Employees may well have ridden the storm so far without jumping ship in order to maintain job security and stability.  Yet after the storm has passed, employers will need to take stock of the mood in the workplace.  Trust in leadership has been reported at an all-time low; redundancies and often unexpected change has created low morale, while pay has been frozen, benefits cut and the direction of many organisations unclear.  Change and uncertainty has resulted in inadequate communication within many large organisations which just exacerbates the problem, and investment in training and development and engagement initiatives have been cut.   It doesn’t look pretty.

The implications are scary.  As job opportunities resurface many employees who have clung on will now seek new opportunities and a brighter future elsewhere.  The cost of recruitment and training is huge, so the very resources that have been cut to make savings will be challenged again for all the wrong reasons.  Yet not all organisations are in the same boat (forgive all these maritime puns) … those which have committed to regular and honest communication, made great efforts to keep their staff engaged and informed are far more likely to come out of recession in relatively good shape.  Industries such as civil engineering, where past contracts are about to expire and new contracts on the cards, are about to hit the buffers – and they need to prepare now to tell a good Story to keep people focused, aligned and committed.

For those who may not have spent time and effort keeping their employees on board?  While the proportion of cynics may have increased, and there may be a hard slog ahead, it’s never too late to tell your Story…

Trust inside business is a critical basis for achievement.  Leaders have to earn the trust of their teams, and vice versa.  A platform of trust will enable inspired performance, as opposed to “keeping our heads down”.  Trusted people achieve more – they can carry out their endeavours within broad frameworks, innovating, dealing with customers, solving problems, and managing money, all without micro-management.

The old structures of command and control undermined trust.  They kept information hidden, and it became a currency of power.  That isn’t possible any longer, so in today’s connected world trust is the new currency of power.

My view is that a really successful business – one that outperforms competition – needs a compelling purpose and journey forward, using that context to set a clear framework for everyone to operate within.  Leaders must demonstrate that they trust and are trusted.  To do this, they need to clearly demonstrate two things.  First, that they really believe in and support their team members to make the journey happen, and constantly reinforce that trust through the way they interact.  Second, that the leaders themselves are trustworthy, delivering on their own promises.  The recessionary environment has made this a lot harder to do, and if any of that trust has been eroded, now’s the time to rebuild it.

In America on 27th January 2010, two men gave two very different speeches.  Both President Obama and Steve Jobs took to the stage last night to command the world’s attention.  President Obama’s first State of Union came in the wake of a media storm following last week’s Massachusett’s election, while Steve Jobs introduced the iPad, having managed to generate a whirl of popular speculation around Apple’s latest launch without saying a word.

In his State of the Union, President Obama set out his agenda for the next year, re-prioritising job creation over his healthcare reform plans and with a mandate to reassure the American population of his intentions.  The White House has recently been criticised for being too insular and for losing touch with the people – some of whom had the opportunity to demonstrate their dissatisfaction in last week’s Massachusetts election and the surrounding Republican campaign.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the country, Steve Jobs and Apple were maintaining a highly staged, portentous silence (if such a thing is possible) while the media and blogosphere did all the PR for them.  Last night, Jobs unveiled the latest product in Apple’s arsenal.  Hailed as the ‘Jesus’ tablet because the publishing industry’s hopes for salvation are said to rest on its success – putting their trust in Apple’s ability to fundamentally alter the way we interact with different media, in the same way they did with the iPod and iPhone.  Jobs is notorious for doing no market research and for his personal involvement in product development – he is very much the leader of the business and indeed the face of Apple: share values plummet in his absence and his compelling presentation style is legendary.

So.  On the one hand you have criticism for someone getting on with the job without due consultation with his audience, but on the other hand you have someone heralded as a marketing genius for doing exactly the same thing.

