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...
Celebrity chef George Calombaris arrives at the Downing Centre court complex in Sydney on Wednesday, January 31, 2018. Source: AAP Image/Daniel Munoz. When George Calombaris first reported underpaying workers he likely didn’t expect it would lead his organisation into administration. Promises are like that. You often don’t see the ramifications of breaking them until...
My Linkedin comment said: “How to use purpose is hugely unexplored territory. As you note the warm fuzzy aspect is well-covered. Less well understood and discussed is the work of bringing purpose into the messy and unheroic day-to-day work of organisations. Without that work, purpose has little chance of becoming a...
In today’s overhyped purpose climate, where the question ‘why?’ reverberates through the hallways of company offices everywhere, the question of who should carry the mantle of ‘chief purpose officer’ is an open one. Scant agreement exists on the best approach; there’s the knee-jerk default of the chief executive officer, a newly...
A brand is a result of the promises you keep and you keep those promises through every action and decision across the organisation. So, the processes used to achieve your goals play an integral part in the achievement. People see a process as merely a means to an end, but I...
Bless businesses everywhere: they still just can’t seem to help themselves from doing stupid things to customers. I’m a fan of the business world. It’s takes unbelievable fortitude to front up every day and open the doors. And many times, customers don’t make life easy. I’ve said it before: in general...
Whether you make stuff or sell services; whether you’re in a B2B or B2C business, online or bricks-and-mortar, non-profit, social business or you work for yourself; consistency is the secret ingredient when it comes to achieving a successful brand result. Consistency isn’t sexy. It won’t make it onto any “fun things...