It’s bad enough that you have to deal with the voices outside of your head but you can begin by straightening out the voices in your head, because this is something that everyone has wrestled with. It’s always that same voice, learn how to dance with it, learn how to befriend it to understand that we have got a chance.
How to change everything?
The effects of Covid-19 and the measures put in place to combat it over the past 7 months have brought severe changes to all our lives. It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. The pandemic has shown me, almost instantly, that the path I had anticipated for 2020 was not going to materialize.
True curiosity is not simply the gathering of information, it’s the questioning of information gathered. I think we have to get better at asking our audience what they want from us, improve how we engage with consumers and re-evaluate our business models. You don’t need permission from people to lead them, they are waiting, we are are all waiting for you to show us where to go next.
Personality type: Leader
According to Myers-Briggs Personality Test, I am am an ENTJ.
(E) Extraversion
(I) Intuition
(T) Thinking
(J) Judgment
Strengths
Control and structure allow an ENTJ to work at their best, they love to take direct action and this no-nonsense type takes no prisoners.
Weaknesses
ENTJ’s rarely takes feelings into account and their assertiveness can come across as aggressive and argumentative.
“Unique traits of the ENTJ, strong focus, unbelievable intuition and the ability to take responsibility. The ENTJ thrives under pressure and gains even more confidence when around other people like themselves. The ENTJ type can sometimes seem arrogant because they expect the same level of dedication to projects from others as they allocate. They use more logic than emotion, being stubborn when it comes to empathy toward others. This type has high standards and can become impatient easily, which can sometimes make them seem harsh.”
Having an ENTJ personality type has been a blessing and a curse. Apparently, I’m an interesting personality type and encompasses several notable characteristics. It’s just my natural state!
Food for thought
The concept of pretty has no meaning without the concept of ugly, smart means little without the idea of stupid. We come to understand who we are by understanding who we are not.
Nature vs. Nurture
““Once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.” - Haruki Murakami”
Sales tips
The best salespersons are empathic, when I say empathic, I mean putting yourself in your customers shoes. You cannot pitch with features and function if you have not previously established exactly what the buyers needs and want are by asking open ended questions.
Most salespersons are focused on feature and function, I think that the ideal method would be learn as much as possible about companies you are trying to sell to and ask a lot of opened questions. For example, T.E.D questions:
- Tell me,
- Explain to me
- Describe to me
Do you know the difference between an order taker and salesperson?
People buy from people they like and if you cannot have a conversation with them it is unlikely to go very far. How to stand out as a salesperson?
- Don’t be scripted
- Don’t sound robotic
- Be someone who is remembered
- Be coachable (as every day we need to get better)
Happiness is a choice
Everyone loves an underdog
Here’s what to do when the odds are stacked against you:
Be patient
Anticipate next steps
Stay focused
Be calm
Be optimistic
Study your surroundings
Believe in yourself
See the finish line
Be persistent
Work hard
Show grit
Learn to anticipate
Be present
Less measurable, more meaningful
The world of work is changing, and changing in very fundamental ways. We are just at the start of another period of uncertainty and significant disruption partly driven by Covid-19, partly driven by the collapse into irrelevance of old ways of working, and partly driven by the changing expectations of the workforce. This is going to be longer and more significant period of change than most people realise and we will need stories to help us make sense of what is happening.
Our global economy desperately needs more alternatives to the conventional corporate model. I think it’s important to know that you don’t have to follow the conventional norms and you do have other options. The new era will see more and more organisations putting purpose before profits. Are you interested in learning how to improve your customer lifetime value by providing purpose and satisfaction?
What do we make?
According to my guru, Seth Godin marketing is simply “making work that matters for people who care”. As a marketing expert, we make change! We are trying to make a change happen and often we think that we just have to make it better. The problem with better is that it has no real definition. Let us assume we are trying to make it better for the customer and the enemy in the search for better, is average. And average is what everything we do is measured against.
You do not want to yell at strangers about your average products for average people. You have to make a brave promise to yourself that you are going to make something better for a very tiny group of people who are risk averse. And who also want to demonstrate to their community that they understand what it means to fit in with better quality products and services. I think there something about this change that we are making that is contagious. So contagious that people are proud of engaging with your products or services that they want spread the message.
Each one, teach one
"There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life - happiness, freedom and peace of mind - are always attained by giving them to someone else." - Peyton Conway March
The pandemic and the current economic downturn is causing mental health issues all around the world. We know that this has been an issue throughout the lockdown. I have heard from so many people who are feeling lonely, anxious and depressed with many of them stressed and having suicidal thoughts.
How is the pandemic hurting your physical and mental wellbeing?
I am a mentor and available to talk to you during these turbulent times.
Let's face it
““If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original.” - Sir Ken Robinson”
Does what you do matter?
Who are you making promises too?
What does it mean to keep those promises?
And would they miss you if your promises were empty?
People with passion can change the world for the better
You can go to the best education facilities and spend years trying to learn about marketing or you can spend 7 minutes watching this Steve Jobs presentation from 1997.
