Change is the only constant

Those that have heard me speak at an event will know that I talk about change.

A lot!

As my own personal guru Tom Peters says, "if you don't like change, you're in the wrong business, whatever business you are in".

The world is constantly changing.
And in these technologically-enhanced times, it's changing faster than ever.
Sometimes, we have to run just to catch up.
So I find it weird that so many people remain resistant to progress.
They actively shun evolution, dig in their heels and steadfastly refuse to move on.
Some of them even go so far as to take pride in the 'Luddite' approach, arguing that when the world shifts back, they'll be in exactly the right place.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
And the more ridiculous they look.
I always think of Trigger, the po-faced buffoon in long-running sitcom 'Only Fools and Horses'.
He once proudly announced:
"I've had the same broom for 20 years."
"It's had 17 new heads ...........................and 14 new handles."
You can keep telling yourself that nothing's changed.
But in actual fact, everything has.

Its all about the experience

This is a fantastic time to be working in an experience marketing agency.
Advertisers are recognizing the need to focus on experiences rather than just messaging.
And sponsors are increasingly looking for ways to activate their properties in a way that brings to life the essence of their brand.
If you want people to be passionate about your brand, you have to be willing to express yourself through your actions and behaviours,
That’s where the emotional connection occurs.
Consumers want something they can feel.
An experience that hey’ll remember.
Whether it’s a retail presence, an exclusive rewards programme or a sponsorship strategy, you need to focus on the emotion that connects the brand to the consumer.
That's the way to build long term relationships.

Eat the frog....

I was looking over some posts to the blog I made a while back

And apart from marvelling at the fact that tempus really does fugit

I thought some of them really do stand a little retelling
The issues are still the issues.

The concept of squeezing a quart of work into the pint point of time is ever present.

So how good are you at managing your time?
Ok don't want your stock answer.

I'm looking for the truth.

(I can handle the truth)
The fact is, we all have a habit of leaving the crappy jobs ‘til last.
Which means that all the job we are not looking forward to hangs over us like a storm cloud, we put it off and put it off, extend our deadline, move it down the to do list.
It then starts affecting our attitude, our mood and everything else we do, it casts a shadow over the rest of our day, our week.
If you haven’t already read it, I highly recommend Eat That Frog! By Brian Tracy.
In it, he explores the positive benefits of tackling the least appealing task that faces you that day first.
If you get the worst thing you have to do done first then everything else, is positive.

Please note that I’ve even embedded the link directly to Amazon in this post, so you procrastinators have even less of an excuse.

Life is a team game.......

Isn’t it funny how we change with time?
When I look back at the callow youth I once was Oh come on I was ...once) , I remember how important it was that I never show any sign of weakness. I was hungry, ambitious, and to be honest, a little naïve.
I saw teamwork as a cop-out, for people who couldn’t handle responsibility on their own. So I’d take whatever role was given to me, and I’d struggle away.
If anyone asked how I was doing my answer was always “Fine, thanks.” But it wasn’t always true. And although I’d usually get the job done, it wasn’t always done well.
Nowadays, it’s all very different.
I love teamwork.
There’s the social interaction for one thing.

And there’s the joy in pooling a bunch of diverse resources into the creation of something truly exceptional.
Now I’m a lot more confident in what I bring to the team, and I recognise that that’s enough.
So when it comes to team working, make sure that you pick people whose strengths are your weaknesses.
Because between you, you’ll be unbeatable.