Purpose is the new black. Every time I turn around I see a new headline or article on the topic. We are a ‘purpose-driven company’ is pasted across the websites of organisations.I should be doing cartwheels.Purpose has been central to my message to organisations about their identity and brand result...
I have a confession. I’m a podcast junkie and the ‘Waking Up’ podcast with Sam Harris is among the cornucopia of series I listen to.In one episode, Harris talked to author and NY Times columnist David Brooks about his book The Road to Character, and when they delved into promises...
I’m a voracious reader and always on the lookout for titles to add to my reading list. It’s particularly nice when that reading connects with the enduring question about how to achieve a brand result.The book, in this case, is Deep Work* by Cal Newport. And while the headline gives...
Following a trail of thinking on promises, I landed on “The Toxin Puzzle”, a thought experiment paper by Greg Kavka. The article explores the relationship between intending to keep a promise and acting to keep it and presents the following problem:“… The billionaire will pay you one million dollars tomorrow morning...
An organisation’s brand is a result. But what elements contribute to the achievement and how do they relate to each other? This is the question I explore every week in my writing and every day in my thinking.In the formula I developed to answer those questions, purpose and values make up...
Of course, the quote is more popularly known as ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it too’ — which, of course, you can. History shows sources for both, and in the context of values, the reverse order ‘you can’t eat your cake and have it too’ makes sense. Because holding your...
A friend Sue (not her real name) lives in a rental house that’s up for sale — in our overheated real estate market, it’s a common story. The landlord warned her about it late last year, so she wasn’t surprised when the real estate agent Dan (not his real name)...
The investigation into Australian Leisure and Hospitality (ALH) pokies venues returned yet more damaging details last week. On top of the fact that staff used customers’ personal information to encourage continued gambling, new whistleblower information alleges they also illegally gave free drinks to pokies players to keep them gambling longer, and were instructed on...
As an extension of my work on promises, the thorny issue of permission often occupies occupied my time. Organisations can be more than a bit cavalier in their promises, so it is no surprise that attitude extends to permission. Because sitting inside permission is a promise. The godfather of permission marketing (and by...
Robert Greene’s new book The Laws of Human Nature has a lot to say about the character and the nature of values. He’s talking about individuals. However, it’s easy to see how his observations can also apply to organisations. From Greene’s book: “As we get older life tends to weaken us. Our empathy...