“And then we started the brand work“, said the CEO while I listened to her talk about the behind-the-scenes effort to reimagine their product. Then, later the same week, I received another company’s business plan. A comment hidden in the notes for one area said, “Brand doesn’t play a part in...
On the bottom shelf of my bookcase, I’ve got a small library of books and a stack of papers that explore promises and commitments.The authors ramble at length about the moral foundations and legal consequences of making, keeping and breaking promises. Yet, beyond the examples they use, none provide tools...
Taking measured action over and over is decidedly unsexy. Especially given it runs counter to the more common ‘splashy launch’ mindset.Yet, when I encountered the idea laid out a decade apart by two authors, it seemed like both an antidote and a helpful way to think about achieving a brand...
Anyone who has ever tried to change an organisation’s culture can attest to legacy’s sticky hold, where the pull of the past routinely stymies good intentions.How to break through the inertia is the question wrestled with by every organisation taking a deliberate approach to their culture.Culture is built one action...
The term ‘unheroic work’ first landed in my language via a book by Jedediah Purdy1 about the commons of politics and community.The quote reads,“Yet a political achievement cannot be taken for granted. It is always either a continuing accomplishment or an eroding one. It requires the sustenance of unheroic work.”Despite...
When a business closes up shop for good, the question of what happened often overlooks the role growth played in the failure.Sure, you have to grow to survive. And it’s easy to ascribe failure to a lack of growth, but too much growth is equally dangerous.Talk of unicorns and hyper-valuation...
The combination of hubris and aspiration, liberally sprinkled with puffery make many value sets mosh pits of self-delusion.So there’s every chance your company values are complete bullshit. And if they are, it’s a quick ride on the slip slide to cynicism and ridicule when actions reveal them to be naked...
While taking a morning spin through a few email newsletters I get, a quote in an article about a fashion label taking private equity funding, grabbed my attention and got me thinking:“… founders…say they approached Alecon looking for a partner which could provide expertise on the operational and logistics side...
