You Don’t Need To Compete When You Know Who You Are

Before globalisation, marketing, hair straighteners and the bullworker, our tribal ancestors and village businesses stood out by excelling at their craft. They became known for doing the thing other people in the village couldn’t or wouldn’t do. They were beloved for the way they went about their work. Not much has changed about how loyalty…

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A Thousand Times

The young mother explains the dangers of running across the road to her toddler for what seems like the thousandth time. The Japanese furniture maker begins sanding the chair his customer in Sydney ordered six months ago. The app developer reads every review of his beta looking for ways to make it better. The barista…

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Noticed Vs. Remembered

For every ten things we do today to get noticed we will do one thing worthy of being remembered. The irony, of course, is what we want deep down is to do work that’s remembered—not just noticed. We only achieve that goal by redressing this imbalance—forsaking the desire for attention today, to double down on…

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What Makes Or Breaks A Business?

When we think about business successes or failures we focus on the highs and lows—the news-worthy triumphs or missteps. These are the moments in which we believe businesses are made or broken. Our theory couldn’t be further from the truth. Businesses succeed or fail on an ordinary Friday afternoon when a difficult customer calls just…

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What’s Your Reason?

The pressure to take part in the race to be first is real, and not just in business. We’re subtly enrolled and invested in this quest from the moment our parents start comparing our progress from cutting teeth to crawling, with that of our peers. Our culture associates coming first with being happier, having more…

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Less But Better

In the bygone era of local shopping strips lined with family owned businesses the job of each business wasn’t simply to make a profit—it was to add value to the community it served. Every business had a purpose beyond the single bottom line. Every transaction, from a pint of milk to five screws wrapped tightly…

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Why You Need To Build A Story-Driven Business

What drives our desire to get better at telling the story of our products, services and companies? We’re used to thinking of story as a way to create and communicate value. We know the running shoe with a tick on the side is more valuable than the one without because of the expectations and meaning…

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The Art Of Discovering Opportunities

How often do we look down when we could look up? How often do we do the obvious instead of exploring what’s been overlooked? How often do we sit tight when we could dive in? How often do we make excuses instead of making our mark? How often do we look away when we could…

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How Our Actions And Results Align

If we want attention, we must deliver value. If we want to be innovative, we must practice empathy. If we want loyalty, we must give respect. If we want to be believed, we must earn trust. If we want rewards, we must embrace risks. If we want to matter, we must create meaning. We not…

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Making Your Mark

Making a mark is not something we talk openly about that much, but it’s something we think about a hell of a lot. From the grandmother who hands down her legendary Christmas pudding recipe, to my Uber driver who, despite having held a managerial position with a big retailer for sixteen years, ‘wants to build…

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