Someone asked me the other day about what I thought our youngsters should be learning in order to counter the threat of AI (artificial intelligence). Here’s what I think and not in any particular order:
Public speaking
Project management
Negotiation
Conflict resolution
Critical thinking
The art of selling
Storytelling
People management
Customer service
Marketing
I think that there is a huge difference between skill and talent. In my opinion, skill is something you learn and talent is something you are born with. And with very few exceptions, everything in our own lives is a skill, for example, learning to read is a skill, being brave enough to speak up with the truth is a skill, caring about customers is a skill, etc. When telling yourself that you don’t have the talent, “I wasn’t born able to do that!” That story is not based on facts, in fact it’s letting yourself off the hook, it’s an excuse. Remember, skills are easier to acquire today than ever before.
The amygdala is part of the brain's limbic system and it’s here where we process emotions. It’s here where the voice in our heads says, “don’t do that, you are in danger”. This resistance is what makes us hesitant, it’s resistance that makes us nervous before we try something for the first time.
In the western world we have been conditioned to look out for ourselves, ”survival of the fittest”. We are judged on individual performance - how well we do on exams, work, projects, etc. - and are rewarded with awards, promotions and increased wages. How can we connect and collaborate on a level where we are looking at that common mission? People may be rated individually, but what can we do to align and more in the same direction?
Contact me via e-mail for coaching, consulting, workshops and lecturing.
I have been an educated mentor since 2011 and unofficially, I have been guiding individuals to gain clarity in their message for the whole of my adult life. With the mission to identify how they can grow their influence with the right people and build trust in the workplace.
We all want a sense of purpose, a feeling of being connected to the mission for the company that we work for but what is more important is feeling a connection with our colleagues. Collaborating and supporting each other and when we speak up we are heard in a non judgemental way. Many people are lacking a connection to their purpose, they do not know how to create fulfilment in their lives. Many people are lacking internal clarity. Just imagine what it would be like to become better at public speaking, giving presentations or being a better communicator.
In order to help people to become better communicators in everyday life, here’s some example questions I ask mentees:
What do you expect to gain from our sessions?
Who are you as a person?
Where are you struggling?
What is your current mission?
How are you connecting with people in a way that influences and moves them?
Contact me via e-mail and let’s arrange a virtual meeting. I will be thinking about whether I can make a difference for this mentee and in which areas of their careers or business would I be most helpful?
There is not a huge difference between reporting and storytelling. For example, if five people see a bicycle accident, does one person see what actually happened and the other four are wrong, or do all five persons process what they have seen in their own way?
We know that all human beings process incoming information by telling themselves a story about what they saw, a story about what change it will require, a story about how it fits into their existing world. These stories need fertile ground to grow and that comes from our culture. Culture is all around us, culture beats the truth, culture beats any offer you can make. We have to understand the culture, we have to understand the world view, we have to understand the perspective of the people we are talking to.
I think that anyone who wants to make change has to tell a story that resonates with the people who are hearing it. I have guided companies that look good and want to be great. My business is desire and desire is the backbone of storytelling! I cannot help organisations to compete on price, therefore, all my offerings are focused on helping them compete on storytelling. And I do this by changing the narrative and looking at their strategy, culture, customer experience, etc.
Contact me via e-mail to arrange a virtual meeting.
I’m pretty good at not carrying regrets around and I choose to be happy. I no longer allow negative things in my life to spoil the good things. I have been described as a skilled strategic developer. My things are planning from conception to implementation whilst defining the corporate mission, objectives and branding. How can I get to the heart of the change I am trying to make in the world?
It matters to me that human beings step up and speak their truth. It’s important to me that we look each other in the eyes and take advantage of this moment we have, as in reality no one knows how long we will have these opportunities. I think all of us are more powerful than we can even imagine and all of us have the ability to make things better.
Sales persons, I have very bad news for you! Buyers only buy from you for two reasons:
1. Awareness - they know you exist, and
2. Trust - they trust you.
The thing about awareness is that they are making anymore of it. Nowadays, we are getting more and more focused on keeping our attention to ourselves and not giving it to whatever shows up, for example, Senate election in Georgia (USA), the most recent pandemic lockdown restrictions in the UK, etc.
Marketeers have a history of just taking attention and just wasting it, going forward I hope that marketeers will begin to treasure, grow and nurture our attention. And these marketeers will perform better than those who just go around creating panic and emergencies. Marketing campaign: “I made this and it was really hard. Look at me and buy it, as you owe me your attention.” There is no humility, there is no generosity and there is no connection. I think that it would make more sense to patiently try to earn the attention of the people we seek to serve.
c/o The Telegraph
Everybody is talking about Matt Haig’s book, “The Midnight Library”. I think that his book “Notes on a Nervous Planet” is a masterpiece as it offers a personal look at how to feel happy and stay human in the twenty-first century.
