Cicero will not post this week.
Instead he has released the following statement for us all to ponder and consider:
''In light of recent developments at Sky Sports this week and lest I too publish something that offends some -ism or other, I have decided not to post this week until the fuss has moved on.
'The impact of such po faced nonsense on free speech and freedom of expression in this country should concern us all and we seem to have lost sight of the dictum that while 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.' Voltaire must be spinning in his grave.
'Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone''
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Thursday, 27 January 2011
Friday, 21 January 2011
Renewable Energy
Great to see you again. Hopefully you came through Blue Monday this week without incident. Isn’t it strange that we should have a day dedicated to negativity and depression? Says a lot about our national psyche. Maybe we should campaign for this Monday to be Sunshine Day and let’s fill it with positive, uplifting thoughts.
Given the comments that flooded back in response to last week’s musings, it is good to know that there are people out there reading and reflecting on these dribbles. And thanks for the encouragement to obtain a man bag and to go all metrosexual. Not sure quite ready for it yet but your support is appreciated.
Now those of you who are regular readers of these musings, and surely that must mean all of you, will no doubt be aware that we have long supported and advocated renewable energy as a panacea for much of today’s ills. And recent readings, learnings and deliberations have only reinforced that view.
A while back Cicero got the opportunity to visit the high performance training centre at Loughborough University watching top 2012 hopeful Jockstraps going their paces in the gym. It was exhausting work. But it was interesting to see that these Jockstraps spent more time sitting around gassing than using the exercise machinery but when they did, boy did they burn the carbs. Cicero on the other hand when he visits a gym moves seamlessly and relentlessly from machine to machine barely pausing to catch breath. And this set Cicero thinking.
You must be aware that in today’s society it is all about more, bigger, faster. In our workplace more information than ever is available to us and the rate at which we work is accelerating exponentially, prompting a sense of permanent urgency and endless distraction. Those older readers will no doubt recall the pre-email days when letters and memos were drafted by hand, typed by a typist, checked and then sent out by snail mail, if lucky, same day. And then a week later you would get a response. Now we send e-mails out all day to our hearts content and expect on line real time response.
And yet this relentless urgency must undermine creativity, quality, engagement, thoughtful deliberation, and ultimately performance. And they call this progress.
Surely we are at our most productive when we move just like the Jockstraps at Loughborough Uni between periods of high focus and intermittent rest. We cannot be productive if we are constantly juggling activities and not fully engaged in any of them. We are not like computers who operate most productively continuously, at high speeds, for long periods of time, running multiple programmes concurrently.
To back this up a study has been conducted in the power of deliberate practice among violinists. This suggests that great performers work more intensely than most of us do but also recover more deeply. Solo practice, undertaken with high concentration, is especially exhausting. The best violinists generated the highest value by working intensely, without interruption, for no more than ninety minutes at a time and no more than four hours a day. They also recognised that it was essential to take time, intermittently, to rest and refuel.
Now an interesting new study builds on this and suggests that whereas a computer just needs to be plugged into the wall socket, a human being has four energy needs to be met to operate at their best: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. By moving rhythmically between activity and renewal in each of these four dimensions we build our capacity to generate more and more value over time.
Our physical need is about taking care of our health and physical well being. It won’t on its own turn you into a great performer but failing to do so assures that you can’t ever perform at your best. We’re more effective at work when we regularly renew, alternating between active forms such as exercise and play and more passive forms such as meditation and sleep.
In the same vein we need to nurture our emotional needs. Feeling appreciated, secure and valued are key, and after all how we feel profoundly affects how we perform. It’s in our self-interest to cultivate positive emotions, not just because they make us feel good but also because they fuel productivity and effectiveness across all areas of our lives.
And our focus on our mental needs through self-expression and the freedom to develop one’s unique talents, ensures peak performance. A poverty of attention is the biggest hindrance in this area. In the violin study the most crucial ingredient of the most successful violinists, after motivation, was sustained, absorbed attention. The most common source of external distraction at work is e-mail. Think about how you could manage this more effectively so you are able to focus on the important project.
And lastly we must not ignore our spiritual well being. We must challenge ourselves to determine who we are and what we want, our values and our purpose. We can and will perform better if we can take actions that will serve a purpose beyond our immediate self interest.
Now is the time to think hard about how we live our lives and to help our colleagues think the same. To identify what we can to do nourish ourselves across all these four dimensions, to renew and re-energise ourselves and those around us. Always thought renewable energy was the future.
Is it only me........but is this the most pointless job out there?
In the current climate Apparatchik bashing is the new blood sport and our newspapers, well at least those not following the antics of someone called Peter Andre and Jordan, no not the country but a person seemingly, have joined in with great glee and gusto pointing out on a regular basis the cost of the Apparatchik class and the pointlessness of much of what it does.
Now while I might have smidgeon sympathy with some of these views I also realise that there are many good Apparatchiks doing worthwhile jobs who would love to be given the chance to improve the reputation of this tribe. Not all Apparatchiks are involved in engagement or stakeholder or consultation activities.
However is it only me but is this not the stupidest job title ever.....and horror of horrors it is in the private sector-Head of the Role of Bank Manager Programme? Ok it’s a bank so maybe it’s not totally in the private sector but it is still shocking and worrying to see it adopting Apparatchik thinking so readily.
Now I’m sure that the individual is a competent individual. And he, or she, is no doubt doing a good job, but does a bank really need a Head of Role of Bank Manager Programme given it must be stuffed full of bank managers who know how to do the role. Or at least they should do. And no doubt the Head of will have a bevy of senior managers, managers, assistant managers and executive officers reporting to him, or her. Whatever can they do all day?
Is this not the battiest job ever?
Methinks this needs to be brought to the attention of the shareholders to determine if such roles and functions can be justified. Sorry forgot that’s us, the taxpayer, and my answer is no.
Can anyone else come up with a pointless job?
And for those doing purposeful jobs, have a great week.
Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.
Given the comments that flooded back in response to last week’s musings, it is good to know that there are people out there reading and reflecting on these dribbles. And thanks for the encouragement to obtain a man bag and to go all metrosexual. Not sure quite ready for it yet but your support is appreciated.
Now those of you who are regular readers of these musings, and surely that must mean all of you, will no doubt be aware that we have long supported and advocated renewable energy as a panacea for much of today’s ills. And recent readings, learnings and deliberations have only reinforced that view.
A while back Cicero got the opportunity to visit the high performance training centre at Loughborough University watching top 2012 hopeful Jockstraps going their paces in the gym. It was exhausting work. But it was interesting to see that these Jockstraps spent more time sitting around gassing than using the exercise machinery but when they did, boy did they burn the carbs. Cicero on the other hand when he visits a gym moves seamlessly and relentlessly from machine to machine barely pausing to catch breath. And this set Cicero thinking.
You must be aware that in today’s society it is all about more, bigger, faster. In our workplace more information than ever is available to us and the rate at which we work is accelerating exponentially, prompting a sense of permanent urgency and endless distraction. Those older readers will no doubt recall the pre-email days when letters and memos were drafted by hand, typed by a typist, checked and then sent out by snail mail, if lucky, same day. And then a week later you would get a response. Now we send e-mails out all day to our hearts content and expect on line real time response.
And yet this relentless urgency must undermine creativity, quality, engagement, thoughtful deliberation, and ultimately performance. And they call this progress.
Surely we are at our most productive when we move just like the Jockstraps at Loughborough Uni between periods of high focus and intermittent rest. We cannot be productive if we are constantly juggling activities and not fully engaged in any of them. We are not like computers who operate most productively continuously, at high speeds, for long periods of time, running multiple programmes concurrently.
