How does a company go from the concrete visual language of “a computer on every desk and in every home” to this? Last week the chief executive of Microsoft Satya Nadella came out with a 1500 word email to all staff “boldly” outlining the future direction of the company. So what...
I’m not sure how many times I’ve heard people in businesses say “Oh we couldn’t say that, we need to sound professional”, which sadly these days is code for boring jargon-laden language devoid of humanity. The literary landscape of the corporate world is a pretty barren place indeed and that matters because...
Instead of trying to buy brand, look inside the business and use what is really going on, what actions are really being carried out to shine a light on what I like to call “what is”. It can often seem like I’m anti the things that many people attach to brand,...
The encouragement to explore and keep asking questions is a bit of a central theme these past weeks. Even the engagement blog last week was about thinking in more detail about a topic that had become a slogan. And anyone who has worked with me has probably heard me use the...
A couple of weeks ago I was catching up with my friend @richardkeeves in Perth for a glass of vino. He was a bit distracted trying to catch a radio segment – something about football and drugs, but we soon settled in for one of our usual explorations of things that don’t...
Just imagine the transformation in attitude and outcome if instead of writing a vision statement, you did a little “visioning”. I’m on a short break this week, but I’ve been party to a whole lot of vision talk lately so here’s one from the archives that might help shine a slightly different...
What’s going on with McDonald’s lately? The what’s going on with part of the question refers to recent campaigns such as “How very UnMcDonald’s”, and Hipster Hamburglars. Amidst falling global sales and food scares in Asia, the 70-year-old company appears to be flailing more than a bit while trying to figure out how...
I’ve been doing a bit of advisory work with startups recently as they consider what brand looks like in their early stages of development. And the question that kicks off those conversations begins the same way: “What do we need to do to create our brand?” And sure, there are plenty of people...
Last week I asked the question, “What happens when the expectations I set collide with the expectations you have?” It’s a not uncommon problem between the organisation’s 'ustomers' and in the marketplace with customers. And there’s no easy solution. Beyond the basics determined by laws and professional courtesy, it’s easy to get into uncharted...
“Nature abhors a vacuum,” or so said Greek physicist-philosopher Parmenides in circa 485 BC. And I have to say, so do expectations. The simple fact that is ignored or overlooked by many, many (nearly all) organisations is that if I (you) don’t set expectations for what I will won’t can can’t want to don’t want...