Communication, media and social media have played critical roles in the different paths of these two men and you can really see both the good and bad sides of holding the weight of so much responsibility under such scrutiny.  The future of America and western democracy lie in the persuasive powers of Barack Obama, while the next step for human communication await the reception of the iPad.  Barack Obama was pre-emptively awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 seemingly for what he represented, as much as for any action he had taken, and his inauguration was celebrated as a step-change in American culture.  But, just one year in and the critics are questioning his ability to deliver.  Steve Jobs seems integral to Apple’s future to provide the vision of possibility and innovation, but what does this reliance mean for the company’s future?  Where does Apple go in the, ultimately inevitable, Jobs’-less future (an unfortunate pun?) and what happens to the hope that Obama brought to a nation (and the Nobel committee) if he cannot deliver what he promised for an acceptable price?

Finally, what does it say for democracy when more people tune into Jobs’ speech about another product that aims to achieve the iPod’s ubiquity, than to hear the leader of the free world deliver his plans for conquering the worst economic crisis in living memory.  It is Steve’s iPad on the front page of today’s (British) Financial Times and number one on the Google search list (US) – with the State of the Union coming in second.  It will be interesting to see who gets the most youtube hits… and to see who’s still standing when the next election comes around.  Either way, the weight of responsibility and the scrutiny of the world rests on these two, very 21st-century, leaders.

As we lounged by candlelight in comfortable leather chairs – an atmosphere more akin to a cosy country residence than a club in Soho – Andy energetically took us through the five expressions of The Balvenie – Signature, Single Barrel, Doublewood, Portwood and the no-longer-available-limited-edition Rum Cask (which made a handsome version of the most delicious mojito!).  We studied and experienced the colours, aromas, flavours, different characters and personalities of each expression ( a ‘conversation’, as Andy called it), and learnt about the unique method of ageing and flavouring the whisky from different types of oak cask.   We heard the story of the Speyside distillery, the traditional methodology used, the people whose lives are dedicated to the handcrafting of this delicious single malt and the different roles each person has to play in its unique creation.  Homage was paid to the malt master, David Stewart , whose experience and talent is key to the success of the range, but recognising – like so many success stories – that it is true teamwork that makes it happen.

And then there was Nigel Barden.  Our friend and entertaining BBC food critic did us proud in rounding off the evening by revisiting the story of Robbie Burns, the celebration of Burns Night and the tradition of that ‘chieftain o’ the puddin’ race’, the haggis, which made an appearance complete with neeps and tatties for all to sample (the whisky sauce, of course, made with The Balvenie’s smooth Doublewood).

Tradition and heritage is often clouded by the mechanical processes, large-scale production and focus on the bottom line which characterises today’s commercial world.  It’s during evenings like these that we often realise just how much we take our oldest traditions for granted, without appreciating the rich seam of stories that sit behind the creation of the food and drink we enjoy so much.  But aside from the wonderful educational experience (or conversation) of last night, what struck me was the extraordinary bonding of the human race in creating things for others to enjoy, and the bonding that comes from that collective enjoyment and celebration itself.

Have you seen the latest one? A seasoned old-timer reading from a story book tells us how his ancestors left their homeland to brave oceans and snowstorms before ending up in … Russia. There’s courage.

It just goes to show that stories don’t only work beautifully for humans. And although I’m not that fussed about cheaper car insurance, I definitely want a meerkat for Christmas.

ps My wife loves them too. Her name is Kat. Coincidence? I think not.

First, I noticed my son Dominic (who is 16) using phrases such as “No Charlie” and “That hurts Charlie” dropped into everyday speech – as 16 year-olds do!  There was a particular way that he said it, a kind of baby-talk.  I just dismissed it as a “different generation” thing.  Then, he was on the computer playing youtube videos, and happened to play the one this came from.  I was on the London underground a few days later – and a small girl was using exactly the same phrases.  I have since discovered that this youtube video has been viewed 149 million times!  From a chance filming on a home camera of a couple of kids new phrases almost instantly appeared in youth speech!Then, last week our creative leader Ryan Dixon copied us all on a link to a very interesting demonstration of the power of green screen filming.  This was impressive enough, then I heard Dominic talking about exactly the same site a couple of days later – and  I certainly hadn’t mentioned it to him!  I happened to like the sound track on this site, so within seconds I found out what it was, bought it on iTunes, synched it to my iPod, and within half an hour was driving along listening to the range of great music from Emancipator.