To back this up a study has been conducted in the power of deliberate practice among violinists. This suggests that great performers work more intensely than most of us do but also recover more deeply. Solo practice, undertaken with high concentration, is especially exhausting. The best violinists generated the highest value by working intensely, without interruption, for no more than ninety minutes at a time and no more than four hours a day. They also recognised that it was essential to take time, intermittently, to rest and refuel.
Now an interesting new study builds on this and suggests that whereas a computer just needs to be plugged into the wall socket, a human being has four energy needs to be met to operate at their best: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. By moving rhythmically between activity and renewal in each of these four dimensions we build our capacity to generate more and more value over time.
Our physical need is about taking care of our health and physical well being. It won’t on its own turn you into a great performer but failing to do so assures that you can’t ever perform at your best. We’re more effective at work when we regularly renew, alternating between active forms such as exercise and play and more passive forms such as meditation and sleep.
In the same vein we need to nurture our emotional needs. Feeling appreciated, secure and valued are key, and after all how we feel profoundly affects how we perform. It’s in our self-interest to cultivate positive emotions, not just because they make us feel good but also because they fuel productivity and effectiveness across all areas of our lives.
And our focus on our mental needs through self-expression and the freedom to develop one’s unique talents, ensures peak performance. A poverty of attention is the biggest hindrance in this area. In the violin study the most crucial ingredient of the most successful violinists, after motivation, was sustained, absorbed attention. The most common source of external distraction at work is e-mail. Think about how you could manage this more effectively so you are able to focus on the important project.
And lastly we must not ignore our spiritual well being. We must challenge ourselves to determine who we are and what we want, our values and our purpose. We can and will perform better if we can take actions that will serve a purpose beyond our immediate self interest.
Now is the time to think hard about how we live our lives and to help our colleagues think the same. To identify what we can to do nourish ourselves across all these four dimensions, to renew and re-energise ourselves and those around us. Always thought renewable energy was the future.
Is it only me........but is this the most pointless job out there?
In the current climate Apparatchik bashing is the new blood sport and our newspapers, well at least those not following the antics of someone called Peter Andre and Jordan, no not the country but a person seemingly, have joined in with great glee and gusto pointing out on a regular basis the cost of the Apparatchik class and the pointlessness of much of what it does.
Now while I might have smidgeon sympathy with some of these views I also realise that there are many good Apparatchiks doing worthwhile jobs who would love to be given the chance to improve the reputation of this tribe. Not all Apparatchiks are involved in engagement or stakeholder or consultation activities.
However is it only me but is this not the stupidest job title ever.....and horror of horrors it is in the private sector-Head of the Role of Bank Manager Programme? Ok it’s a bank so maybe it’s not totally in the private sector but it is still shocking and worrying to see it adopting Apparatchik thinking so readily.
Now I’m sure that the individual is a competent individual. And he, or she, is no doubt doing a good job, but does a bank really need a Head of Role of Bank Manager Programme given it must be stuffed full of bank managers who know how to do the role. Or at least they should do. And no doubt the Head of will have a bevy of senior managers, managers, assistant managers and executive officers reporting to him, or her. Whatever can they do all day?
Is this not the battiest job ever?
Methinks this needs to be brought to the attention of the shareholders to determine if such roles and functions can be justified. Sorry forgot that’s us, the taxpayer, and my answer is no.
Can anyone else come up with a pointless job?
And for those doing purposeful jobs, have a great week.
Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.
Thursday, 13 January 2011
All arms and legs
Greetings.
You are all being really quiet. No comment on last week’s dose of wit and wisdom? Was it not provocative enough for you? Did it not even annoy the Guardianistas and we know how touchy this tribe can be? Or were we still suffering the effects of the revels?
A few weeks back Cicero was in conversation with a Marketing Head Honcho, swapping notes on experiences, capabilities, skills and competencies. It was an illuminating and interesting discussion as they batted backwards and forwards career highs and lows, though there were few lows on either side.
And then Cicero asked what he thought was a perfectly innocuous, straightforward and easy to answer question-how do you build teams?
The Head Honcho went silent for a long time and then huffed and puffed before finally stumbling his way through an answer. It was not that the Head Honcho could not build teams, he just found it difficult to answer because he was so good at it.
It is often said that in sport great players make poor managers and coaches because the silky skills they take for granted and don’t even think about, they cannot pass on. This is not a problem Cicero has. Never has been and never will be, alas.
Now why should this be? Why can’t great sportsmen pass on their genius? Why couldn’t a Marketing Head Honcho explain why he was so good at team building?
Once again we will look to nature for our answer.
Last week when exploring the libretto from a song and dance show called ‘Chicago’ we mentioned the idea of the Confucian Centipede and this week we find out more about her....or him.
As we know a centipede has a hundred arms and legs. Hence the name. And if you watch closely the arms and legs move seamlessly in a beautifully syncopated fashion that Anton du Beke envies, with a ripple effect that Craig Revel Horwood admires and with a grace and poise that not even Anne Widdecombe can emulate.
One day a centipede was strolling through the forest tracked by Jenny Longlegs who had been taking copious notes of the choreography but when trying to put into action failed miserably.
‘Hey you’, she called out, ‘Mr Centipede. Look I have been studying you for a while but I can’t follow the moves you make that I have written down in my book. Explain to me how to walk like you do’
The centipede took the book, studied it for a while and with a scratching of his head, said,‘Do I do that? Do I really do that?’.
He put the book down, shaking his head in amazement, before trying to demonstrate and to follow the copious and detailed notes that Jenny Longlegs had written down.
But the centipede hadn't thought about this before, and didn't do too great. And as a consequence ‘his hundred feet got twisted and wound up in a tangle, fracturing 14 kneecaps, 7 shinbones and an ankle.’
But the story has a happy ending and though he was in terrible pain and was in recovery for a very long time, he did learn to walk again. Before long he was back on his feet and moving once again in perfect rhythm but now he tells his neighbours, anyone who comes to see, and anyone who wants to know the secrets of his dance technique, "never try an explanation of what comes naturally!"
But that is not the end of the story, you will be disappointed to learn.
For it is not enough to excuse an inability to articulate performance excellence by just saying you shouldn’t explain what comes naturally, as the Head Honcho was advised. Good leaders possess a self awareness and an insight on their performance which means they really do understand their strengths and weaknesses inside and out, and that they can articulate these. Great leaders have the ability to learn about themselves and to pass on these insights to others to coach others to optimum performance.
Sadly the Confucian Centipede would never have made a great leader or coach. We may not have hundred arms and legs but the challenge for us is the same-to be to explain what comes naturally to those around us without getting into a right fankle.
Is it only me.........but I think it’s time for me to get in touch with my feminine side, assuming of course I have one of these!
In the olden days before you left the house all you had to do was to check that you had your wallet.
And in the even older days the only thing that your wallet might contain would be money of the folding variety which was relatively portable and easy to carry around.
Now wallets bulge with a variety of plastic cards and loyalty cards as well as folding money. And you have a small life support system to carry around everywhere with you.
And pockets now strain to bursting as we men carry around a multiplicity of devices to cope with the disabilities of old age such as spectacles and the products of a mobile technology revolution such as phones and MP3 players named after a compote of summer fruits. Last week on one count alone I had stuffed into the recesses of my suit 3 sets of keys; reading glasses; mobile phone; MP3; PDA; and bulging wallet; oh and a few bawbees.
Now this is not just bad for my sartorial elegance. Bulging pockets ruin suits and the line of these vestments. And heaven forbid should a phone ring and you have to rummage through assorted electronic devices, money, specs, wallets and plastic to answer before it rings off, ripping the line of your cool-looking suit as you do so.
