Grahame Maher - a tribute

Our client and friend for over 10 years. An advocate, challenger and role model.

It has been a roller-coaster for all who knew Grahame to have him pass so quickly. One day running a marathon for charity, the next at death's door and then passing through.

A special ordinary man who was an inspiration to 1000's inside and outside Vodafone. A visionary and an inspired leader who believed in our work and took it to new places.

"I am a simple baker who became a leader because I believe in people".

There are so many stories.

He left a piece of his heart in everyone of us.

He tangata, he tangata, he tangata

Why everyone needs a brand culture

Brand is the most overused and most misunderstood word in the last 5 years. The dreaded 'B' word! It sends shivers down creative's backs and sends young marketeers rushing into Borders to research missing chapters. Every company large and small thinks they are a brand and that by using that word as leverage, the tills will starts ringing. Unfortunately it's only the tills at Borders that are opening and closing with repetitive aplomb. Branding is a word too commonly referred to by advertisers and marketing people alike, but what does it actually mean? How can you get it? And most importantly; how will it benefit your business?

Let's first get one thing clear - a brand is not your logo or your tagline. Those are important tools you use to express your brand. That is Mechanical Branding - but not the brand itself.

A brand is a unified, singular understanding of what your organisation or company is about and how it is unique from the key audiences' points of view. In English - it's why a potential client or employee would choose you over your competitor. What makes you stand out from the rest? What's it like to do business with you? It is you standing up, hand on heart and making a promise. And then keeping that promise. In a nutshell a brand is nothing but a promise of consistency delivered through communication. This is where a brand culture comes in to play.

To deliver the promise of consistency there has to be a structure and a culture that everyone in your organisation or company buys into and agrees that it defines their actions and business momentum. This has to be bought into from the top to the bottom, from the CEO to the Receptionist, from the way the telephone is answered, the music on the answer phone, the production of the company brochure, the articles you write on blogs, and so on and so on. It is a repetitive consistent delivery of information and communication that defines the company's creed and promotes the core values.

This creed is the cornerstone of the brand proposition and should be the anchor to business development. Great brand culture is a like a franchise, it is easy to replicate and roll out because everyone knows what it is and how to implement it. And in doing so with repetitive consistency the world sees your brand promise as a true unshaken deliverable, therefore promoting truth and confidence in the brand, whether that is a product, company or service.

So why do most companies need a Brand Culture?
Well if you don't implement one, how do you know what you stand for? And if you don't know the how can the rest of the outside world buy into a company that doesn't know who or what it is? Marketing isn't rocket science, despite the huge section in Borders informing you so. People do business with people, or we certainly like to think we do. People buy into confidence and what is projected; it makes the purchase and decision less risky or flawed. A well-defined Brand Culture that is well implemented and communicated delivers a solid business platform in which someone will make decisions based on what is known. After all business is all about getting someone to purchase a product or a service based on information delivered. A brand culture is ultimately a persona with a promise. If you don’t have that, then how can you expect someone to buy off you?

So next time you're pass through your office and you hear a phone unanswered for a dozen or so rings, think what message or signal that has left to the person on the other end? Next time you go to a meeting, look at the other person's shoes, are they clean? Are they polished? If they are not, what does that say about the person and the company he represents. If he can't take care of a small detail like that will he care as much for your business?

We are what we present, and what we present is what others will define us by. We buy into a culture and the brand persona on so many different levels. But large or small, multi-national or a sole trader we ultimately make a promise that has to be projected clearly, believed and finally delivered in a variety of communication channels whether it's print, web, mechanical or human.

Berry Burgess: Managing Director of Armadillo Creative

Seven ways to create a sustainable business

The evidence is everywhere. If we don't treat clients with respect, we lose them. If we take non-renewable resources from the planet, they run out. It's time to look past our financial bottom-line to see how to create a truly sustainable business.

For me, it always hits me when I buy paper. Do I get the budget $4 ream or spend a couple of extra dollars on the eco-friendly, post-consumer-waste, recycled stuff? Sure, "What's one ream of paper ?" I say, but what if every business says that and leaves it up to someone else to make the difference?