The sharing of ideas and “cool things” is happening globally and instantly now that broadband is becoming the norm.  Discovering and buying things instantly is not only possible but an everyday thing.  For those of us involved in the world loosely called “communications” the ground is shifting very fast indeed.

Isn’t language fascinating?  I have always been amazed at how squiggles, lines, dots and sounds can combine to form such beautifully intricate forms of communication.

So what if our access to language, and literature was restricted?  We all take freedom of print for granted, and yet there have been many instances where regimes actively regulate the consumption of written material.  The most well known was the Cultural Revolution in China (1966-1976), a time when any non-propagandist literature was actively banned.  Anybody found reading, discussing or creating non-sanctioned material would have their lives systematically and publically destroyed.  The result was the creation of well over a decade (the problem did not right itself overnight) of active paranoia and crippling fear throughout the country.  Friendships and families were almost impossible to maintain, and the entire country’s social structure dissolved.

Very 1984, but very real.

It is hard to imagine such a time, and to have such a basic human right (as I believe it is) taken away from you.  At the end of the Cultural Revolution, people were desperate for literature.  As the suffocated country gasped for air, stories were written spontaneously, sporadically and with vigour.  It has taken a long time for this ‘Scar Literature’ to shake itself free of the literary shackles to become original, propaganda-free material, for society to heal itself and for the written word to once again become the esteemed art it was always held to be.

The telling of stories is something far more powerful than any of us can imagine.  Only when absent is its true gravity felt, and we should all appreciate the beauty, fragility and power of our language always.

Essentially, two key themes emerge from the book. The benefits of a ‘check-six’ culture (check-six referring to the six o’clock position where the jet is at it’s most vulnerable – the pilot’s blind spot) and the pivotal role of ‘the wingman’.

‘’A good wingman will give you mission-critical feedback, catch your errors, ask questions and propose challenging scenarios to push you forward’’

The best environments, he argues, are those where the different backgrounds, skills, strengths and experiences of those involved are combined in pursuit of a single shared objective. The worst (and sometimes fatal) are where a maverick pilot, team leader, or member of the crew operates in isolation.

Waldman argues that in today’s environment mutual support networks, the harnessing of combined strengths and clear communication are critical to success – not least because we’re only human. We make mistakes, we have limited perspectives and we have to work in volatile stressful environments that lead to tunnel vision, emotional decision-making and task saturation. This ultimately dilutes our ability to function at our best. Effective ‘check-six’ environments enabled by trusted ‘wingmen’ encourage discipline, allow us to take calculated risks, free up communication, and help us to focus our collective capabilities.

How much more decisive would we be if we knew that our strengths were being used to their greatest effect and that our own blind spots were being covered?

This takes nothing away from the individual strength leaders (from any level in the organisation) need to inspire others towards a common purpose. Nor does the theory lend itself to purist committee or consensus styles of operation, which can lead to a reduction in pace and decisive action. It simply demonstrates that more informed decision-making and direction setting can be achieved by a business that is able to harness it’s strengths and capabilities effectively – whatever the challenge or opportunity.

I admit, Christmas day is not usually the moment to get all excited about the prospect of some personal time with a business management book – regardless of the strength of the message. What hooked me into this one was the writer’s use of real-life stories to communicate his experiences of a life continually challenged by change, fear, volatility and tough decision-making, and how he applied these to his business and personal life.  His ability to tell a good story is powerful. Firstly, the very personal reflections of true experiences draw the reader inside the narrative so that we understand and connect to the challenge faced, the heroes involved, the drama, the action and the resolution. Secondly, the stories and anecdotes are a memorable mix of fact and emotion that any reader can relate to, apply the learning from or pass on to others. Finally, each story serves to build on the ‘why, what and how?’ that sits behind the overarching message of the book. They connect us back to the importance of us being, and having wingmen, and to the potential benefits that developing a ‘check-six’ culture could mean in today’s environment.

A McKinsey quarterly survey highlights the value of non-cash motivators, such as praise from immediate managers, leadership attention, and a chance to lead projects. These are no less, and often more, motivational than cash bonuses, increased base pay or stock options.