So on this occasion, and on this occasion only, I am prepared to admit that the distaffs might have it right.
And I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the time might be right for me to obtain a man bag to contain my life support system and to enhance its portability without the need for a specially designed suit with the dimensions of a Tardis. I know this will come as a shock to you that I am going all metro-sexual but I can see no other option and methinks the support system need for everyday living is only going to get bigger and more complex.
And although I am already there rationally, I am not yet there emotionally which is why my pockets continue to bulge and strain and why Mae West thought I might be pleased to see her. But it can’t be long now before I succumb and soon I will be able to talk knowledgeably about handbags with the distaffs. Unless you can come up with an alternative solution to my problem.
But I can promise that, given my long standing hostility to trolley dolly brief cases, my man bag will not come with bloody wheels.
Have a great week
Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.
You are all being really quiet. No comment on last week’s dose of wit and wisdom? Was it not provocative enough for you? Did it not even annoy the Guardianistas and we know how touchy this tribe can be? Or were we still suffering the effects of the revels?
A few weeks back Cicero was in conversation with a Marketing Head Honcho, swapping notes on experiences, capabilities, skills and competencies. It was an illuminating and interesting discussion as they batted backwards and forwards career highs and lows, though there were few lows on either side.
And then Cicero asked what he thought was a perfectly innocuous, straightforward and easy to answer question-how do you build teams?
The Head Honcho went silent for a long time and then huffed and puffed before finally stumbling his way through an answer. It was not that the Head Honcho could not build teams, he just found it difficult to answer because he was so good at it.
It is often said that in sport great players make poor managers and coaches because the silky skills they take for granted and don’t even think about, they cannot pass on. This is not a problem Cicero has. Never has been and never will be, alas.
Now why should this be? Why can’t great sportsmen pass on their genius? Why couldn’t a Marketing Head Honcho explain why he was so good at team building?
Once again we will look to nature for our answer.
Last week when exploring the libretto from a song and dance show called ‘Chicago’ we mentioned the idea of the Confucian Centipede and this week we find out more about her....or him.
As we know a centipede has a hundred arms and legs. Hence the name. And if you watch closely the arms and legs move seamlessly in a beautifully syncopated fashion that Anton du Beke envies, with a ripple effect that Craig Revel Horwood admires and with a grace and poise that not even Anne Widdecombe can emulate.
One day a centipede was strolling through the forest tracked by Jenny Longlegs who had been taking copious notes of the choreography but when trying to put into action failed miserably.
‘Hey you’, she called out, ‘Mr Centipede. Look I have been studying you for a while but I can’t follow the moves you make that I have written down in my book. Explain to me how to walk like you do’
The centipede took the book, studied it for a while and with a scratching of his head, said,‘Do I do that? Do I really do that?’.
He put the book down, shaking his head in amazement, before trying to demonstrate and to follow the copious and detailed notes that Jenny Longlegs had written down.
But the centipede hadn't thought about this before, and didn't do too great. And as a consequence ‘his hundred feet got twisted and wound up in a tangle, fracturing 14 kneecaps, 7 shinbones and an ankle.’
But the story has a happy ending and though he was in terrible pain and was in recovery for a very long time, he did learn to walk again. Before long he was back on his feet and moving once again in perfect rhythm but now he tells his neighbours, anyone who comes to see, and anyone who wants to know the secrets of his dance technique, "never try an explanation of what comes naturally!"
But that is not the end of the story, you will be disappointed to learn.
For it is not enough to excuse an inability to articulate performance excellence by just saying you shouldn’t explain what comes naturally, as the Head Honcho was advised. Good leaders possess a self awareness and an insight on their performance which means they really do understand their strengths and weaknesses inside and out, and that they can articulate these. Great leaders have the ability to learn about themselves and to pass on these insights to others to coach others to optimum performance.
Sadly the Confucian Centipede would never have made a great leader or coach. We may not have hundred arms and legs but the challenge for us is the same-to be to explain what comes naturally to those around us without getting into a right fankle.
Is it only me.........but I think it’s time for me to get in touch with my feminine side, assuming of course I have one of these!
In the olden days before you left the house all you had to do was to check that you had your wallet.
And in the even older days the only thing that your wallet might contain would be money of the folding variety which was relatively portable and easy to carry around.
Now wallets bulge with a variety of plastic cards and loyalty cards as well as folding money. And you have a small life support system to carry around everywhere with you.
And pockets now strain to bursting as we men carry around a multiplicity of devices to cope with the disabilities of old age such as spectacles and the products of a mobile technology revolution such as phones and MP3 players named after a compote of summer fruits. Last week on one count alone I had stuffed into the recesses of my suit 3 sets of keys; reading glasses; mobile phone; MP3; PDA; and bulging wallet; oh and a few bawbees.
Now this is not just bad for my sartorial elegance. Bulging pockets ruin suits and the line of these vestments. And heaven forbid should a phone ring and you have to rummage through assorted electronic devices, money, specs, wallets and plastic to answer before it rings off, ripping the line of your cool-looking suit as you do so.
So on this occasion, and on this occasion only, I am prepared to admit that the distaffs might have it right.
And I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the time might be right for me to obtain a man bag to contain my life support system and to enhance its portability without the need for a specially designed suit with the dimensions of a Tardis. I know this will come as a shock to you that I am going all metro-sexual but I can see no other option and methinks the support system need for everyday living is only going to get bigger and more complex.
And although I am already there rationally, I am not yet there emotionally which is why my pockets continue to bulge and strain and why Mae West thought I might be pleased to see her. But it can’t be long now before I succumb and soon I will be able to talk knowledgeably about handbags with the distaffs. Unless you can come up with an alternative solution to my problem.
But I can promise that, given my long standing hostility to trolley dolly brief cases, my man bag will not come with bloody wheels.
Have a great week
Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.
Friday, 7 January 2011
Razzle dazle 'em
Greetings, welcome back and lang may yer lum reek. We trust the festival season was good for and to you.
And now let us put the revels and feasting behind us for another 12 months and get on with our work. We have much to do.
It seems that some of you are finding the comments appended to Cicero’s words of wit and wisdom oft times more interesting and entertaining than the words Cicero’s writes. Clearly it is pleasing that Cicero’s thoughts are provoking such interesting responses though it is hardly complimentary that Cicero’s own words in themselves are not considered equally intellectually fulfilling.
Still we will plough on.
Cicero is now officially an ‘expert’ and later this month, on the Feast of Burns to be precise, he has been invited to commune with academics, alumni and students at one of our leading universities, on matters close to his heart. It is a thrill and an honour.
Now as you know Cicero’s reputation as a learned orator has been passed down through the generations and though his skills may have waned with age, he is still regarded as jolly good in this aspect.
Oftentimes he has been asked to explain his oratorical skills to a younger generation and he has often found this difficult to do, just like the Confucian Centipede (to be explained in a forthcoming epistle) could not explain how he moved his countless legs. And then while sitting relaxing over the revels listening to some notes from some song and dance show called ‘Chicago’, the answer came and today is the day we get to hear his explanation and exposition of his loquaciousness.
Indeed it is rather quite simple and the insight we are now about to be given can be used, re-used and practised in just about any business situation. And all you need to remember is that the business you are in is in fact show business and your office, the meeting, the presentation, is nothing but a stage on which you perform.
In the words of the song that inspired Cicero all you need to do is.......cue music, lights, action:
Give 'em the old razzle dazzle
Razzle dazzle 'em
Give 'em an act with lots of flash in it
And the reaction will be passionate.....................’
