In my experience, smart people never talk about how smart they are, as they are too busy growing their minds. I have made some observations of smart people, and I think that they tend to:
1. Change their mind
2. Read and write more
3. Have great manners
4. Talk less but say more
5. Stay teachable
6. Show gratitude
7. Ask more questions
8. Work on problems longer
9. Anticipate outcomes
10. Seek feedback
c/o Forbes magazine
I think leadership and communication are intertwined, as effective leaders are skilled at expressing their beliefs and vision. And by doing so, they build trust and foster a sense of community among their followers. Leaders can also articulate shared values and aspirations. Acknowledging one’s mistakes and vulnerabilities is another key aspect of good leadership. The aim of leadership is not to attract people who need what you have, but to attract those who share your beliefs. Leaders can stand on a street corner and articulate their convictions, drawing others to their cause, as our unwavering belief in an unseen future and our ability to articulate it is our greatest asset.
I think sales is a challenging profession, and not everyone who attempts it will succeed. It's important to remember that rejection is a natural part of the sales process, and it's not always a reflection on the salesperson's abilities or performance. That being said, there are certainly things that salespeople can do to improve their chances of success, such as improving their appearance, communication skills, and presentation style.
It's also true that some clients may pick up on a salesperson's nervousness or lack of confidence, and this can be a turnoff. However, there are ways to overcome this, such as practicing sales techniques and developing a deep understanding of the product or service being sold. In addition, salespeople can seek feedback from clients or colleagues to identify areas for improvement. Ultimately, it's up to the salesperson to take responsibility for their performance and strive to improve. By doing so, they can increase their chances of success and minimise missed opportunities. Contact me via e-mail for sales coaching and training sessions.
Acceptance is one of the fundamental human needs, and it can influence individuals to pursue various career paths. Although sales may be a popular profession, claiming to "love rejection" during an interview is questionable, as it implies a desire for pain or a mere attempt to sound impressive. In reality, rejection is an inevitable aspect of sales, but successful salespeople are those who are willing to endure it in order to succeed. Not everyone can handle the emotional strain of prospecting and facing rejection regularly, which is why many individuals, including some salespeople, shy away from it.
c/o The New York Times
Horses possess acute sensitivity and are swift to respond to your energy. To illustrate this concept, I use a metaphor of a horse and its rider. In this metaphor, the horse represents your emotional self - the raw animal energy, the hormones that elicit anger or excitement, and so on. On the other hand, the rider symbolises your rational self - your prefrontal cortex, your executive decision-making processes that employ logical reasoning to achieve your goals.
““Horses jump over obstacles and Macbeth’s ambition will propel him to clear the obstacle of Duncan. However, the word also has other suggestions, which Macbeth realises. Ambition is something of a problem – it may help the rider clear an obstacle, but it may also make the rider go down.””
c/o Getty Images
Why are we making more and more?
I think the biggest thing we can do is reduce consumption and reduce production. The last few years have been pretty hard for everyone in retail, let alone those like us who are trying to change the fashion paradigm to sustainability. We all like to think of ourselves as leading through the idea of offering modern people comfortable yet empowering designs which simplify their clothing choices during their busy lives. It’s hard to convince people to buy less on a promise it will last longer. In order to succeed in the current economic climate, businesses must move towards a more circular, ethical, and holistic way of operating. The big question is how retailers will respond to the lower demand and higher cost environment that we expect will persist for the rest of this year.
““Just do less: Buy less, consume less, produce less. That’s a really hard line to walk when you’re trying to run a business and you’re measuring your success by how much you sell.” ”
In general, most individuals and organisations will only change when there is either a massive reward or there’s going to be massive pain, suffering or inconvenience by not changing. The "triangle of change" is a model used to explain the three key elements that need to be present for change to occur successfully in any organisation. The three things that make up the triangle of change are:
Leadership
Change needs to be led by someone who has a vision and is willing to take action to make that vision a reality. Effective leadership is crucial for creating a sense of urgency, inspiring and motivating people to embrace the change, and providing direction and guidance throughout the process.
Culture
The culture of an organisation or system plays a crucial role in determining whether change is successful. A positive and supportive culture can create an environment where change is embraced and people are willing to take risks, learn new skills, and adapt to new ways of doing things. On the other hand, a culture that is resistant to change can make it difficult to implement new ideas and initiatives.