Indeed, praise or commendation from the immediate manager scored the highest of all motivators in the survey of over 1,000 executives, managers and employees from all over the world.

70 percent of organisations have adjusted their reward programmes during the last year (or plan to do so), but at the same time 13 percent report that managers praise their subordinates less often, 20 percent that opportunities to lead projects are scarcer, and 26 percent that leadership attention to motivate talent is less forthcoming.

This seems hugely short-sighted. While most people on a reasonable salary will accept the financial realities of current times, for leaders and managers not to offer more praise, pay more attention to colleagues and offer interesting project opportunities seems a sure path to poor performance and a lack of energy as economies turn for the better.

Part One – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8357012.stm

Part Two - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8416136.stm

And there it was. At the heart of it we all agreed that watching the highs and lows of Team Cola each week had forged a connection, an emotional bond. And clearly millions of TV viewers felt the same as they were compelled to vote for Chris and Ola.

Sharing the story of Chris and Ola’s transformation was truly an emotional journey!

Unfortunately the trendy canon (I think that’s the right term) didn’t quite hit the mark. He gave a short talk about the pressures of shopping, inappropriate presents, the Copenhagen summit and even Greek Gods. But he didn’t once mention what I sort of assumed Christmas is actually supposed to be about, which is … well, the Christmas story.

I came away humming Silent Night happily enough, but amazed at how easy it is to miss the really obvious big story, even when it’s right under your nose.

The ad builds upon the great press campaign which ran earlier in the year, where hard-hitting copy and brave art direction shared the stories of children who had been given up on. Indeed, they won many awards but that comes secondary to the role they played in delivering a clear and direct message to the masses.

The new campaign, launched just a few weeks ago, uses laconic narrative, similar in style to that of a text message, to tell the story of a young girl. The film uses the trademark Banardos sepia tones and cleverly uses the  same eight scenes to tell a story of two halves; the young girls transition in and out of various and troubling situations.

To see the full advert click here. Visit Barnardo’s website to read the true story and find out about The Teens’ Speech this Christmas day.

There’s been as many critics of CSR as there have advocates. That’s to say, it’s never been a government initiative, nor has it been obligatory. It’s voluntary and, as such, has swayed in both directions since its conception.

But what does CSR mean for businesses? Can it really affect the bottom line? Can it embed itself sufficiently within a business or brand and become a competitive advantage?

Some years ago, I attended a talk by the founder of the clothing label Howies. As a business, Howies pride themselves on their ethics and it’s become the thread by which the company has grown and flourished (indeed they were recently purchased by Timberland). Every aspect of the brand is as sustainable as can be. Every product is produced with as little environmental impact as humanly possible. Every catalogue printed on recycled stock and printed with vegetable inks. And, every employee as earthly as the brand they represent.

All of this is, collectively, what makes Howies appealing to its customers. So much so that they trade almost entirely on their principles alone. Subtle marketing, no gimmicks and no expensive ad campaigns. CSR, for Howies, has become a real competitive advantage and certainly reaches to their bottom line.

What Howies does isn’t new though. (You just have to look at the great work Anita Roddick and team did with The Bodyshop). But it works for them. They trusted their own beliefs and built a brand which echoes those beliefs, and the beliefs of their customers.

So (and this isn’t a final summary as such but something to ponder) CSR, and indeed corporate/brand values, need to be the foundations by which a business is formed. To add them like you would condiments to a finished plate of food will only affect the credibility and authenticity of the approach. CSR needs to reside within the DNA of an organisation and should be a personality trait that every employee is proud of.

The cards include the strapline ‘print and paper have a great environmental story to tell’ and have a short and punchy story on the back which has been illustrated on the front.

It’s a really engaging way to communicate the incredibly important topic of renewable and recyclable paper sources. And, of course, a rather good advert for their product!

I get a lot of mailers in the post but this one feels like a little more consideration has been put in to crafting it and ensuring that it’s not just another piece of marketing bumpf. And, the beautiful illustrations make it just too hard to throw in the (recycling) bin!