To be great in business you have to learn to act and to put on performance. This is not about insincerity. All great acting is based on a truth but to be great, like all actors, you have to wear many faces, all rooted within in a truth.
And so when Cicero stands up to orate he is not there to read a script or a set of PowerPoint slides. That would be boring. No he is there to put on a show, to perform, to entertain and to razzle dazzle ‘em. And from time to time if we are really lucky to educate and enlighten as well.
And the same applies in meetings. It’s all a show and those who perform well in meetings understand that, understand that they are performing in front of an audience and have the lines and the acting ability to razzle and dazzle in this environment too.
The next time you are in a meeting watch carefully all those around you and work out who is the star in the room and why. Who there is putting on ‘’a show that's so splendiferous that row after row will grow so vociferous’’?
And so for 2011, be inspired by the music around you and learn to put on a performance each and every time you have an audience. Treat your business as a stage and your business as show business. It’s all show business.
So just remember ‘Razzle dazzle 'em..........And they'll make you a star!’ And that’s not a bad ambition to have for 2011.
Is it only me...........but what has happened to our 9-5 culture?
The recent inclement weather, which climate no change deniers continue to ascribe to man mad global warming, go figure, has brought it home to me that in this country at least when the weather has gone a wee bit wonky, we do not do 9-5 in our shops, factories and offices. And this is so serious that Calvin is turning in his grave as his work ethic is torn to shreds.
Most of us have a contract with our employer which says we must turn up at work at 9am and go home at roughly 5pm. I accept that there are multiple variations on this theme but broadly speaking this is the standard working day for most people. Agreed?
And yet this is not how our psyche works. We do not think of our working day starting at 9am but when we leave our centrally heated homes to try to get to work. And vice versa in the evening. Our working day ends when we get home and put our slippers on.
So when the weather goes a wee bit wonky we do not accept we have to leave the house earlier because we know it is going to take longer to get to our workplaces for 9am. And so we leave the house when we normally do and get in late. And of course we have to leave early so we are home at our normal time. It does not occur to us to accept that our slippers may have to wait by the fire for a wee bit longer.
Now it might only be me, and on this occasion it probably will be only me, but surely we have an obligation not just to our employers but also to our customers and to others around us, to make more of an effort to fulfil our contractual terms, even if that does mean leaving for work earlier and getting home later. Or maybe, and this is a radical and revolutionary thought, handing back the portion of our pay we earned while doing nothing travelling, or deducting from our holidays. Fair deal?
And maybe if more of us adopted said approach and maintained our normal contracting hours irrespective of when we left home and got back, we might even get our bins emptied when they are supposed to be emptied. Trains, planes and buses might run. And businesses would not hide behind the weather and use it as an excuse for appalling levels of customer service. Did anyone else try to phone a call centre while the snow lay on the ground tick and crisp and even? Did you get through?
And for the avoidance of doubt, and to ensure I am not hang, drawn and quartered by those with whom it is my great privilege and pleasure to work alongside, let me make it clear that no one I know adopts this approach.
But what do you think? Barmy or brilliant?
Have a great week.
Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.
And now let us put the revels and feasting behind us for another 12 months and get on with our work. We have much to do.
It seems that some of you are finding the comments appended to Cicero’s words of wit and wisdom oft times more interesting and entertaining than the words Cicero’s writes. Clearly it is pleasing that Cicero’s thoughts are provoking such interesting responses though it is hardly complimentary that Cicero’s own words in themselves are not considered equally intellectually fulfilling.
Still we will plough on.
Cicero is now officially an ‘expert’ and later this month, on the Feast of Burns to be precise, he has been invited to commune with academics, alumni and students at one of our leading universities, on matters close to his heart. It is a thrill and an honour.
Now as you know Cicero’s reputation as a learned orator has been passed down through the generations and though his skills may have waned with age, he is still regarded as jolly good in this aspect.
Oftentimes he has been asked to explain his oratorical skills to a younger generation and he has often found this difficult to do, just like the Confucian Centipede (to be explained in a forthcoming epistle) could not explain how he moved his countless legs. And then while sitting relaxing over the revels listening to some notes from some song and dance show called ‘Chicago’, the answer came and today is the day we get to hear his explanation and exposition of his loquaciousness.
Indeed it is rather quite simple and the insight we are now about to be given can be used, re-used and practised in just about any business situation. And all you need to remember is that the business you are in is in fact show business and your office, the meeting, the presentation, is nothing but a stage on which you perform.
In the words of the song that inspired Cicero all you need to do is.......cue music, lights, action:
Give 'em the old razzle dazzle
Razzle dazzle 'em
Give 'em an act with lots of flash in it
And the reaction will be passionate.....................’
To be great in business you have to learn to act and to put on performance. This is not about insincerity. All great acting is based on a truth but to be great, like all actors, you have to wear many faces, all rooted within in a truth.
And so when Cicero stands up to orate he is not there to read a script or a set of PowerPoint slides. That would be boring. No he is there to put on a show, to perform, to entertain and to razzle dazzle ‘em. And from time to time if we are really lucky to educate and enlighten as well.
And the same applies in meetings. It’s all a show and those who perform well in meetings understand that, understand that they are performing in front of an audience and have the lines and the acting ability to razzle and dazzle in this environment too.
The next time you are in a meeting watch carefully all those around you and work out who is the star in the room and why. Who there is putting on ‘’a show that's so splendiferous that row after row will grow so vociferous’’?
And so for 2011, be inspired by the music around you and learn to put on a performance each and every time you have an audience. Treat your business as a stage and your business as show business. It’s all show business.
So just remember ‘Razzle dazzle 'em..........And they'll make you a star!’ And that’s not a bad ambition to have for 2011.
Is it only me...........but what has happened to our 9-5 culture?
The recent inclement weather, which climate no change deniers continue to ascribe to man mad global warming, go figure, has brought it home to me that in this country at least when the weather has gone a wee bit wonky, we do not do 9-5 in our shops, factories and offices. And this is so serious that Calvin is turning in his grave as his work ethic is torn to shreds.
Most of us have a contract with our employer which says we must turn up at work at 9am and go home at roughly 5pm. I accept that there are multiple variations on this theme but broadly speaking this is the standard working day for most people. Agreed?
And yet this is not how our psyche works. We do not think of our working day starting at 9am but when we leave our centrally heated homes to try to get to work. And vice versa in the evening. Our working day ends when we get home and put our slippers on.
So when the weather goes a wee bit wonky we do not accept we have to leave the house earlier because we know it is going to take longer to get to our workplaces for 9am. And so we leave the house when we normally do and get in late. And of course we have to leave early so we are home at our normal time. It does not occur to us to accept that our slippers may have to wait by the fire for a wee bit longer.
Now it might only be me, and on this occasion it probably will be only me, but surely we have an obligation not just to our employers but also to our customers and to others around us, to make more of an effort to fulfil our contractual terms, even if that does mean leaving for work earlier and getting home later. Or maybe, and this is a radical and revolutionary thought, handing back the portion of our pay we earned while doing nothing travelling, or deducting from our holidays. Fair deal?
And maybe if more of us adopted said approach and maintained our normal contracting hours irrespective of when we left home and got back, we might even get our bins emptied when they are supposed to be emptied. Trains, planes and buses might run. And businesses would not hide behind the weather and use it as an excuse for appalling levels of customer service. Did anyone else try to phone a call centre while the snow lay on the ground tick and crisp and even? Did you get through?