Process
The third component of the triangle of change is the process, which refers to the steps and actions that need to be taken to bring about the desired change. This involves setting goals, creating a plan, implementing the plan, and measuring progress along the way. Effective processes are essential for ensuring that change is managed in a structured and systematic way, and that everyone is working towards the same goals.
The iPhone is a hero product
An ancillary product refers to an additional product that is obtained as a free or supplementary purchase while buying another product. These types of products are usually offered as an incentive to customers, rather than reducing prices or offering discounts, to encourage them to purchase the primary product. The main product of a brand is typically considered as their flagship (or “hero”) product, which embodies their values and is prominently displayed in presentations and displays. It is the product that people recommend to others and urge them to try. Regardless of how many products a brand offers, the flagship product is the one that best represents the brand. I think we tend to be willing to pay for the flagship product as we believe it provides good value for money, unlike ancillary products.
The pandemic probably accelerated innovation various fields as the unusual circumstances have allowed for a willingness to experiment and take risks without fear of failure. During or after a significant global incident, people are more open to trying new things and are given the freedom to fail, which can change their attitudes towards taking risks. Although human beings tend to stick to routine, which can result in incremental improvements, it is not conducive to exponential progress or thinking outside the box. I think to make new discoveries, one needs to break out of our routines.
““We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.””
I think developing a conviction to change is a crucial first step towards making lasting changes. This conviction can then transform into a strong determination to change, which will motivate you to make sustained efforts towards implementing that change. Take the example of quitting smoking - you need to be aware of the harmful effects of smoking, and then increase your awareness until you firmly believe in the need to quit. This conviction will further strengthen your determination to quit, and ultimately, you will need to make a conscious effort to establish new habits. In this context, education and learning play an important role as they can help you develop the conviction and commitment needed to make lasting changes.
Contact me via e-mail to book a meeting where we can anaylise your goals, objectives and results.
c/o New York Times
Is there a correlation between expensive solutions and big effects?
I think the short answer is not necessarily.
While some expensive solutions may have a big impact, there are also instances where small, low-cost solutions can lead to significant outcomes. The relationship between cost and impact is not always straightforward, and it depends on the specific context and problem being addressed. In some cases, a simple and inexpensive solution may be the most effective, while in other cases, a complex and costly solution may be required to achieve the desired results. Ultimately, the effectiveness of a solution should be evaluated based on its ability to address the problem at hand, rather than its cost.
I think that one of the most wonderful things about marketing is that you can create huge amounts of delight, memorability, and distraction with relatively small levels of expenditure. Organisations, businesses, and governments often seek grandiose solutions, overlooking the fact that small things can also have a profound impact human behaviour. Encouraging people to make better choices has a greater influence than using punishment as a deterrent. Most human actions deviate from physical laws, and are often disproportionate in nature, unlike the predictability of physics. The correlation between ‘Input A’ and ‘Output B’ is usually insignificant in human behaviour and can even be contradictory.
c/o The Guardian Nigeria
I’m always striving to learn and improve. Here are the steps that have helped me adopt feedback and improve my communication from R. Evon Benson-Idahosa.
1. Pause and resist the defensive posture and choose to listen with a heart that is open and pliable.
2. Don’t automatically attempt to counter what is constructive simply because it may be unsettling. Instead, breathe and look for patterns. Have you heard this before? Are there consistencies in the feedback?
3. Rather than react, respond with gratitude and by asking clarifying questions. Can you explain what you meant by this or perhaps give me an example?
4. Acknowledge the possibility that this may be a blind spot, because how we see ourselves is often rather different from how people see us. So take a census with some of those in your trusted circle. Do they agree with the feedback?
5. And finally, be unafraid and humble enough to look in the mirror to make the necessary adjustments. After all, it is only when we can see our imperfections that we have the opportunity to courageously transform them.
These are her thoughts of the Tuesday.