The challenge is not just to run a profitable business but to run a sustainable business - a business that gives back the resources it uses. Assessing your business with a triple bottom line looks at its environmental (planet), social (people) and economic (profit) impact, and it's just as relevant to soloists as it is to large corporations.

Now you may not be ready to go solar, but here are seven simple things you can do to reduce your business' environmental impact and create a more sustainable business.

Consume less

1. Switch off the lights, the computers, the fax and the photocopier at the wall at the end of the working day. If you're not ready to harness the sunshine, then get supplied with green power. Put on a jumper rather than the heater. Open the window rather than cranking up the air-conditioning. In the heat of the day, have a siesta, take a long lunch or adopt a more European work day.

2. Get on the phone. Can that meeting be conducted by phone? Do you need to take the car or can you hop on the bus or carpool? What's the impact of your air travel? If air travel is essential, buy some carbon offsets for your business.

3. Embrace working from home. Reduce your travel and doubling up on equipment and resources. Or share an office space with other soloists. When sourcing equipment and services, consider buying local to reduce travel miles.

4. Use less materials. Do you really need to print that? Do you need the glossy promotional materials? Could you 'go digital' instead? Consider ways of standing out from the crowd without producing endless bin fodder.

Reduce waste

5. Recycle. It's now easy to use recycled paper, envelopes,pens, equipment, furniture and clothes. Keep the flow happening by recycling your own resources. Choose lunch on a ceramic plate or get your takeaway coffee in a ceramic mug.

6. Do no harm. Be aware of the potential harmful effects or by-products of the production processes you use. Are your raw materials contributing to rainforest loss or river pollution in the far off place they are produced?

7. Increase lifecycle. What about the lifecycle of your products? Are you buying equipment for life or something that will need to be replaced or upgraded in 12 months? Are you producing high-resource, short lifecycle products to make a fast buck? Or are you creating products that will last beyond the season, the fad or the warranty?

We have the opportunity as soloists to make immediate changes to create a sustainable business, so our business reflects our values and the world we wish to live in. We may be only one business but together we make up a vast chunk of the workforce and can make a difference.

How to develop good teamwork - Neil Thompson

There are very many factors involved in the development of a good team. However, here we shall concentrate on three in particular, namely: communication, team balance and leadership.

Communication is clearly an important part of interpersonal interaction and, of course, teamwork is all about interpersonal interaction. Open communication is a fundamental part of good teamwork in so far as it allows team members to understand each other's point of view, to share ideas, to express feelings and to articulate plans. Poor communication can be a major barrier to effective teamwork. Wrestling with the complexities of communication is therefore part of the challenge of developing an effective team.

The balance of a team involves having people whose experience, skills, perspectives, interests and contributions complement one another, rather than duplicate or counteract each other. For example, it is no good having a team full of creative people who have lots of new ideas, but do not have the people who have the stamina and stick ability to see those ideas through to completion. Similarly, a team that is full of people who are steady, strong workers but have little spark or creativity, will also be impoverished by comparison with a balanced team. If it is not to become stale and sterile, a team needs people who are prepared to risk conflict by challenging existing norms and assumptions, but, by the same token, a team also needs it's peacemakers. Differences between team members can, in themselves, lead to conflict but the diversity of the team and the balance that this can achieve, will generally more than make up for any such conflicts.

Leadership refers to the ability to create and sustain a positive working culture to motivate or even inspire staff to play their part in creating a work environment in which there are high standards of practice, a high level of commitment and a positive approach. A key part of leadership is 'vision'. This refers to the ability to keep a clear focus on what the team is trying to achieve, what its objectives are in terms of its overall strategy and aims. It is very easy for a team of people who are under pressure from various directions to lose their focus on what the team is all about and what purpose it is intended to fulfil. A good leader is somebody who not only keeps a clear focus him- or herself on the team's purpose and direction, but also ensures that that vision is shared by the team members and that they are not allowed to drift too far away from it. A good leader is somebody who promotes high morale by playing a key role in creating an atmosphere in which staff feel valued and supported. This helps to prevent such problems as gossip, rumour-mongering and backbiting, which can be so detrimental to a team's functioning.