And for the avoidance of doubt, and to ensure I am not hang, drawn and quartered by those with whom it is my great privilege and pleasure to work alongside, let me make it clear that no one I know adopts this approach.
But what do you think? Barmy or brilliant?
Have a great week.
Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.
Friday, 17 December 2010
Prisoner 46664
Following last week’s comments on the snow and wonky weather, aka global warming, it has been pointed out that we should not judge the extent to which the world may or may not be warming up based on the weather outside our own front door. Exactly outside whose front door should such assessments be made? This sounds like typical eco-mentalist obfuscation.
And please note this is the last dose of wit and wisdom and spiritual enlightenment you are going to get this year. But there are plenty of back copies to keep you amused through the Saturnalian revels. And we will back for more fun and frolics in 2011 once the lums start to reek, as the Celtic tribes to the North say-which means when the chimneys start to smoke to everyone else.
You will know that Cicero no longer has responsibility for the protection of your security and the maintenance of your freedom and that for the past few months he has been advising businesses on how to do marketing better.
In recent weeks Cicero has been spending a lot of time trying to develop a set of words to describe various wannabe brands. This is the kind of thing that gives marketers their kicks. It is legal, doesn’t spoil your nose and still gives a great buzz. Sad I know.
No matter the brand, company, category, product, or service, the most common list of attributes everyone wants to be associated with goes something like this: honesty, accessibility, innovation, invention, forward thinking, collaborative, friendly, and easy to work with, trustworthy, leader, fun. Recognise the exercise? Now who wouldn't want to be all those things? Anyone want to be the opposite?
You might now better understand how difficult is the life of a marketing guru when every other brand has the same words on their list. This is not at all helpful when you are trying to make brands distinctive.
And so here is an exercise which is useful to move things forward.
‘Shout out the attributes of Nelson Mandela’ asked your favourite Marketing Guru ‘I’ll write them on the white board.’
"Brave," came the first response. "Courageous!" quickly followed. As did a whole list of attributes like "altruistic, heroic, peaceful, wise, thoughtful, giving, caring, loving, fearless" and so and so on. You will by now have caught the drift.
"What is the problem with this list?"
Deathly silence.
Then your Marketing Guru pointed to a colleague in the room, let's call him Bernard, and mused, "The problem with the list is that it describes Nelson Mandela, and it describes Bernard, a caring, wise, thoughtful, loving, giving and peaceful father and husband. But Bernard is not Nelson Mandela. Sorry, Bernard.
‘So what does Nelson Mandela stand for?’
‘Freedom’ they shouted with one voice.
"That," said Cicero, ‘is not just the difference between Bernard and old Mandiba, that is the difference between a true brand stance and an easy list of attributes.
‘ Understand your stance in the world, understand your true values, what you're actually up to and the why, your reason to get up in the morning — get that right, pursue that mission with full force and fury — and all the attributes you desire will surely follow’
Thirty people created a list of attributes that could describe anyone. But those same people also recognized instantly that Nelson Mandela is not a collection of attributes but a man of purpose, stance, value and pure mission in the world.
And from this we learn that that your brand will never be remembered for attributes but you will be remembered for what you do with them. Nail your market stance and all else will follow. It's not so much what you make and what you sell but why you do that matters and how you do it.
Don’t chase and measure yourself against a long list of attributes, many of which are just the price of entry for all. But instead always work hard to stay on mission and always execute against your stance and not against attributes. Measure the market's understanding of your reason to be — who you are and why you do what you do.
And if you can do all that, my son (and daughter of course), you will have built a great and strong brand. Just like Prisoner 46664. The man we know today as Nelson Mandela.
Is it only me........but what is happening to our sportsmen?
I don’t know if anyone else has noticed but aren’t our footballers getting soft? I might be mistaken, and sometimes when you get old your memory does start to play tricks, but I thought football was a tough, physical, manly sport played by real men. No longer.
Sure the laws have been tightened up so that the kind of guys who revelled in names like ‘Chopper’, ‘Razor’ and ‘Machete’ did not permanently disable you when they tried to get the ball from you, so I guess we must consider that good thing. This not an argument to re-instate football as a blood sport more suited to the Coliseum in Rome than the Emirates.
However I do draw the line at Fancy Dan Footballers with grotesque wages unable to spend a mere 90 minutes in the cold without feeling the need to insulate themselves from a drafty breeze. In my day, and here we are talking long before some Mad Scientist decided that our weather was warming, the only thing that stood between our pale white chafed skin tinged with pinky-blue shading was a thin nylon pair of shorts and top, though we did tend to wear thick socks. We got warm by running around for ninety minutes, a novel thought I know but it did seem to work.
But this does not seem enough for our Fancy Dans.
First they wore under-garments. I could live with that on basis that these help keep your muscles warm which is essential to avoid injury. Little did I know that this was merely the first step to them dressing like wimps. Then they started to wear gloves. And now they are wearing some fashion accessory called a snood, whatever that might be. In my book if it goes around your neck it’s a scarf.
Where will this wimpy behaviour end? It can’t be long before they start to wear trilby hats in the cold weather to go alongside their matching glove and scarf, sorry snood, combo, and overcoats in team colours for when it is especially cold. We might even get to see our Fancy Dan heroes in cashmere pashminas some day soon.
Now it might just be me but could I just point out that the football pitch is exactly that and not a fashion cat walk. It is where you do manly stuff like get stuck into other men who are wearing different colour tops from yours. Got it?
Do you have any views you might wish to share on this matter?
Have a great week and enjoy the Saturnalian revels.
We will see each other after our lums have started to reek.
Felix dies Nativitatis
And please note this is the last dose of wit and wisdom and spiritual enlightenment you are going to get this year. But there are plenty of back copies to keep you amused through the Saturnalian revels. And we will back for more fun and frolics in 2011 once the lums start to reek, as the Celtic tribes to the North say-which means when the chimneys start to smoke to everyone else.
You will know that Cicero no longer has responsibility for the protection of your security and the maintenance of your freedom and that for the past few months he has been advising businesses on how to do marketing better.
In recent weeks Cicero has been spending a lot of time trying to develop a set of words to describe various wannabe brands. This is the kind of thing that gives marketers their kicks. It is legal, doesn’t spoil your nose and still gives a great buzz. Sad I know.
No matter the brand, company, category, product, or service, the most common list of attributes everyone wants to be associated with goes something like this: honesty, accessibility, innovation, invention, forward thinking, collaborative, friendly, and easy to work with, trustworthy, leader, fun. Recognise the exercise? Now who wouldn't want to be all those things? Anyone want to be the opposite?
You might now better understand how difficult is the life of a marketing guru when every other brand has the same words on their list. This is not at all helpful when you are trying to make brands distinctive.
And so here is an exercise which is useful to move things forward.
‘Shout out the attributes of Nelson Mandela’ asked your favourite Marketing Guru ‘I’ll write them on the white board.’
"Brave," came the first response. "Courageous!" quickly followed. As did a whole list of attributes like "altruistic, heroic, peaceful, wise, thoughtful, giving, caring, loving, fearless" and so and so on. You will by now have caught the drift.
"What is the problem with this list?"
Deathly silence.
Then your Marketing Guru pointed to a colleague in the room, let's call him Bernard, and mused, "The problem with the list is that it describes Nelson Mandela, and it describes Bernard, a caring, wise, thoughtful, loving, giving and peaceful father and husband. But Bernard is not Nelson Mandela. Sorry, Bernard.
‘So what does Nelson Mandela stand for?’
‘Freedom’ they shouted with one voice.
"That," said Cicero, ‘is not just the difference between Bernard and old Mandiba, that is the difference between a true brand stance and an easy list of attributes.
