I think that we are all selling solutions to external problems and customers are buying solutions to internal problems. The story should always be about how the hero is feeling about their external problem. For example, I recently watched a show on Netflix where the hero is trying to disarm a bomb. A few years ago, he tried and failed. Lots of people were hurt, now he is full of self doubt. He asks himself, can I do this? He feels ill equipped, self doubt has kicked in and he is not sure whether he can get the job done. Does this sound familiar?
Customers wants us to guide them on their internal journey as they also have an external problems. The external problems are causing them frustration and unpleasantness, and this is exactly what they are trying to resolve. Companies try to resolve external problems but people buy resolutions to internal problems. Do you understand what I mean? If not send me an e-mail and I will explain it to you.
Win, lose or draw
How many people do you know who are unaffected by praise or blame?We spend on much time reacting to labels, are own and others’. When you win, be kind and when you lose, be kind, most people learn these valuable lesson in kindergarten. I think that to completely disagree with someone and yet engage with them with respect and honesty, is a superpower. I have observed that smart people are not offended by the truth.
“We all need a personal mythology not because it tells us who we are but because it tells us who to aspire to be.”
Somebody once said...
“The three most difficult things for a human being are not physical feats or intellectual achievements. They are, first, returning love for hate; second, including the excluded; third, admitting that you are wrong.”
Life is a banquet
Image via Shutterstock
I’m in the process of writing an obituary for my mother and there are so many things that I could write. I have just forwarded the first draft to my sisters for some input, as I need their opinions. I think that if you and your loved ones are healthy, you have a family that loves you, some good friends, food on your table and a roof over your head - then you are richer than you think.
We are the richest people on earth and we don’t even realise! And when I say this, it means that we are alive when we can see the moon and the stars at night. Please make sure that you take the time to appreciate these gifts, nourish yourselves with nature, with your breath, with quiet and stillness. This will give you the energy to deal with your pain and challenges.
The big five
Image via Inc. Magazine
COACH = Curiosity, Openness, Associations, Conscientiousness and Healthy practices. According to Tony Robbins, the definition of a life coach is someone professionally trained to help you maximise your full potential and reach your desired results. They hold you accountable and provide encouragement throughout your journey to become a better version of yourself. According to Thorbjörg, the definition of a health coach is a supportive mentor and wellness authority who helps others feel their best through individualised food and lifestyle changes that meet their unique needs and health goals.
What do they all these coaches have in common? I think that they all identifying needs, plan and implementing suitable programmes. Whether the coaching involves developing the individuals’ physical or psychological fitness, the coach will encourage them to maximise their performance. Contact me via e-mail in confidentiality and let’s arrange a coaching session.
Do you know the difference?
Image via TechSpot
“Sometimes heroes walk quietly in crowd never seeking fame, only fairness. Sometimes traitors walk loudly in crowd, seeking fame regardless of fairness to others. It is important to know the heroes. At this moment in our history, it is essential that we know the traitors.”
Growth at all costs
We have seen that over the Covid pandemic consumer expectations and behaviours have fundamentally changed. Technology and innovation have moved brands into a place where relationships with individual consumers could be directly formed, nurtured and serviced. I think the greatest growth potential going forward will be differentiated retail. This will mean creating an elevated brand experience where both the brand and product are celebrated through clear and compelling storytelling.
The future is not just about omni-channel, it’s going to be about customisation, community and content. Individuals with unique personal goals brought together to form a global community. Contact me via e-mail when you are ready for an external perspective on your brand engagement.
Just Do It
NIKE is above everything else, a master storyteller that also happens to make well designed products. Products that become an emblem, declaring one’s cultural alliance with the brand. The actual things that NIKE sells are simply an outward symbolism of that cultural affiliation, thus the relationship with a brand like NIKE becomes transformational whilst the majority of their competitors have only a transactional relationship with their customers. I don’t think that NIKE could have predicted the pandemic, but the decisions it make 4 years ago have powered its performance through it and has provided a roadmap for others.
The lessons for retailers across categories are clear:
No single customer or level of sales volume is worth sacrificing your brand as In reality, the brand is all you have!
Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) sales is just a throwback to the way retail has been performed for generations. In fact, the true value of a brands rests in the power of the stories it tells - “Lose the story and you lose the brand and lose the brand and you will lose everything!”
Bricks and mortar shops have opportunity to become the most powerful media channel on earth, real life stages from which those unique brand stories can be told.
We all see things from different perspectives. Don’t be shy, contact me via e-mail when you are ready for an external perspective on your brand engagement.
Life is good here
c/o Getty Images
There is an unstoppable movement towards greater consciousness about what our actions are doing in the world around us. And the younger generations are continuously searching for higher meaning and more sustainable behaviours. I think working together in flat, loosely connected networks, in a peer-to-peer fashion, is behind the most significant changes in human society over past 100 years.
