KR Connect – Blog of Kevin Roberts, founder Red Rose Consulting, business leader and educator

La Casa de Carlota

2022-12-04T15:48:00.001-05:00

Herdy has been Roaming Free, from The Lakes to Barcelona. Herdy Founder and Creative Director, Spencer Hannah, found La Casa de Carlota, and ISDIN Golden Girl Steph Barbier, set up a meeting for us all to connect at their beautiful old home in Avinguda Diagonal. We were hosted by legendary Spanish Creative (and Founder of La Casa), José María Batalla Escrivà and CEO Laura Murtra.

What an experience. The first design studio in the world to include creatives with intellectual disabilities in its team. Experienced creatives working directly with talented folks with Down Syndrome, or Autism, or Schizophrenia. Inclusion – real inclusion – in action. They’re working on a couple of briefs for us.

An afternoon of learning, amazement and joy. A brilliant, creative, social initiative.

A brilliant day.

Foodie Friday – AVO, AVO, AVO – OY! OY! OY!

2022-11-24T20:28:00.000-05:00

A guest blog from Trudy.

Walking through the streets of London on a beautiful fall day in November is a joy. Destination was Covent Garden to explore the interesting, ever-changing area and the eclectic shops. Walking around London never gets old, there is always something new. And what a find I found!

AVOBAR - “Superfood” caught my eye.

Inspired by one of my most favourite foods - the Avocado, AVOBAR has a fascinating menu with dishes created around the Avocado. I knew then and there that this would be my lunch stop, deciding what to choose on the menu was not so easy to decide. As they offer all day dining, with dishes like Matcha Pancakes Sweet, to Avo Bun Lobster (the bun is actually the avocado with lobster chunks, mango, passion fruit, and tabasco as the filling) I found myself wanting to try them all.

My choice was the Superfood Salad - greens with curly kale, quinoa, beetroot, pickled carrots, omega mix and avo half with parsley drizzle. It was delicious – clean, flavourful, healthy and perfect for lunchtime (the dinner plan was The Ivy so I didn’t want to overindulge at lunch). I plan a return visit to try The Ultimate Avo Toast with a side of avo lime jam!

AVOBAR started as a pop-up in 2018 and now has found a permanent home in Covent Garden with inside seating, take-away and delivery seven days a week. Their website promotes their high standards for both food and food sources.

It has two other locations, one in Hong Kong, and one in Russia.

Website: avobar.co.uk

Location: 24 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden

Trudy

Foodie Friday – The Best Sandwich in the UK

2022-11-17T21:27:00.003-05:00

I had this twice last week in London – at Quo Vadis (ref KR Connect 11^th November).

“Two thin slices of bread, toasted; butter; a dollop of mustard cream; a generous spoonful of horseradish; chunks of smoked eel; pickled red onion on the side. And, with a minimum of fuss but a maximum of flavour, that is Esquire’s choice for the nation’s most distinctive, most delicious, most desirable sandwich – an insanely punchy, delightfully heady experience that is over in moments but lingers in the memory for weeks.”

Esquire

Next time you’re in London!

Foodie Friday – Karl Marx Lived Here

2022-11-10T21:27:00.000-05:00

Opened in 1926, once a brothel, once the home of Karl Marx (the Das Kapital one – not Groucho, Harpo or Chico), once owned by Marco Pierre White and Damien Hirst (now that’s a duo to be reckoned with) and a place where I dined with Miss Norway in 1972 (50 years ago!) and we closed the joint at 2am. The Grande Dame of Soho – Quo Vadis – is still going strong.

I was staying 100 metres away at Kettner’s Soho House this week and was lucky enough to snare the last available table.

The classic smoked eel sandwich, pie of the day (kid goat) a true pie deluxe, fegato alla veneziana, roast partridge, salted mallard, sardines – helmed by the eccentric, brilliant chef Jeremy Lee.

Golden memories. Golden Age. Great private club and bar upstairs.

Those were the days my friend

I thought they’d never end.

What Best Men Are Made Of

2022-11-06T21:09:00.004-05:00

My Best Man – Robin – is a great reader, thinker, athlete, husband, mate and poet. One of his self-appointed habits/commitments/responsibilities is to feed my brain – whilst simultaneously challenging my choices and forcing me to reflect and learn new approaches/stuff.

He’s relentless.

And every Sunday afternoon I lump the previous week’s BrainFood and respond to it.