‘ Understand your stance in the world, understand your true values, what you're actually up to and the why, your reason to get up in the morning — get that right, pursue that mission with full force and fury — and all the attributes you desire will surely follow’
Thirty people created a list of attributes that could describe anyone. But those same people also recognized instantly that Nelson Mandela is not a collection of attributes but a man of purpose, stance, value and pure mission in the world.
And from this we learn that that your brand will never be remembered for attributes but you will be remembered for what you do with them. Nail your market stance and all else will follow. It's not so much what you make and what you sell but why you do that matters and how you do it.
Don’t chase and measure yourself against a long list of attributes, many of which are just the price of entry for all. But instead always work hard to stay on mission and always execute against your stance and not against attributes. Measure the market's understanding of your reason to be — who you are and why you do what you do.
And if you can do all that, my son (and daughter of course), you will have built a great and strong brand. Just like Prisoner 46664. The man we know today as Nelson Mandela.
Is it only me........but what is happening to our sportsmen?
I don’t know if anyone else has noticed but aren’t our footballers getting soft? I might be mistaken, and sometimes when you get old your memory does start to play tricks, but I thought football was a tough, physical, manly sport played by real men. No longer.
Sure the laws have been tightened up so that the kind of guys who revelled in names like ‘Chopper’, ‘Razor’ and ‘Machete’ did not permanently disable you when they tried to get the ball from you, so I guess we must consider that good thing. This not an argument to re-instate football as a blood sport more suited to the Coliseum in Rome than the Emirates.
However I do draw the line at Fancy Dan Footballers with grotesque wages unable to spend a mere 90 minutes in the cold without feeling the need to insulate themselves from a drafty breeze. In my day, and here we are talking long before some Mad Scientist decided that our weather was warming, the only thing that stood between our pale white chafed skin tinged with pinky-blue shading was a thin nylon pair of shorts and top, though we did tend to wear thick socks. We got warm by running around for ninety minutes, a novel thought I know but it did seem to work.
But this does not seem enough for our Fancy Dans.
First they wore under-garments. I could live with that on basis that these help keep your muscles warm which is essential to avoid injury. Little did I know that this was merely the first step to them dressing like wimps. Then they started to wear gloves. And now they are wearing some fashion accessory called a snood, whatever that might be. In my book if it goes around your neck it’s a scarf.
Where will this wimpy behaviour end? It can’t be long before they start to wear trilby hats in the cold weather to go alongside their matching glove and scarf, sorry snood, combo, and overcoats in team colours for when it is especially cold. We might even get to see our Fancy Dan heroes in cashmere pashminas some day soon.
Now it might just be me but could I just point out that the football pitch is exactly that and not a fashion cat walk. It is where you do manly stuff like get stuck into other men who are wearing different colour tops from yours. Got it?
Do you have any views you might wish to share on this matter?
Have a great week and enjoy the Saturnalian revels.
We will see each other after our lums have started to reek.
Felix dies Nativitatis
Friday, 10 December 2010
Black Magic
Well it seems that last week’s dose of wit and wisdom upset the Guardianistas. It is always pleasing to see them upset.
However as always Cicero will not shy away or censor the critics who exercise their right to disagree and to contend. It is what we are here to do. In the words of Mao ‘let a thousand schools of thought contend....... let a thousand flowers bloom’. Of course this statement did lead to the horrors of the Cultural Revolution so maybe not.
Today we are going to use a card trick to illustrate this week’s key leadership thought. Given that card tricks are highly visual this might be as tricky as ventriloquism on the radio to pull off but if you are prepared to apply your imagination this might just work.
And if it does this will amaze and amuse those relatives, friends and visitors with whom you might be choosing to spend the forthcoming Saturnalian revels.
First of all write down the suit and number of a playing card on a blank sheet of paper, seal it and give it to someone in the room to hold. Tell no one the card you have written down. For the purposes of this exercise you might wish to heighten the drama at the outset by pretending to read minds. Of course you are doing no such thing.
Are you still following this?
Ok to make it easier to follow let us say you wrote the Jack of Diamonds.
Now you need to find a willing volunteer from your audience to be your Debbie McGee. Got one? Now to proceed with a trick which will baffle, astound and confound.
Ask Debbie to name the suits.
‘Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades’.
‘Now pick two of those suits and tell me which two you have selected’, you will ask. And this is where it gets tricky for she could pick any two suits at this point.
‘Hearts and Clubs’.
At this point you now need to start to vary and adapt your answer dependent on the answer Debbie has provided.
‘You have elected to throw away the Diamonds and the Spades. Now I find that very interesting choice and I would like to go a little bit deeper into your choice.’
At this point you as the master magician are waffling madly to ratchet up the tension and suspense and also applying distraction techniques to divert the minds of your rapt audience away from what you are in fact doing.
‘If I asked you to select either Diamonds or Spades to hold onto, which one would it be?'
‘Diamonds’ replies Debbie.
‘Ah Diamonds, a girl’s best friend. A great choice if I may so though it would be interesting if we had the time to discuss what you have against Spades. Ok. In the suit of Diamonds what are the five highest ranking cards?’
‘Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10’.
‘Now pick two of those’
‘Ace and Jack’, replies Debbie.
‘Of the two you have selected, which one do you favour?’
‘Well the Ace is the highest so I guess that is the one I prefer’.
‘So if you give that one to me what is the card that you now hold in your hand?
‘The Jack of Diamonds’
‘Now let’s see what card I wrote down’
Drum roll. Unfold the piece of paper. Study it. Frown. And show your paper to the audience.
‘The Jack of Diamonds’.
Gasps from the audience. Wild spontaneous applause. The room erupts. The card discarded from the pack by Debbie McGee matches the card written down before we even knew that Debbie McGee would be doing the card selection.
And the moral of the tale, and this week’s useful business lesson, if you know where you are trying to go and what you are trying to achieve, you will get there, and take everyone with you, by making sure you ask the right questions along the way.
And if you still don’t get how this ‘trick’ works, re-read the story and try to work out what was happening as we got to the result we were looking for.
It is not black magic. It’s leadership. Or is that just black magic? Discuss.
Is it only me......but this is snow joke.
Apologies for the dreadful pun but we could not let this week go without reference to the snowy weather of the past few days.
And in passing let me say, is it not strange how all those previously making wide eyed wild claims about global warming have gone suddenly quiet? Where are the enviro-mentalists now, we wonder? As we have pointed out countless times before, it is just wonky weather. It happens. Live with it.
But back to my point.
It is annoying in the least when every time we get a few snowflakes in this country, someone, usually dressed in a matching Day Glo high viz vest, the wardrobe of choice for unctuous busy bodies in this country, advises that we should only travel if our journey is ‘absolutely necessary’.
Now when such announcements are made there will no doubt be quite a few shirkers, skivers and slackers (and for the avoidance of doubt I know no one fitting any or all of these descriptions) who will take this as an official recommendation for an extra duvet day. But at what point does a journey stop being absolutely necessary? I think we deserve some guidance on this point.
I think we should consider Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and while I am prepared to concede that journeys done for my self- fulfilment and other self actualisation needs, of which I do very few, might not be ‘absolutely necessary’ in the eyes of Mr Day Glo, anything to do with my basic biological and physiological needs such as shelter, heating, food and water, and earning the spondooliks to buy the same, must be considered an absolutely necessary trip. Would you not agree?
But what about my esteem and achievement needs? Are these absolutely necessary? My belongingness and love needs? My security and order needs? You see Mr Day Glo and his Health and Safety Gualeiter friends do not think about these kinds of things when they make such wild pronouncements on taking trips in the snow and ice.
