Nine months back – when I wrote that last post – if I’d known that the remainder of the year would … well … surprise me, I might have held off writing it for a few months. From the second quarter onwards, 2016 has been very different. (more…)
I launched my boat into the unknown on April 1, 2009. Icons & Images opened its doors for business and issued its first invoice a few weeks later. It’s been a terrific journey so far, and my experience has taught me much. Presented in no particular order, are the seven lessons I’ve learnt. (more…)
The double spread print ad showed a lot of fluffy white clouds, neatly arranged in rows. Among them was one solitary black cloud. You couldn’t miss it. The headline read “If your failure rate is one in a million, what do you tell that one customer?” IBM ran this a couple of decades ago. (more…)
Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Once more I managed without a gift, or flowers, or card, or a kind word (well, perhaps there were a few kind words) on that special day. I went about my day as I would any other day. There were no consequences. Nothing strange happened. (more…)
A client I advised a few years back complained that his senior people were not ready to assume responsibility, and asked if I could coach them. I interviewed his senior team, and along the way discovered that he wasn’t giving them enough room to express themselves. Clearly, he needed coaching too. (more…)
At the end of a conference call in November, one participant asked “So who is SPOCing on this one?” Ever the Star Trek fan, I thrilled to the opportunity of becoming a Vulcan; and almost volunteered. One of the others on the call clarified that this Spock was Single Point Of Contact. I kid you not! (more…)
Start with a cage containing five apes. In the cage, hang a banana from the ceiling and place a ladder under it. Before long, an ape will go to the ladder and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the ladder, spray all the apes with cold water. (more…)
When Andrea quit her job at a multinational and joined a large local company, she knew she’d struggle with the new organisation’s culture. With its emphasis on hierarchy, controlled access to information, closed decision-making etc. it would be a new experience. How was she to build trust in her new team? (more…)
Like you, I’ve seen and read a lot of material stating “There’s no I in TEAM!” I respectfully disagree. Scrutinise successful teams around you, in any field. There’s always an I. The stronger the I, the more successful the team is likely to be. Every team needs at least one I, and if yours doesn’t, it’s missing something. (more…)
A few weeks back I heard about a PR agency resigning a mid-sized account. It wasn’t big enough for trade press to pick up and report, but it had happened. Intrigued that the agency had initiated this divorce, I dug into the reasons. I was in for a very pleasant surprise. (more…)
“Make me redundant, Sam” is what my line boss said to me. I was two years into my job at that time, and he pushed me to grow. That statement said a lot to me: that I was ready for growth and capable, that I had his support, that it was up to me to go there, and that he was unafraid of his own position. (more…)
The toughest question I’ve ever faced during a performance review wasn’t asked when I was being evaluated. It was asked when I was evaluating. It came from startled and slightly disappointed direct reports. Not once, but twice; two years apart. Clearly I didn’t learn from the first experience. (more…)
About three months back, I received a call from a client who wanted to replace their lead agency. When asked why, I didn’t get a convincing reply. I suspected a relationship breakdown, and suggested fixing it. The client was hesitant, but was persuaded. He asked for results in six weeks. That was fourteen weeks back. (more…)
In ancient India, a Swayamvaram was held so a woman could choose her husband from among selected candidates expressly invited for the purpose. More recently, it became a hit reality show where contestants would perform assigned tasks hoping to woo their bride / groom of choice. Sounds awfully close to the agency pitch, I thought.
Every August, Obuda Island in Budapest comes alive with the sound of music, art, bands, artists and devoted fans. This is the Sziget Festival. Over the years, much of it has remained unchanged, except perhaps the devoted fans. They’ve either gone, or are looking elsewhere. (more…)
Jeff Bezos has claimed a large chunk of the written, spoken and viewed word over the past two weeks. Deserved or not, I’m not going to say. I will say however, that there is another practice of marginalising human potential and talent that is largely unrecognised, unreported and unattended. It’s condescension at its worst. (more…)
Towards the end of the 1987 film The Untouchables, Sean Connery’s character – fighting for life – asks Kevin Costner’s character, “What are you prepared to do?” The question references a sequence much earlier in the film. And it is a question leadership should ask of itself regularly. (more…)
A couple of months back; I noticed something as I waited for the main feature to begin. It struck me as interesting then, but I thought no more about it. Then, I noticed it a few more times, looked into it and I started seeing a pattern. Hmmm … I said. (more…)
Selling hot dogs, Joe saved up money over decades to send his son to an Ivy-league business school. His son earned an MBA and returned to advise him, only to contribute to the shutting down of Joe’s thriving business. Who is really at fault here – Joe or his son? (more…)
I didn’t like telling the Marketing Director the idea wasn’t sound; but I had to be honest, even if it meant putting a possible new business win at risk. Someone had hatched an ill-advised scheme for an SMS campaign to first-time mums, and here I was persuading the client against it. (more…)
We flew Turkish Airlines to Istanbul and back, but I wonder if I’ll do that again. Don’t get me wrong, it was a pleasant experience; in fact exceedingly so. So why am I hesitant? Let me take you through it.
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