What follows here is his response to last Sunday’s response, along with his reflections on a new venture I’m working on – Supercurious.

I wanted to share his probing on unknown unknowns / not knowing that we don’t know what we don’t know – and something I’ve always believed in advertising terms – the more we know about something the less interesting it becomes. Too much messaging is in the first of the I’s – informational, instructional, inspiration and there’s not enough of the final third.

Kevin, Thank you for your aggregated responses to my recent passing ons.

My overall reaction— Irrepressible exuberance, indomitable— a wondrous genetic turnaround you are (I might say you have a leg up)!

Impressive as well your confessional of Sunday evening reflection.

Thoughts on ’supercurious’— seems to me we miss the point of being board by what we know (or what we think we know ‘all about it’) as that might suggest we look again, look further or deeper, gain a toehold on moving the status quo, avoid disaster, find unseen opportunity. It sounds like babble but there is a lot about what we don’t know that we don’t know we don’t know. Perhaps ignorance best be left at bliss, but I did like it when Rumsfeld put out his ‘unknown unknowns’ (did he know he would be pillored!). One might consider that by this age we might have a better grasp, ownership of uncertainty. With ad copy as a consumer I would like to see less repetition and more tell/show me what I don’t know I don’t know about your product/service.

Maybe I knew this a bit beforehand, but it seemed unknown to me a poem would pop out after having reread your email— Robin

And of course to prove his point, he was inspired to write a poem.

Driving Lessons

My driven friend Kevin

never learned

to drive. None-the-less

he’s pedal

to the metal, no time

for rear view

glances— his licence

singularity of compass bearing,

steer others to their highway

calling.

He rides upfront, shotguns

his journeyers’ adventures, limbo

to limos— signpost

happy choices.

Keep ‘em coming Amigo.

The Three HUM’s (Humanity, Humility, Humour) in Action

2022-11-02T23:16:00.000-05:00

I am privileged to be an Independent Director of the North West’s Good Grocer – Booths – a 175 year old Family institution in the North of England.

Here’s a bitter/sweet letter from a loyal customer – and a reminder to all of us; we can all Be the Difference and touch our customers, if we choose to.

To whom this may concern Hi My name is xxx. I am 61 years of age and quite severely disabled. Since approximately 2013 I have been partaking of the Cafe service in your Fulwood store, either by myself or most commonly with my wife. On average we would use this service approximately twice per week. We both enjoyed the quality of the produce and were thrilled with the general standard of staffing. By standard I mean the quality of persons recruited to serve your customers. Indeed. On two or three occasions I have completed the website comments section is praise of certain people, always and sincerely including the team as a whole. This communication is to try to convey the intensity of gratitude and humility I feel in regard to the team as it presently stands and has done so for some time. In October of 2020, my wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. As a general paediatric consultant based at xxx, she was far more aware than I as to the statistics around this condition. Over the next months, to 18 months, she endured much in the way of operations, chemotherapy, pain, fear, hairloss... and all that cancer and cancer treatment throws at one. We initially maintained our visits to the cafe, as it was a source of comfort and familiarity for xx, helping to keep up with her better 'routines'. As time progressed this became too distressing for her and so, we stopped coming. She often talked about the staff in the cafe. Their warmth, their genuine care for people, their thorough professionalism (though annoyingly to her, not from ALL of the younger staff) and their drive to push on through what were commonly non-stop queues. She also enjoyed to banter and converse occasionally, with the high-end 'wit and intelligence' that she encountered, from some people. Though xxx no longer visited, I in truth found it, including the team, a place of comfort, and from people whom I now considered, friends, I found support, understanding and compassion; and all delivered in a truly appropriate manner. For example, there was genuinely an apparent innate understanding and knowledge of the times, and only those times when I was in need of solitude; in a crowd. On the xxx, xxx died and was interred a week later. Its of no surprise to hear that I was distraught. Not always showing this externally, but the team at Booths Cafe always seemed to know when I was struggling. Their sincere words of love, support and comfort and successful encouragement to eat and look after myself would bolster me for a few more hours. This remains the case to date. At my darkest point of grieving, the love and support of the team and especially xxx caused a sudden change to my then drastic thinking, snapping me back back to reality. My guess is that xxx didnt have a clue, nor does to this day. I shall always be indebted to this lovely person, and the team as a whole!!!!!

That’s not customer service – that’s customer love.