Fortunately I do.
Last week we even had a senior policeman stressing that this time he really meant the advice about unnecessary journeys. Which does beg two questions.........did he not really mean it before every time he urged us to take an extra duvet day? And next time he issues said advice will he mean it this time? This is the kind of mess such warnings get us into.
It might only be me but I have a solution to help resolve this dilemma. Perhaps when such warnings are issued going forward the advice should be linked to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and instead of linking the warning to some vague reference to necessity we could get warnings like ‘police today advised drivers only to venture forth if they are seeking to satisfy their needs for belongingness and love’. Or in extreme weather only journeys linked to basic biological needs will be allowed. That way we will all know where we stand.
Do you get my drift on this one? And we are not talking snow drifts here.
Have a great week.
Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.
However as always Cicero will not shy away or censor the critics who exercise their right to disagree and to contend. It is what we are here to do. In the words of Mao ‘let a thousand schools of thought contend....... let a thousand flowers bloom’. Of course this statement did lead to the horrors of the Cultural Revolution so maybe not.
Today we are going to use a card trick to illustrate this week’s key leadership thought. Given that card tricks are highly visual this might be as tricky as ventriloquism on the radio to pull off but if you are prepared to apply your imagination this might just work.
And if it does this will amaze and amuse those relatives, friends and visitors with whom you might be choosing to spend the forthcoming Saturnalian revels.
First of all write down the suit and number of a playing card on a blank sheet of paper, seal it and give it to someone in the room to hold. Tell no one the card you have written down. For the purposes of this exercise you might wish to heighten the drama at the outset by pretending to read minds. Of course you are doing no such thing.
Are you still following this?
Ok to make it easier to follow let us say you wrote the Jack of Diamonds.
Now you need to find a willing volunteer from your audience to be your Debbie McGee. Got one? Now to proceed with a trick which will baffle, astound and confound.
Ask Debbie to name the suits.
‘Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades’.
‘Now pick two of those suits and tell me which two you have selected’, you will ask. And this is where it gets tricky for she could pick any two suits at this point.
‘Hearts and Clubs’.
At this point you now need to start to vary and adapt your answer dependent on the answer Debbie has provided.
‘You have elected to throw away the Diamonds and the Spades. Now I find that very interesting choice and I would like to go a little bit deeper into your choice.’
At this point you as the master magician are waffling madly to ratchet up the tension and suspense and also applying distraction techniques to divert the minds of your rapt audience away from what you are in fact doing.
‘If I asked you to select either Diamonds or Spades to hold onto, which one would it be?'
‘Diamonds’ replies Debbie.
‘Ah Diamonds, a girl’s best friend. A great choice if I may so though it would be interesting if we had the time to discuss what you have against Spades. Ok. In the suit of Diamonds what are the five highest ranking cards?’
‘Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10’.
‘Now pick two of those’
‘Ace and Jack’, replies Debbie.
‘Of the two you have selected, which one do you favour?’
‘Well the Ace is the highest so I guess that is the one I prefer’.
‘So if you give that one to me what is the card that you now hold in your hand?
‘The Jack of Diamonds’
‘Now let’s see what card I wrote down’
Drum roll. Unfold the piece of paper. Study it. Frown. And show your paper to the audience.
‘The Jack of Diamonds’.
Gasps from the audience. Wild spontaneous applause. The room erupts. The card discarded from the pack by Debbie McGee matches the card written down before we even knew that Debbie McGee would be doing the card selection.
And the moral of the tale, and this week’s useful business lesson, if you know where you are trying to go and what you are trying to achieve, you will get there, and take everyone with you, by making sure you ask the right questions along the way.
And if you still don’t get how this ‘trick’ works, re-read the story and try to work out what was happening as we got to the result we were looking for.
It is not black magic. It’s leadership. Or is that just black magic? Discuss.
Is it only me......but this is snow joke.
Apologies for the dreadful pun but we could not let this week go without reference to the snowy weather of the past few days.
And in passing let me say, is it not strange how all those previously making wide eyed wild claims about global warming have gone suddenly quiet? Where are the enviro-mentalists now, we wonder? As we have pointed out countless times before, it is just wonky weather. It happens. Live with it.
But back to my point.
It is annoying in the least when every time we get a few snowflakes in this country, someone, usually dressed in a matching Day Glo high viz vest, the wardrobe of choice for unctuous busy bodies in this country, advises that we should only travel if our journey is ‘absolutely necessary’.
Now when such announcements are made there will no doubt be quite a few shirkers, skivers and slackers (and for the avoidance of doubt I know no one fitting any or all of these descriptions) who will take this as an official recommendation for an extra duvet day. But at what point does a journey stop being absolutely necessary? I think we deserve some guidance on this point.
I think we should consider Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and while I am prepared to concede that journeys done for my self- fulfilment and other self actualisation needs, of which I do very few, might not be ‘absolutely necessary’ in the eyes of Mr Day Glo, anything to do with my basic biological and physiological needs such as shelter, heating, food and water, and earning the spondooliks to buy the same, must be considered an absolutely necessary trip. Would you not agree?
But what about my esteem and achievement needs? Are these absolutely necessary? My belongingness and love needs? My security and order needs? You see Mr Day Glo and his Health and Safety Gualeiter friends do not think about these kinds of things when they make such wild pronouncements on taking trips in the snow and ice.
Fortunately I do.
Last week we even had a senior policeman stressing that this time he really meant the advice about unnecessary journeys. Which does beg two questions.........did he not really mean it before every time he urged us to take an extra duvet day? And next time he issues said advice will he mean it this time? This is the kind of mess such warnings get us into.
It might only be me but I have a solution to help resolve this dilemma. Perhaps when such warnings are issued going forward the advice should be linked to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and instead of linking the warning to some vague reference to necessity we could get warnings like ‘police today advised drivers only to venture forth if they are seeking to satisfy their needs for belongingness and love’. Or in extreme weather only journeys linked to basic biological needs will be allowed. That way we will all know where we stand.
Do you get my drift on this one? And we are not talking snow drifts here.
Have a great week.
Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.
Friday, 3 December 2010
Like water off a duck's back
It is pleasing to note that there are people out there who don’t just add their opinion to and comment upon Cicero’s opinions, but who also take the time and trouble to help Cicero understand better the vernacular of the modern world. We are all indebted to Anonymous for defining the word ‘mojo’. And if you don’t what we are talking about, please see last week’s dose of wit and wisdom and the comments subsequently appended.
And as you will no doubt agree wholeheartedly, Cicero has lost none of his ‘uncanny personal power or influence’ as projected through these words.
And so to this week’s soupcon of wisdom and enlightenment.
Last week Cicero had to persuade a mightily important Head Honcho heading up a business offering services to other businesses that his newly carefully crafted marketing strategy could be likened to ‘throwing bread on the water for the ducks’.
To say he was puzzled was an understatement but after explanation he soon got and understood the analogy and this analogy will be relevant to many of you also marketing to other businesses.
For what happens when you throw bread on the water in front of ducks? They will take a nibble of some of your crusts. And the more bread you throw, the more likely you are to get the ducks to nibble. Sometimes marketing is just so simple.
For unlike marketing to consumers, it is mightily difficult with B2B services to stimulate demand. Customers are not going to buy more engines, machine tools or even accountancy services just because you have tried to market to them. No matter how good your marketing might be, and we know it will be very good, such decisions are not taken spontaneously or without deep and detailed consideration of all the options, suppliers and costs. We are talking here about major purchase and investment decisions.
