culture

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Problem solvers

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If what makes you unique and stand out from the competition is who you are, then the big question is who are you? Another question would be based around your belief system, how do you do what you do? Over the 12 months, I have time to think about not only myself but also how organisations will operate post Covid.

There are more questions than answers, I think that all progressive organisations will have to take a deeper dive into understanding their competition and where they position themselves in the market place. Are interested in laying the foundations for creating a culture where everyone in your organisation works towards the success of everybody? Contact me via e-mail for a meeting.

Above and beyond

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It’s important to look at the system, as too often people who would like to make change forget to look at the system. I have been observing systems throughout my life without realising what I have been seeing. How are we going to create a new system that is going to put the right energy into education so over time we will have more people looking like me in the system?


If you are frustrated at how your marketing is currently working, it’s probably because you are using the wrong system. It’s really hard to change the system by just changing the elements within it. I think it’s far more powerful to change your purpose.

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Do you actually stand for something?

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I think that all organisations today should have a manifesto which contains a manual for how they connect to their customers in a deep and meaningful way. Not just how to sell their customers more “stuff”. What I have found is that the successful organisations are those who are connecting their customers to each other, for example, Apple and Microsoft. Both Apple and Microsoft have proved beyond reasonable doubt that you can make money from this if you are enriching your customers lives and connecting them to each other.


If you are going to build a tribe then you have to ask yourselves whether to make it easy to join, trivial or exclusive. It’s really not a hard decision, the most important factor is the tribe should not be trivial as nobody wants to join a tribe that is average. People will only join tribes that they identify with and/ or believe in. Building a tribe means creating a following of people respect you, believe in you, support you, know what you are talking about and want you to succeed. Historically, there were only 3 tribes: work, community and the church.

When we join a tribe we are making a statement about ourselves. Are you interested in knowing how to inspire loyalty and a feeling of belonging? Please send me an e-mail when you ready to build or grow your tribe.

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Culture eats bureaucracy for lunch

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The legendary management consultant and writer Peter Drucker famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”. If our well being is directly related to our environment and the work quality we produce, then we really should put more effort into thinking about how to optimise it. 


In his book, “Good to Great”, Jim Collins said, “If you get the right people on the buses everything else will sort itself out.” Perhaps it’s time to look at the coaching style of working together and focus on what empowers. This is an approach which will guide individuals to find their place, their role and their hidden talents, rather than putting restrictions on people and telling them what to do. Is your organisation prepared for feedback that is frank, open and honest?


I think that if you built your organisation around these principles - create the environment, employ the right people and develop the culture - your organisation will thrive. Are you interested in taking a deeper dive into your organisations communication and culture? Contact me via e-mail for coaching, mentoring or workshops.

Creative by nature

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The more choices you have, the more chance that you can do something interesting and remarkable. The artist in me realised that the more I give away, the more I change people, the better I do. The price of originality is criticism and the value of originality is priceless.


The posture of change and the posture of generosity are hard because it’s scary. Our “Lizard Brain” is in charge of fight, flight, fear and freezing up. It’s the first part of the brain that develops in the foetus and the other parts develop on top of it. We all have a brain that wants to make music, wants to have a conversation and we also have a brain that wants to run away, that wants to fit in, that doesn’t want to be laughed at and a brain that wants revenge, and a brain that wants to have children.


Anytime that brain wants to speak up the lizard brain is what wins. As that is why we have survived as a species, and the bad news is the thing that protected us from sabre tooth tigers is the same thing that is recking our lives. It’s sabotaging our ability to do the thing which is actually going to work. 

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Throwback Thursday

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I think that it’s important to look back in order to understand the present. Alvin Toffler’s prophetic 1970 book, “Future Shock” predicted how people and institutions of the late 20th century would contend with the immense strains and soaring opportunities of accelerating change. In the book Toffler highlights that you can't run the society on data and computers alone. I agree and think that society needs all kinds of skills which are not just cognitive, we also need skills that are emotional and affectionate.

Toffler’s predictions about the consequences to culture, the family, government and the economy were remarkably accurate. He foresaw the development of cloning, the popularity and influence of personal computers and the invention of the internet and cable television.