Birthdays, Bison and Beth (Dutton that is)

2022-10-26T16:26:00.000-05:00

My globetrotting life with family and friends and homes in several countries and time zones means I can enjoy a three day birthday every year – three days of love, memories, hopes and dreams.

And this year, we spent it in Jackson, Wyoming. Our second trip to the tranquil, understated, peaceful Amangani.

With daytime explorations of Snake River, Jackson as far as Yellowstone (not that one – it’s in Montana – but the original). Big blue empty skies, forests turning yellow, brown and orange, unseasonably warm 70°F days – horses, cattle spread all around us and an up-close-and-personal, unforgettable time with a huge herd of bison roaming free and grazing at the foot of the Grand Tetons. What majestic creatures they are.

And then stumbling across three gigantic moose – antlers ‘n all, in woodland near a creek a few miles outside of Jackson. Real old Western pioneer feel.

In the evenings around 6pm, up and about in Jackson Hole’s social and authentic restaurant scene.

The Blue Lion – our favourite – Elk and Bison and an old acoustic guitar player – 18 years at The Blue Lion – playing all our 60’s, 70’s and 80’s favourites. The soundtrack of our lives in Jackson Hole – who knew?!

And then Coelette – snow trout flown in daily from Japan, the fish still alive, one of only four restaurants in the US to be honoured with this delicacy – two pounds of heaven.

And finally, a classic French dinner – escargot and frogs-legs of course, at The Bistro – Paris in Jackson (at half the price).

Trudy channelling her inner Beth Dutton in two different Western outfits every day, buying four amazing kitchen knives from New West Knifeworks (https://www.newwestknifeworks.com), including the world’s best fish filleter (according to The Blue Lion chef) and me adding to the Dutton (John) vibe by buying a vintage grey Stetson.

A (three day) birthday to remember. Livin’ the Western Dream.

I’m Still Standing

2022-10-18T18:51:00.000-05:00

A six-week road trip from our Desert Dream retreat – solo and then with Trudy. Round the World and back twice as fast as Phileas Fogg!

Qantas from LA to Melbourne – great to hear Anzac voices and humour again – memories flooding back from my GTA episodes (KRC September 5 2022 and February 25 2020), and catch up with good friend Damien at AIA for three days of Leadership stuff with his core leaders.

Then a great day with Jamie from Coordinate and Kate and Duncan Skipper as we moved into the Revive phase and cooked up a recipe for a great, fun new company – which will emerge into the spotlight early next year. Super Curious?

From Melbourne I finally returned ‘home’ to Auckland for four days of Family (daughter, son, sister, grandchildren) and friends at our new Tamaki Drive seaside apartment opposite Rangitoto. Inspirational. Son-in-law Heath found me a new bike – a wonderful Sirrus X and I enjoyed the seaside run from Kohi to Auckland and back every morning, the best possible way to re-orient back into the New Zealand open air. Tilly Plum made my weekend by coming over for a grandad/granddaughter sleepover and then a trip to her School on Monday morning to meet her friends and teachers. A happy girl in a happy place.

A 30 hour hike then to other Kiwis – in Dublin for Sean Fitzpatrick’s beautiful daughter Grace’s wedding to long-time beau Alex. The Shelbourne, Trinity College, Kiwis and Poms (plus one American – Trudy). A marvellous, memorable weekend, full of love and friendship. (Trudy’s first trip to Ireland – we’ll be back.)

On to Grasmere – Beckwood, for a week with eight ISDIN leaders (Spain’s leading sunscreen/skincare company) from Barcelona, working through Peak Performance – complete with a big Thursday night dinner / dance party in The Lancastrian and The Snug. A happy night in a happy week.

Woke up on Saturday with a swollen left leg. Thought nothing of it and got into the Defender for Steve to take us on a 5½ hour drive to London. Couldn’t walk when I arrived. Trudy recognised it – the return of the dreaded Cellulitis. A reaction on the left leg to a bacteria which has somehow penetrated the bloodstream. Very painful, very swollen, very red. Trudy and Kettner’s (the Soho House we were staying in, in London) worked wonders and got me to a doctor and a pharmacy. Antibiotics – but the flight to Vegas (10hrs) was a secret we didn’t share. Antibiotics not working – saw a great Doctor in Vegas – drove me to a private A&E – intravenous antibiotics, new prescription of stronger medicine and hobbled in to two hours of Rod Stewart’s Greatest Hits show.