Effective teamwork therefore depends on a good leader, the right balance of the right people and the channels of communication remaining open between them. If these three core ingredients can be brought together, then there is every chance of a very effective team developing.

The Value of Values: Why Values are important in organisations - Richard Barrett

Every individual and every organization on this planet is involved in making decisions on a daily
basis. The decisions individual's make reflect their personal beliefs about what they think is
important. The decisions organization's make reflects the cultural beliefs about what the
organization thinks is important. In other words, the decisions we make are a reflection of our
personal and organizational values. When the values of an individual are the same as the values
of their organization, then there is a values alignment. When the values of an individual are
different from the values of their organization, then there is a values misalignment.

Research shows that companies that seek to align the values of the organization with the values
of employees, and vice versa, are more fun to work in, are more successful and are more focused
on the needs of their employees and their customers. Organizations that don't have this
alignment tend to be more inward looking, bureaucratic, and stressful. They may be financially
successful, but find it difficult to hire and keep talented people. Companies that seek to create a
values alignment, on the other hand, have very few problems attracting and retaining talented
people. They know what their employees want and they know how to provide it.

The first step in creating values alignment is to find out what the values of employees are. The
second step is to find out how employees perceive the values of their organization. This analysis
provides a clear indication of a) the values gap that needs to be filled to create alignment, and b)
the values that employees consider are important for the running the business. Based on this
information, organizations are able to choose core values that are meaningful to all employees.
This is important not only because happy employees create happy customers, but because the
core values that an organization chooses provide employees with guidance in making decisions
even when their supervisor is not present. A strong set of organizational core values allows
organizations to remove layers of hierarchy, because the employer can trust the employee to
always make the right decision - a decision that reflects the values of the organization.

For an organization to reap the benefits of a strong set of core values, the values must be lived by
the senior people in the organization. They must become part of the organizational culture. For
this to happen the values have to resonate with everyone and they must be measured on a regular
basis. If core values are to be effective, they have to be integrated into every facet of the
organization's culture, particularly in the organization's relations with employees, customers and
society at large.

What every employee wants, no matter where they are in the hierarchy, is to find as much
personal fulfillment as they can through their work. Everyone in an organization is seeking to
satisfy his or her physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs. Our physical needs are met
when we receive payment for our work that allows us a certain degree of comfort and security,
and when we have the right tools and equipment to do our work. Our emotional needs are met
when there is friendship and open communication in our immediate working environment. Our
mental needs are met when we are invited by our superiors and peers to share our ideas and we
are able to see that our opinions count. Our spiritual needs are met when we find meaning in our
work, when we have the opportunity to make a difference and we feel we can be of service.
Creating such a culture is the challenge that organizations face if they are to survive and prosper
in the 21st century.

What Makes A Good Leader: 5 Vital Traits A Good Leader Must Possess

There might be a lot of leaders in your area, but there are only a few who know exactly what makes a good leader. As a leader, you're expected to bring you and your team to success. As a leader, your team looks up to you for guidance and support.

Wanting to know what makes a good leader is already the first step to achieving your goal. However, there is always room for improvement. Read on and find out how you can become a good leader.

1) Teamwork
A leader might be the head of the organization or team, but he or she cannot function well without teamwork. Unfortunately, a lot of leaders let their position get into their heads. They move without consulting the rest of the team. What makes a good leader is a sense of teamwork. Although you might be the one calling the shots, you can't completely disregard the people you're responsible for.

2) Strength
Another important factor of what makes a good leader is strength. Whether it's strength in making a decision, or strength in overcoming challenges, a good leaders knows not to show weakness. A good leader doesn't cower from the enemy. He or she doesn't fear challenges or obstacles; but instead, he or she deals with them head -on.

3) Good Example
A good leader sets a good example for his or her subordinates. If you're very particular about tardiness, then you have to make sure that you're always on time, if not earlier than the others. If you have strong feelings against cheating, then you yourself should not be tempted to cheat. Set a good example for the people in your team. Actions speak louder than words.