Via KEA Startup Hub, Copenhagen
Start-ups, by definition have no momentum, and in business, before you gain momentum, you have to create the perception of momentum. This is why start-ups need marketing from the beginning of their journey, and this should not be - fake it, until you make it - either. Many people confuse marketing with telling lies or overt hyperbole (over exaggeration). It's about building excitement, curiosity, and interest about what you're doing. I have a proven track record of exceeding results in highly demanding environments from start-ups to corporates. Are you thinking about springing out as an entrepreneur? Contact me via e-mail for a 1:1 discovery meeting.
One thing I've learned that when you "win", you can't come back the same way twice. You need to have a new mindset, a new fire, a new approach if you want to secure victory over and over again. And this must be all based on universal principles. Therefore, when success begins to slip from your fingers, for whatever reason, the response isn’t to grip and claw so hard that you shatter it to pieces. It’s to understand that you must work yourself back to the aspirational phase. You must get back to first principles and best practices.
“Two principals of a happy life:
1. Use things and not people.
2. Love people and not things.”
c/o Shutterstock
As a leader your job is to help people get clarity on the things that matter the most. Clarity about the purpose will help translate the next steps for action to achieve the desired outcome. Marcus Buckingham said, “Effective leaders don’t have to be passionate. They don’t have to be charming. They don’t have to be brilliant…They don’t have to be great speakers. What they must be is clear. Above all else, they must never forget the truth that of all the human universals…our need for clarity is the most likely to engender in us confidence, persistence, resilience, and creativity.” I think clarity leads to attention and attention leads to results.
““If you cannot explain something in simple terms, you do not understand it.””
I am currently re-reading the New York bestselling book, “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert T. Kiyosaki. In a recent conversation with my son I said, “Wealth is measured in time, rich is measured in money.” And this allowed me to go deeper into the subject and explain that one could argue that wealth is measured in time because time is a finite resource that is equally distributed among all individuals. No amount of money can buy more time, so how we choose to use the time we have reflects our true wealth. On the other hand, being rich is often measured in monetary terms because having a large amount of money can provide us with financial security and the ability to purchase material goods and experiences that contribute to our quality of life. Ultimately, the definition of wealth and being rich can vary depending on one's personal values and goals.
““Money is numbers and numbers never end. If it takes money to be happy, your search for happiness will never end.” ”
““Change your story, change your life. Basically, that’s what it is.” ”
In B2C decision making we are trying to minimise the risk of regret and in B2B decision making, we are trying to minimise the risk of blame. If you change the story about something, you change its meaning and if you change the meaning, you change our visceral response to it, and if you change our visceral response to it, you basically change our evaluation of it. This is essentially how decision-making works. Things are not things, we respond to things in a context from which we derive meaning, the meaning derives an emotion, the emotion drives a behaviour, and the behaviour then drives an act of post rationalisation.
The traits that characterise a smart person can vary depending on individual perspectives and definitions of intelligence. However, I think some commonly recognised traits of smart people include:
1. Curiosity: Smart people tend to be curious and have a strong desire to learn and explore new things.
2. Open-mindedness: They are open to new ideas and perspectives and are willing to consider alternative viewpoints.
3. Critical thinking: They have the ability to analyse and evaluate information, and to think logically and creatively.
4. Adaptability: Smart people are able to adapt to changing situations and are flexible in their thinking.
5. Persistence: They are determined and persistent in the face of challenges and setbacks.
6. Emotional intelligence: They have good social skills and are able to empathise with others.
7. Good communication skills: They are able to articulate their thoughts and ideas effectively.
8. A broad range of knowledge: They tend to have a wide range of interests and knowledge in various subjects.
I think it’s important to note that intelligence is not limited to these traits alone, and that everyone has their own unique strengths and abilities.
Trauma is not resistance to something that has happened, trauma is the trace of something that has happened and leaves on the depth of the body-mind, there may or may not be resistance to this trauma. I think trauma may have its roots in something that happened to us as a child, but we can also inherit trauma from our family or from our culture. Trauma does not necessarily have a personal origin, it can come from the collective field, whether that collective field is a family, nation, or race of people. For example, if a group of people have been persecuted their collective trauma is passed on from generation to generation. Why? This is because we are not bodies, we are minds born from minds, therefore, the content or at least some of the content of our minds is passed on. Especially the deep-seated trauma which can be passed on from one generation to another and that trauma is then felt in the experience in the body of the next generation.
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