On to Turkey – Amanruya – leg keeping me out of the gym and now a bloody head cold. Three days in Paradise – but health at 30% so a struggle. On to more Aman junkie joy at our favourite, Amanzoe in the Peloponnese. Leg improving but cold a shocker. The gamut of cascading nostril waterfall, to cough, to congestion, to headache, to no sleep. Misery in Paradise.

Trudy to Arizona.

The patient to Grasmere. Two days Zooming. Then Hallelujah! Leg cleared after nine days. Cold clearing – took 10 days eventually.

Porto with Sogrape – friends – almost family now. Dinner with Fernando and Francisco, then a Masterclass – to Bilbao and Logroño, capital of La Rioja.

Two days of sunshine in Wine Country – great people – the journey to create a world of LANlovers (the Rioja brand) begins.

And tomorrow – Arizona.

Homeward Bound!

Foodie Friday – Simple Sets You Free

2022-10-13T21:46:00.002-05:00

What could be better?

Last Friday, in a small bay 10 minutes from the Amanruya, 20 minutes from busy Bodrum, on the water’s edge, sky blue, breeze blowing, blue and white, fishermen bringing today’s catch to our table, grilled sea bass, olive oil, tomato salad and a crisp Gallipoli Chardonnay – Sarafin 2020. A cold local EFES beer to start, with local, freshly made Turkish bread.

Pure and simple.

We met an Aussie Food writer for Gourmet magazine at Amanruya that evening, and recommended Gonca Balik to her – it’s a place for locals and is Secretly Famous (locally!). Hope we haven’t blown it’s cover!!

Mad Men (V)

2022-10-10T20:33:00.001-05:00

And finally – Have Fun!

Happy People make people happy.

And Happy People are 30% more productive.

10) Have Fun!

Keep smiling.
Encourage irreverence.
Reward success.
Keep an open mind.
Build a winning culture.
Spread the enthusiasm.
Keep the atmosphere vibrant, noisy, youthful.
Avoid routine.
Share the good news (and the bad).
Celebrate ideas.

Managers Masquerading as Leaders

2022-10-06T21:40:00.001-05:00

A guest blast of fresh air from a terrific thinker, speaker and author – Alan Berson (KRC – July 20 2020, July 22 2020, November 22 2020, March 22 2021 and August 5 2021).

THANKS, KEVIN

OMG it has been easy to become negative in recent times as the world tugs at us from seemingly all directions…yet negativity does not serve us or others well.

I offered to write a blog for Kevin on a ‘realistic’ view of the world and he said there is no room for negativity in his blog. He challenged me to reevaluate where I was stuck and to blast out of it. So I asked if I could write a blog on regaining positivity to help me get positive again and here it is.

Three premises and realities: Most importantly, we make our beliefs come true. Next, the glass is not half empty or half full. It is just magnificent that we have a glass…hopefully at least half filled with great wine, scotch or pure water. Finally, everything in life IS a choice, we just might not like some of the consequences of any given choice. Let’s all choose to be positive and overcome the negative with powerful mindsets and choices.

You might say this view is pollyannish. And perhaps it is to some degree but consider the alternative. What good does it do to be in a funk. It lowers our human and leadership potential and increases our potential for illness…both mental and physical. I remember duck-and-covering in 4th grade, losing a beloved president in 6^th grade, the Cuban missile crisis, the arms race, celebrating the first Earth Day at the idealistic age of 18 and feeling like no one was interested, Viet Nam, 9/11, and more recently BLM riots and January 6^th activities. Our current intertwined global issues of Covid, sovereign governance and varied views of democracy are no less and perhaps even more troubling, but if we let it paralyze us then we lose. I have now acknowledged that I survived the past and will thrive in the future.

It has been an emotional couple of years that caused many of us to experience our sensitive side to a greater degree opening up new feelings, many of which might be uncomfortable. It is great that this awakening increased our humanity and openness to change because change happens whether we want it to or not. As we cast off amygdala hijack and tie into our logical brain, things become more positive, because as a rule, we tend to overstate our fears and underestimate our strengths and possibilities. Russia invaded Ukraine forecasting victory in weeks if not days, instead it showed how weak their army and system is; no longer fearsome warriors to be afraid of. Putin’s choice certainly had unintended consequences as all our choices do. Covid morphed but as we learned how to manage it, serious illness and death rates have plummeted. Travel has opened the world and our minds should re-open as well.