Do you work in an organisation where decision making was clearly expressed and democratically distributed? I wonder what it would be like to work in an organisation where communicating your dreams and ambitions is encouraged. Where the decision making is led by a leader who collaborative and is interested in having feedback from outside of the C suite. Once the decisions have been agreed, no one in the group will have any remains objections and consent to implementation.
What does it cost us to make a decision that no one believes in or is willing to commit to? Are you trying to do too much with everyone involved? Contact me via e-mail for a meeting where we could take a deeper dive into your situation.
It's lonely at the top
The journey towards better leadership requires change and change is extremely challenging. It demands that you get out of your comfort zones and experiment, to do things that people around you may think are strange. Here are some leadership questions you can use for benchmarking your current performance:
1. What do I do that enables positive performance in the team?
2. What do I do that impairs or reduces performance in the company?
3. What should get more of my time and attention?
4. What 3 things will substantially improve the company’s performance?
5. How can I serve the company better in the next 6 months?
You cannot do this alone and you may need some support, contact me via e-mail to arrange a meeting.
Functions and activities
Those of us who are not so fast with our legs have to be faster in our heads. Most of us learn how to do, unfortunately, very few of us learn how to be. Obsession is always there at the start of learning. I think becoming obsessed with something is what allows you to learn, to develop a habit, turn it into a routine. Contact me via e-mail for an evaluation of your systems and processes.
“Process saves us from the poverty of our intentions.”
In my experience
Successful people have a purpose and as a result they are excited, dedicated, passionate, and fearless. And they share their passions with others and lead from the seat within as they usually don’t have the luxury of maintaining a wait-and-see attitude. I think that If you are doing things the way you have always done them, then try something new and invite disruption into the picture. Why? This is because if you continue with those slow-moving strategies, you will be leading your organisation down the road to becoming obsolete. #justsaying
“You can’t climb the mountain of excellence if you’ve made camp on the hill of mediocrity!”
R.I.P mum
After many years of illness, yesterday my mother closed her eyes for the last time 😕. We have lost our beloved wife, mother, sister, auntie, cousin, grandmother and great grandmother 💔. It’s a sad day for all of us who knew her 🤎.
The struggle is real
“Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you’ve lost or you can accept that, and try to put together something that’s good. ”
Do you know your customers?
The customer experience, both physical and digital, begins the moment someone is exposed to your brand and can extend through their entire lifetime depending on the memories you have created from their experience – both as an employee and customer. Satisfying and exceeding both the functional and emotional needs, values and aspirations of your customers and employees cultivates brand love, advocacy and loyalty. Brands must know their customers better than the customers know themselves.
I think success will no longer defined by giving customers what they want, when they want it. Instead, brands must anticipate what customers need before they need it, and offer it at the best price and deliver it quickly. The new success criteria will be measured by how well retailers can personalise, customise, digitalise and socialise. As consumers, we should support the brands that are not just talking about the important humanitarian issues of our day, but are also contributing to bettering the lives of those affected.
The morning blues
It’s Monday morning and for most people it’s unpleasant to go back to work after a relaxing weekend. I have heard it through the grapevine that I am irritating as I am one of the outliers who wakes up with a smile on my face and gratitude in my heart. It’s actually none of my business and I promise that my teachings are not about “waking you up” to the joys of life, in fact, my thing is to do my thing. If you find inspiration from it, then that’s fine and if you don’t, then that’s too bad! I think people’s brains are wired differently depending on how they naturally approach the act of retrieving information.
Even the best psychologists know that people really don’t want to be cured, what they really want is relief as a cure is too painful. We all know that there are strong individual differences in how people remember…
“The nature of rain is the same, but it makes thorns grow in the marshes and flowers in the gardens.”
Money makes the world go around
“Money won’t make you happy... but everybody wants to find out for themselves.”
Every generation is limited by what it knows
“Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you.”
From my perspective
I met somebody new last night and he said that the was an avid reader of my site. I was humbled and explained to him that I am on a 6 week online digital marketing course which has affected the length and depth of my writing. He asked me how to start a business from scratch doing work you love with people you care about? My short answer was that due to the global COVID-19 pandemic a new consumer behaviour has emerged and I would approach all business problems from a design and experience led angle. Everything is going digital and there are so many different perspectives to take into account when creating and developing new products and services.
The American trend forecaster, Sarah Owen said, “When it comes to social media bragging, the youth have a new social currency - culture and lifestyle. We see this demographic invest in the experiential, and the ultimate bragging rights are in the wellness, travel, and lifestyle sectors. Posting a photo of a designer handbag is no longer associated with the changing notion of luxury. What is considered to be a luxury today is time and travel, it’s wellness and well-cultured individuals. That’s the new currency.”
Are you curious? Contact me via e-mail when you are ready to look at your engagement.
Thoughts on Thursday
“Never regret a day in your life. Good days give happiness, bad days give experiences, worst days give lessons, and best days give memories. ”