4) Responsibility
A good leader takes responsibility. He or she doesn't try to figure out a way to escape the mess that might have been created. Instead, a good leader faces the issue and deals with the problems as they come. Being responsible also means avoiding disaster and making the right decisions.Keep in mind that you're accountable for the rest of your team.

5) Quick Thinking
Quick thinking is an essential leadership skill. Most of the time, this is what saves the day. A good leader must know how to act swiftly and must encourage quick thinking among his or her people. The success of a group has a lot to do with both the leader and the team. It's never just about one person only. As long as you remember what your goal is, you'll be alright. And these additional tips on what makes a good leader will only help you become a better person.

(ArticlesBase SC #950751)

Does corporate brand and culture affect the bottom line?

By Tony Fannin, president, BE Branded

I was in a discussion with a client a few days ago. The topic that came up was does brand and corporate culture really affect bottom line revenue? Some of the executive committee believed it does. The other half thought the ideas were too "soft" to make any real difference. Of course, mission, core values, and purpose came into play as well (see: Mission, core values, and brand).

Again, half thought it was very necessary and the other half thought it didn't affect how the company performed in the market place. Here are my thoughts about the subject.
First off, to me, culture is really internal brand. It's what a company stands for to their employees, stakeholders, and vendors. It's no different than the brand a company exudes externally. I do believe that internal brand/culture plays a big part in driving revenue. Because our customers are human, they operate on emotion. Granted, men tend to go more on logic, but in today's world, women drive an overwhelming percentage of purchase decisions both B2C and B2B (see: Women in control of your marketing dollars)

The business landscape has changed as well. Women are achieving greater power in upper management and the executive suite. Men do use subjective measures to figure out who to buy from (golf anyone?), but they use a different set of emotional criteria.
Internal brand/culture is more than just a feel-good type of thing. It's not about people getting along, being a "family". True culture is a way of living. It's an esprit de corps. Some of the best cultures are hard and extremely demanding because they expect only the best performance, everyday.

To those who are attracted to this, that's what makes it great. The feeling of belonging to an elite group who's on top of their game, ready to prove their worth under fire. Look at the Navy Seals, Apple, and WalMart. Other cultures can be centered around softer issues like Google and Starbucks. Either way, they still carry the same demands and expectations of adhering to what makes that company unique. So how does internal brand/culture affect the revenue?

It attracts the right talent -Not everyone is built to work at every company. Just because they are a disaster at Company A, doesn't mean they're a loser. That's why you see some average employees move to a different company and become superstars. If your internal brand/culture is clear and the expectations are defined, you'll attract the type of talent that will align with the company's goals, mission, values, etc.

It's been said, you don't get people to "buy in" on the company values and mission. They must believe that way to begin with. You don't have to manage the right talent. As a result, most people will agree, talent wins in the market place. The company with the right talent will dominate their sector and in the end, produce financial results. What would you rather have, a group of superstars or a group that just gets along?

It creates unity - I'm not talking a "kum-by-yah" moment. It's about unity of purpose. A well defined internal brand/culture unifies individuals into a cohesive team. Everyone pouring their energies and talent into a singular direction. When talent is aligned with the company mission and purpose, mountains can be moved. This is where Tom Peters states that "soft is hard, and hard is soft." He's talking about the soft issues like brand and culture have the ability to move mountains because of the infinite resources humans possess. The hard are things like technology or the newest product extension. They can be easily overtaken by someone else who creates an 8-speed over your 7-speed gadget.

It creates how a company is perceived - In today's environment, doing good is as important as what your company does for money. This is especially true amongst the up and coming 15 - 30 year olds. People know when you're being a fake and in the end, you'll be punished by the market place both financially and in PR. Your culture must be perceived as real and authentic. If you are genuine, the general public, your customers, and prospects will gain more respect for your company and will be glad to spend their money with you. This authenticity only comes when everyone in your organization believes in what it does and their purpose.