““You have got to think about big things while you are doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.” - Alvin Toffler”
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The two things that define us

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A wise old man once told me that two things define us:
1. Your patience when you have nothing, and
2. Your attitude when you have everything.


My period of self-isolation ended last night and I am “officially” free to go outdoors. Now more than ever, I think it’s so important to tune in, look inward and listen to you intuition. It’s so easy to forget how to listen to that inner voice. This morning I took a moment to enjoy the silence and confirmed to myself how grateful I am to have come through B.1.351 (the South African variant) without any major symptoms.


Now we finally have an opportunity to focus on what matters most to us, make changes - and what better time to change your life than when it’s already changing?

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Look and you will see

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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.

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Are you reward and money motivated?

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Simon Sinek said we should always start with the why and then develop thought leadership around that question. From there, produce cornerstones content on a consistent basis around that thought leadership and hopefully you’ll be able to drive revenue from it.


Do you have clarity around your point of view on thought leadership?
Do you have that big important WHY?
Are you clear about why you do what you do?
And who do you do it for?
And how is that helpful? 


Contact me via e-mail when you are ready to take a deeper dive into your purpose.

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From small acorns mighty oaks grow

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Photo via @frkbajer

Photo via @frkbajer

What values are found in good people?
In my opinion, there is no such thing as a good person. The idea of what we constitute as “good” is not correct because a good person is someone who is trying to improve. And no matter how “good” you are, there is always room for improvement, therefore, the real goodness is in the attempt, it’s in the process.

 

I think that we learn things painfully and when we learn things painfully a part of us has to die and that’s the pain. For example, when a relationship dream is shattered, a huge part of us that constituted that dream has to be stripped away and destroyed. Life is a constant procession of change and to fully participate in it, you have to allow yourself to be redeemed by it.

Metaphorically speaking, the good is the process of death and rebirth voluntarily undertaken – you are not as good as you could be, so let part of you die. I am fully aware that the thing that emerges in its place is something better. The secret of human beings, unlike any other species is that we can let our old selves die and let our new selves be born, and that is exactly what we need to do.

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:

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  1. Stay active, don’t retire

  2. Take it slow

  3. Don’t fill your stomach

  4. Surround yourself with good friends

  5. Get in shape for your next birthday

  6. Smile

  7. Reconnect with nature

  8. Give thanks

  9. Live in the moment

  10. Follow your passion

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Why does your organisation exist?

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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.

    

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What is your purpose?

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You either believe when there is no evidence and sometimes that is delusion fuelled by denial. And sometimes, you believe where there is no evidence and this shows that you have faith in things that have not been seen yet. The challenge is knowing the difference between the two.

The mind is an element, strategy is an element, but it’s PURPOSE that is the missing link that binds everything together. Purpose is what really matters!

The majority of human beings have never had a deep thought in regards of self-regulation. Everyone is so busy, we are all so distracted that we do not give ourselves time to ask questions that matter. What truly matters is giving yourself the space and time to ask these question.

What is the purpose of your organisation?
I think that purpose is the core, root or foundation of your organisation. Therefore, if anything is poisoning the roots, then we must stop and get rid of the poison.

How?
- By looking at the relationships, dynamics within your organisation.  
- By looking at what’s driving people within your organisation.  
- By looking at the crap that you drag into the business and what poisons the purpose within your organisation.  

And I think that if you don’t do this work, you will never get purpose within your organisation.  

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How do branding and company culture interact?

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c/o Sacai @ Lane Crawford

c/o Sacai @ Lane Crawford

In 2016, I managed to fulfil a lifelong ambition and traveled to Tokyo and Kyoto as I have been fascinated by Japanese culture throughout my life. I was not disappointed, Japan was exactly as I imagined. I worked with Beams way back in 1990, and I subsequently worked with all the major Japanese department stores.


I think you cannot successfully tell a story to the outside world for long which is opposite to the culture you actually have. We didn’t invent culture to inform capitalism, we invented capitalism so our culture could get better. 

- Culture defeats strategy every time. 
- Culture is people like us do things like this.
- Culture is how we make decisions. 

Would you like me to look into your culture?