On New Years Day, Matt posted on his Instagram feed a “Self Help” guide, it’s simple and easy top follow:
1. How to stop time: KISS
2. How to travel in time: READ
3. How to escape in time: MUSIC
4. How to feel time: WRITE
5. How to release time: BREATHE
I have been a director, senior leader and commercial executive with experience of running teams, and I have a proven track record of exceeding results in highly demanding environments from start-ups to corporates. Through my varied professional experience, I have gained a deep understanding how effective relationships impact the bottom line.
Over the past few years I have used my coaching, active listening and mentoring skills to help organisations to get better feedback from their customers and subsequently improving business results by changing how they deal with customers. 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 helping companies master them and I also speak about these topics in keynotes and lecturing engagements. Contact me via e-mail and let’s arrange a non-binary virtual meeting to discuss collaboration opportunities.
Running a business is very hard. You have to stay true to yourself, your passion and be consistent. You can reduce stress by not having strong opinions on subjects outside of your expertise. Today, customers expect you to know them and know what they want, in the moment.
Contact me for coaching, consulting, workshops or lecturing via e-mail and let’s arrange a non-binary virtual meeting to discuss the opportunities.
“Strategy is a commodity, execution is an art. - Peter Drucker”
Just because I’m a Londoner, it does not mean that I know what is going to happen with Brexit. The continuation of the global pandemic restrictions means that life has thrown up another challenge and part of our own personal growth and self-responsibility is to be able to meet those challenges and rise above them. And the elephant in the room is climate change…
Here’s a little advice to myself, which may also be relevant for you:
Be a good person and do not waste energy trying to prove it, and continue to focus on the things that are within your power to change.
“There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. - Nelson Mandela”
As we are entering the last days of 2020, I think it’s time to offer some “friendly” advice…
Don't be impressed by:
1. Money
2. Job titles
3. Appearances
4. Experience
5. Affiliations
6. Imitations
7. Big words
Be impressed by:
1. Kindness
2. Trustworthiness
3. Unselfish generosity
4. Humility
5. Good manners
6. Courage to dare, dream and do
7. Integrity and benevolence
Image via Kimberly Amici
I am a father, son, little brother, big brother, uncle, friend, leader, manager, mentor, coach and role model. I’m noticing this thing, here’s how I think it works and here’s how I think it may help you make things better. Would you pay me for that advice?
I made a great product, delivered wow and waited for them to tell other people. What I realised is that they will only tell other people if it will helps them, they will not tell other people if it only helps me. In order for other people to share your story, it must help their status, authority or life and then they will be more or likely to do it.
Earlier this year I became a certified Power of Habits trainer as I believe the biggest influence in life is habit. I think the outcomes you seek are based on the habits you develop and maintain. Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement and a small habit, when repeated consistently, grows into something significant.
It’s almost that time of the year where everyone starts making New Year’s resolution. It’s almost that time of the year where everyone starts “dry January”. It’s almost that time of the year where everyone starts to think about the habits that they would like to change.
I am here to guide you and your organisation, send me an e-mail and let’s arrange a non-binary virtual meeting.
I recently listened to a podcast where L.U.V listening was briefly described and it made me realise how many sales and marketing people preach - bla, bla, bla…
It’s the season of goodwill, so see below a L.U.V tip.
L – One important aspect of effective communication is learning how to listen. Listen without judgment, with your ears, eyes and heart to understand my situation
U – Understand: Repeat back in your own words to show understanding. I think that there is nothing that feels better to a human being than to feel understood.
V – The last step is validation, validate my feelings by expressing empathy even if you disagree. Try to put yourself in his or her shoes and consider how one might see it that way or how one might view it that way.
As a sales professional I think that we should always focus on the buyers needs and how we can solve them. How we can guide the buyers through the decision making process, and if we authentically succeed in this task, we will more than likely close the deal.
Recently, I wrote about how HR hire sales persons, perhaps HR would be better served by writing sales job descriptions from the buyers’ perspective. No one wants to be sold to, everyone wants to be guided through the process - therefore, sales persons do not need to be hunters, closers or extroverts.
I think the buying experience is the most crucial function as in the mind of so many buyers, sales is not necessary. The role of the sales person is to guide the buyer through this process:
1. Identify the needs.
2. Explore the potential solutions for the needs.
3. Define the requirements.
4. Select the potential suppliers.
Remember, influence always wins over persuasion.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. - Viktor Frankl”
I think It’s all about the customer experience, connection and relationships. The goods and services are just commodities! Basically, design thinking asks the following questions:
1. Who is it for?
2. What is it for?
3. What do I seek to accomplish?
And design thinking says, I’m here on purpose with an intent and a reason. And that’s hard because it puts you on the hook and the majority of people don’t want to be on the hook. The reason being is that if you announce it and it doesn’t happen then you have to say I failed - “It didn’t work!”. Whereas if you don’t announce it, there’s a lot more room to manoeuvre.
Do you have a nagging issue? Would you like to know how to rest and finally achieve the 360-degree view of your customers that fuels the relevant, consistent experiences your customers crave? If so, send me an e-mail and let’s arrange a non-binary virtual meeting.
