Anticipate shifts in the market

Leaders with advanced pattern recognition and strategic thinking skills are three times more likely to pioneer industry change. These abilities are not just leadership traits but essential ingredients for long-term success. Harnessing the power of strategic insights is crucial for leaders who aspire to drive transformation and leave a lasting mark.

Strategic insight occurs when you spot something before others do, whether it's a trend, anomaly, or a spike in data that signals an industry shift. To succeed in today’s business environment, it’s not enough to adapt; you must anticipate and create shifts in the market.

Unforeseen factors may impact your strategy, but staying agile in times of change requires actively listening to customers, analysing industry trends and competitors, and using that data to make informed decisions. Just because your plan may change doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one.

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Risk vs. yield

Why do we need data, facts and proof before we trust our intuition?
We have been educated to not trust our internal judgement and to seek external validation via data, facts and proof. I think this preference stems from a fear of responsibility for decisions, a desire for social validation, and an aversion to the perceived risks and biases associated with intuition. I hope that in the future we will move awaty from the command and control scenario towards trust and inspiration culture where diverse thought is celebrated in the decision-making process.

““To learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know.””

— Stephen Covey

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You'll never know

I think that the two most powerful tools that we possess as humans to combat discrimination, bias, and prejudice are the capacity for deep communication and empathy. While no two persons are the same, and we will never know what it is like to live their lives, we can get closer through empathy. Empathy allows us to walk in another person's shoes, empowering us to see beyond our own biases and adopt different perspectives. This is an important attribute for marketers, as market segments may interpret data differently than we do. It is important to be conscious and sensitive to intersections and foster diversity and inclusion with the choices we make and for the consumer.

““You have to wear the shoes to know where it hurts.””

— Chisom Udeze

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Listen to your employees

One of the most important things I have learned about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is the importance of active listening to your employees. And by doing so, you will gain insights that will identify your organisational challenges. Which subsequently will allow you to target your focus areas and tailor your approach to effectively maximising your impact. I think connecting with others is key, as we are all facing similar challenges.

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Throwback Thursday

I wrote this back in November 2017 around data.
Big statement as an analogy: “Data is the new oil; analytics is the refinery for the data and intelligence is the fuel.” Data for data’s sake is interesting, with good hypothesis in you’ll get some great information out but with the volume of it, there is no way to go through it without some form of analytics. And there is no way that you can do something unless you are actually the mindset that is willing to think differently from what the intelligence tells you to do, and this may be counter intuitive to what you would have thought. Then you argue with the data and try to get the data to tell the story you want it to tell.

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A Little About The Way I Think

1) I spend my time listening and making others feel special rather than telling them how great I am.

2) I understand that relationships are built on trust, and trust takes time to develop.

3) I think that the best way to differentiate is to be honest, caring and hardworking.

4) I usually identify areas of shared interest and create opportunities for everyone to be a winner.

5) I provide encouragement, show concern, listen with interest and instill a strong set of values.

6) I always treat my clients with dignity and respect.

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