So, I was pleased to read a great article by Anna Richardson called ‘picture perfect’ in today’s Design Week newsletter which featured an array of beautiful packaging projects from such studios as Elmwood and Pearlfisher.

The article was a real testament to the value an illustrator, or illustrators in some cases, can bring to a project. Torben Dunn, group design director at Elmwood explains:

‘We have people who can draw fantastically well, but there are times when you know that if you gave the project to an illustrator they could add something extra. It’s important not to accept second best and get the client to invest in someone who can turn it up another 10 per cent. There’s always some magic an illustrator can bring.’

Illustration breathes personality into a project; introducing a viscerally engaging element. I personally champion the notion of words and pictures being as one, but they really connect on two distinct levels – rationally and emotionally.

We call this the ‘visual connection’ and illustration, more so at times than photography, is a much welcomed and fresh perspective within a corporate environment.

What’s extraordinary about this book is the sheer ambition of its scope.  Bryson deals with the Big Bang, quantum theory, extinctions, epidemics and earthquakes, subjects which have sunk many a high-brow academic tome.  Yet A Short History… is the most popular non-fiction book of the decade.  Why?

The answer is that Bryson is a born storyteller.  He takes this formidable array of scientific subjects and he presents them in a clear, compelling narrative.  There is cause and effect, there is a timeline, and there’s even a reason to care: he gleefully explains all the many things that could go wrong with our planet at any second!

Not all of us have Bryson’s skill with words, but if he can spin a great yarn around incomprehensible physics and geology, we should all be able to do the same for our own areas of expertise.

Ride on public transport or get stuck behind slow walking teenagers on their way to school and you’ll hear them using words like ‘innit’, ‘bruv’, ’sik’ and ‘you get me?’  Whether you ‘get me’ and approve of these new breakthroughs is a matter of personal opinion but, like them or loathe them, slang is here to stay – well, at least until the next set of terms comes along.

This article got me thinking – has slang always been with us? What purpose does it serve? Maybe it came about simply to alienate the generations older than those using it? Is it a language, a dialect, or something in between?

One thing’s for certain – slang is all around us and it’s popular with the generation who are going to be running our businesses of the future.

So you better get down wiv the kids if you’re gonna stand a chance of being an effective communicator for your business in the future…Knowhatamean?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8388545.stm

Sir Ken is a born entertainer and storyteller.  Yet within his stand-up-comedian-style-act  is a serious message about the need to allow people the freedom to act and behave naturally – out of the box – if they are to fulfill their true potential.  He cites the example of dancer and choreographer Gillian Lynne, whose parents thought she had some disorder because she fidgeted a lot and couldn’t concentrate at school.  Luckily for Gillian, a piece of simple advice by an insightful specialist – to allow her move and dance by sending her to dance school – was her salvation.   She has since gone on to make millions, and some of the most successful shows on the planet can be attributed in part to her talent.

Sir Ken’s beef is that stereotypical education leads us to lose our natural creativity.  We are born with it, but ‘educated out of it’ as we are led through a rigorous programme of conventional subjects such as maths and science in order to make us ’successful’ later in life.  For many, natural abilities are stifled as they conform to the educational norm.

Not surprising then that some people lose their way, their confidence and their dreams, fitting in with what their teachers and parents feel is the safe and sensible bet.  There must be thousands of people in this world that, given half a chance, could channel their natural skills and talent in a way which would add massive value to business, the arts, media, politics etc etc etc (personally I can think of at least one person whose extraordinary creative, artistic flair has been suppressed by a life-long career in accountancy because she just happened to be good with numbers.  Now saddled with a house, a mortgage and approaching middle-age, accountancy seems to be the safe place to stay, yet you wonder what might have been…).

As an aside, I have been inspired by the International Baccalaureate qualification where a far more varied curriculum (including recognition for voluntary work, theory of knowledge, art, a modern language, science, maths etc) allows pupils to explore their natural aptitude further before settling on a particular field.  More and more universities are accepting the IB qualification which opens a gateway to international study, and indeed many are champions of it. This is to be celebrated.

Watch this clip.  It has inspired me and I hope it does you.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html