For those who want some stats to make this soft issue more concrete, I offer these:

46% of business financial performance results from corporate culture. Great companies have defined and known cultures.
Companies with a clear internal brand outperform their competitors by 33% in customer retention. Culture driven companies outpace their sector in sales growth by and annual of 51%.
These companies are 38% more profitable than those without a defined culture.
(from The Future of Human Resource Management by Meisinger and Ulrich)

To me, the biggest benefit of all is a company can invest their resources into activities that further their mission and purpose and spend less in trying to "manage" people. The right culture brings the right talent, keeps that talent, and leverages that talent to it's fullest. And, as a result, the company become financially successful, not because it chased money, but instead, it built a company where high performance is respected.

INSPIRING QUOTES FOR THE WEEK - PLAY

Letting your mind play is the best way to solve problems.
-Sonia Van Dijk

Contemplate: How can play help me solve a problem today?

It doesn't matter if you win or lose, its how you play the game.
-Anonymous

Contemplate: Is there a time today that I can try playing the game differently?

Absorb magic from the walls, the sky, and people around you.
-Anonymous

Contemplate: Where is there an opportunity for me to introduce play today?

My outcome: I struggled with this at first but then I thought what does the word "Play" mean to me? It was not taking things too seriously. When introducing play I felt calm and relaxed which makes problem solving much easier and quicker.

INSPIRING QUOTES FOR THE WEEK - ALIGN

It's stunning to me what kind of an impact even one person can have if they have the right passion, perspective and are able to align the interest of a great team - Steve Case

Contemplate: Where can you create more alignment (or less alignment)?

When you find that your life is out of alignment with your grandest idea of yourself. Seek to change it - Neale Donald Walsch

Contemplate: Are you in alignment with the you, you wanted to be? What can you be inspired to change today?

Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from achievement of one's values....
- Ayn Rand

Contemplate: How have your values impacted on your life? How can you live them even more?

My outcome: I felt motivated and inspired to change something today and also to live my values more each day.

INSPIRING QUOTES FOR THE WEEK - HEART

Love in action is the force that helped us make it to this place and its truth that will set us free
- Susan Taylor

Contemplate - What truth can I set free?

Love is an expression of the willingness to create space in which something is allowed to change
- Harry Palmer

Contemplate - To be more loving, where can I create space?

You have one shot at today. Use it to learn, love and laugh - Anonymous

Contemplate - What is one thing I can do to express appreciation or make someone laugh?

My outcome: I had a warm feeling thinking about creating more of a loving space.

INSPIRING QUOTES FOR THE WEEK - POWER

Power is the ability to do good things for others.
- Brooke Astor
Contemplate: What could you do if you enrolled others to do something good with you?

Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it.
- Goethe
Contemplate: Where is there magic, grace and power around me right now?

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
- Gandhi
Contemplate: What is the change that I have been putting off that will make a difference to the world?

My outcome: I felt empowered to do something good. A small gesture can go a long way!

INSPIRING QUOTES FOR THE WEEK - SPIRIT

Keep yourself clear and bright. You are the window through which you must see the world - George Bernard Shaw

Contemplate - What can I do today to open my 'window'?

If I just work when the spirit moves me, the spirit will ignore me - Carolyn Forche

Contemplate - What is my spirit encouraging me to do?

We say we waste time but that is impossible, we waste ourselves - Alice Bloch

Contemplate - What could you engage in to be the best of your abilities?

My outcome - I felt very high in spirit and engaged to discover how I can use what I know to the best of my ability.

INSPIRING QUOTES FOR THE WEEK - OPENNESS

Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Contemplate - What great idea can you share with someone?

We see with our eyes. We know with our hearts.

- Cantus Fraggle

Contemplate - What do I know to be true? Share this with someone.

Accept it fully. Make it part of life.

- Katherine Mansfield

Contemplate - What is something I can let go of to more fully experience life?

My Outcome - I had a sense of self exploration

INSPIRING QUOTES FOR THE WEEK - PURPOSE

To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end in life.
- Robert Louis Stevenson

Contemplate - How can I be more of who I want to become?

The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.
- John Ruskin

Contemplate - Is what I'm doing now leading me to who I want to become?

To love what you do and feel that it matters - how could anything be more fun.
- Katherine Graham

Contemplate - How will my love for what I do show up today?

My outcome: I felt motivated and energised.