In market places like these therefore the role of the marketer is to keep the spotlight on the name and the proposition through as many channels as possible so that when the buy decision gets made, your brand remains top of mind. It is just like feeding ducks.
And to make this happen great marketers will use every means at their disposal to communicate with the market through as many broadcast and narrowcast media as possible-ads of course, but also things like PR releases, surveys, events, thought pieces, seminars, direct marketing, tweets and so on. The list is endless. And the challenge is on to find interesting ways to keep your name in lights and to keep renting space in the mind of your target and potential customers. Even Christmas Cards, ooooops sorry, Season’s Greetings Cards, we must not offend the Politically Correct Brigade, and diaries emblazoned with the brand, get sucked into this battle and at this time of the year get drafted in as bread for ducks. And you thought it was because someone wanted to be nice to you. Foolish and naive child.
Take a look at service firms’ websites. You will see them loaded with blogs, newsletters, press releases, events and sign up opportunities. And every one of these pieces of communication is designed to get their name into the market place and in front of customers and to keep it there. They are always finding reasons to communicate, something to say, opinions to be expressed. In short they are constantly throwing bread on the water. And this is what lies at the heart of a great Quack Quack Marketing Strategy-it is all about finding things to talk about with your market.
And hopefully you get it now........just like Cicero’s Head Honcho.
You may think that the things you read here a wee bit bonkers. This time the idea really is quackers. Quack, quack.
Is it only me........but I’m not so sure that this really is good news.
While reading widely the other day to ensure my knowledge and wisdom were being kept up to date, I came across an announcement from the latest and newest government Quango, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, and was struck dumb.
It seems that this Quango now expects 330,000 public sector Apparatchiks to lose their jobs over the next four years, far fewer than the 490,000 it forecast in its June report. This is no doubt good news to the 160,000 Apparatchiks who will be kept on at taxpayer expense. But what about the rest of us?
The OBR Quangocrats have said it had changed the Apparatchik job forecast because the government of the Two Caesars ‘ had put more emphasis on welfare cuts and less on departmental spending cuts since it made its earlier forecast.’
Now far be it for me, a humble marketing personage to query the role and capability of this economic Quango but I do not greet this announcement with vocal whoops of joy, a lot of high fiving and heaps of knuckle knocking. Is this really good news-fewer Apparatchiks than previously thought to be culled?
But surely the OBR is looking at the issue through the wrong end of the telescope. And given that the key word in the title of the OBR is ‘responsibility, might I respectfully suggest that the Head OBR Quangocrat listen up and pay attention before he, or she, becomes the Head of the Office of Budget Irresponsibility.
The real issue is not that fewer Apparatchiks than previously thought might need to learn to SatNav to their local Job Centre Plus but how many we actually need or how many we, the hard pressed tax payers, are willing to pay for. And this is what I would like the OBR to examine if it wants to retain its moniker.
In short at the end of the day whether it be 330,000 or 490,000 fewer, we are just circumcising gnats. Tough on those involved but no tougher than the circumstances being faced by those in the wealth creating sector for a good while now. And given the size of the Apparatchik sector, this level of circumcision should be accomplished relatively pain free and should be well within natural levels of people turnover.
Hopefully one or even both of the Two Caesars is reading and sharing my thinking. Just trying to be helpful as usual.
What do you think?
Have a great week.
Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.
And as you will no doubt agree wholeheartedly, Cicero has lost none of his ‘uncanny personal power or influence’ as projected through these words.
And so to this week’s soupcon of wisdom and enlightenment.
Last week Cicero had to persuade a mightily important Head Honcho heading up a business offering services to other businesses that his newly carefully crafted marketing strategy could be likened to ‘throwing bread on the water for the ducks’.
To say he was puzzled was an understatement but after explanation he soon got and understood the analogy and this analogy will be relevant to many of you also marketing to other businesses.
For what happens when you throw bread on the water in front of ducks? They will take a nibble of some of your crusts. And the more bread you throw, the more likely you are to get the ducks to nibble. Sometimes marketing is just so simple.
For unlike marketing to consumers, it is mightily difficult with B2B services to stimulate demand. Customers are not going to buy more engines, machine tools or even accountancy services just because you have tried to market to them. No matter how good your marketing might be, and we know it will be very good, such decisions are not taken spontaneously or without deep and detailed consideration of all the options, suppliers and costs. We are talking here about major purchase and investment decisions.
In market places like these therefore the role of the marketer is to keep the spotlight on the name and the proposition through as many channels as possible so that when the buy decision gets made, your brand remains top of mind. It is just like feeding ducks.
And to make this happen great marketers will use every means at their disposal to communicate with the market through as many broadcast and narrowcast media as possible-ads of course, but also things like PR releases, surveys, events, thought pieces, seminars, direct marketing, tweets and so on. The list is endless. And the challenge is on to find interesting ways to keep your name in lights and to keep renting space in the mind of your target and potential customers. Even Christmas Cards, ooooops sorry, Season’s Greetings Cards, we must not offend the Politically Correct Brigade, and diaries emblazoned with the brand, get sucked into this battle and at this time of the year get drafted in as bread for ducks. And you thought it was because someone wanted to be nice to you. Foolish and naive child.
Take a look at service firms’ websites. You will see them loaded with blogs, newsletters, press releases, events and sign up opportunities. And every one of these pieces of communication is designed to get their name into the market place and in front of customers and to keep it there. They are always finding reasons to communicate, something to say, opinions to be expressed. In short they are constantly throwing bread on the water. And this is what lies at the heart of a great Quack Quack Marketing Strategy-it is all about finding things to talk about with your market.
And hopefully you get it now........just like Cicero’s Head Honcho.
You may think that the things you read here a wee bit bonkers. This time the idea really is quackers. Quack, quack.
Is it only me........but I’m not so sure that this really is good news.
While reading widely the other day to ensure my knowledge and wisdom were being kept up to date, I came across an announcement from the latest and newest government Quango, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, and was struck dumb.
It seems that this Quango now expects 330,000 public sector Apparatchiks to lose their jobs over the next four years, far fewer than the 490,000 it forecast in its June report. This is no doubt good news to the 160,000 Apparatchiks who will be kept on at taxpayer expense. But what about the rest of us?
The OBR Quangocrats have said it had changed the Apparatchik job forecast because the government of the Two Caesars ‘ had put more emphasis on welfare cuts and less on departmental spending cuts since it made its earlier forecast.’
Now far be it for me, a humble marketing personage to query the role and capability of this economic Quango but I do not greet this announcement with vocal whoops of joy, a lot of high fiving and heaps of knuckle knocking. Is this really good news-fewer Apparatchiks than previously thought to be culled?
But surely the OBR is looking at the issue through the wrong end of the telescope. And given that the key word in the title of the OBR is ‘responsibility, might I respectfully suggest that the Head OBR Quangocrat listen up and pay attention before he, or she, becomes the Head of the Office of Budget Irresponsibility.
The real issue is not that fewer Apparatchiks than previously thought might need to learn to SatNav to their local Job Centre Plus but how many we actually need or how many we, the hard pressed tax payers, are willing to pay for. And this is what I would like the OBR to examine if it wants to retain its moniker.
In short at the end of the day whether it be 330,000 or 490,000 fewer, we are just circumcising gnats. Tough on those involved but no tougher than the circumstances being faced by those in the wealth creating sector for a good while now. And given the size of the Apparatchik sector, this level of circumcision should be accomplished relatively pain free and should be well within natural levels of people turnover.
Hopefully one or even both of the Two Caesars is reading and sharing my thinking. Just trying to be helpful as usual.
What do you think?
Have a great week.
Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.
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