On May 24, Rio Tinto blew up 46,000-year-old Indigenous rock shelters. Then, despite decimating the site in full knowledge of its incalculable value, the company seemed wholly unprepared for what followed. In response to the backlash, Iron Ore for Rio Tinto chief executive Chris Salisbury went on radio to defend the...
Johnson and Johnson had to act. Moving against the wishes of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Federal Drug Administrators, CEO and company chairman James Burke recalled every bottle of Tylenol from pharmacies across America. The company also set up a hotline, and warned people not to take the drug. It also...
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...
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...
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...
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...
I’ve never understood the phrase “we live our values”. A value is how you do things — it underpins behaviour. Almost by definition, it is something you live. If there’s stuff you call values that don’t fit that definition, they aren’t values. I know people say it to draw a line between the...
The plastic bag fiasco of Coles and Woolworths provides lessons worthy of a business school case study. There are lessons to be learned here about how to communicate and implement change, how to support staff, how to align commercial and social interests, and how to plan programs so they don’t...
No one cares what your name is. Well, perhaps your family and close friends might have a thought or two — but out in the world at large, nope. Some 25 years ago I decided to work for myself, and immediately became fixated on what the name of my business should be....