Many of us no longer go into an office 5 days a week and vaccines work! Managers masquerading as leaders are having a hard time with ‘their’ folks working from home, but leaders who know how to grow and believe in their human talent are harvesting the positive potential. Many leaders I work with as a coach have surprisingly…to them… learned to enjoy work away from the office. They learned that focusing on their people grows profit. We have learned to end a meeting in minutes instead of hours once the purpose of the meeting is met and we don’t need to hang out in the conference room or at our desk just to look busy. We are no longer held physically hostage to complainers at our doors who want to drag us down; we can choose to ignore them. Gathering at water fountains pale compared to new forms of replenishment and we no longer let others distract us from getting real work done. We have a hard time hiring employees so we find ways to spend less time doing the least meaningful work and more time crafting a positive atmosphere for employees. We spend more time asking powerful questions and engaging in learning conversations. All very positive outcomes. I now challenge you to talk to your folks to create your own list of what you and your organization have learned over the Covid years and write down how you will foster positive change over the next 2 years. Then make that change come true.

Change and transition seems difficult to some but so was riding in a covered wagon compared to today’s methods of travel. Can’t wait to see what happens next…and to be a part of making it happen.

Cheers

Alan

Mad Men (IV)

2022-10-03T21:40:00.000-05:00

More Leadership Tips for today, tomorrow and 2023.

7) Pursue Failure

Good judgement only comes from bad judgement.
A genius is someone who makes the same mistake only once.
Admit your mistakes, learn from them, move on.
Don’t put off the hard calls.
Deal with the bad news immediately.
Put the highs and lows behind you, prepare for tomorrow.
Tackle the issue, not the person.
Don’t get managed by negative press, don’t run your business from the headlines.
Bad hires are inevitable. Fire courageously and quickly.
Allowing bad people who don’t share our values to poison our environment is the biggest failure of all.

8) Keep It Simple

Wage war on complexity.
Search for solutions, not problems.
Deal with people who have the power to say “yes”.
Less talk, more do.
See the big picture.
Constantly re-evaluate – look for a better way.
Know when to ask for help – and take it.
Have a ‘can do’ attitude.
Reduce and refine – as little as possible, as much as necessary.
Start with the answer and work back to the question.

9) Deliver The Results

Impatience is a virtue – do it now.
Make your Finance Director your equal partner.
Treat the agency’s assets like your grandmother’s.
Avoid sloppiness. Value each and every task, no matter how small.
Take personal responsibility for the results.
Results beat promises every time.
Use the network, it’s a fantastic resource.
Don’t become preoccupied with your next move; concentrate on delivering in the ‘here and now’.
Eliminate waste, root out negativity, squash cynicism.
Put the highs and lows behind you, prepare for tomorrow.

Foodie Friday – Viva Las Vegas

2022-09-29T20:50:00.000-05:00

Dinner in Spain, Italy and Greece in three nights – on the Vegas strip of course. At The Cosmopolitan, Wynn and The Venetian – with Cabaret at Delilah’s – the best Supper Club still standing with great bar/cabaret, and of course Rod Stewart playing and dancing his heart out during his two-hour Greatest Hits show at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace.

We travelled here just to catch one of Rod’s six residency shows – what a night - fourth row from the front, centre stage. Rockin’ Rod maturing like a fine wine. Great staging, great production, great songs, great set, great crowd and Rod in great form. A night to treasure. A true night on the town.

With some great dinners while we were in town – dinner at three favourites:

José Andrés – Jaleo – great tapas, great flavours.

Estiatorio Milos – best fish in town. All the Greek specials – we hand selected a sweet 216 Fagri – grilled with capers and olive oil – perfect with a bottle of Puligny Montrachet – and of course some taramosalata, tzatziki and htipiti up front – just to get us in the mood for the real thing in Amanzoe next week.

And of course Cipriani – home from home – Downtown Soho, Venice, Dubai, Vegas – we’ve been going for 20+ years – nothing changes. Vitello Tonnato, Fegato Veneziana – and a bottle of Ferruccio Ferragamo’s Il Borro.

Vegas?

We don’t gamble, we don’t shop, we no longer party (and it’s all loud and crowded), but it’s worth a trip – for the shows/food – maybe once a decade!!

And late, breaking news for UK foodies or Lakeland visitors – our favourite hometown restaurant – The Old Stamp House – just got named Top Fine Dining Restaurant in Trip Advisor’s Travellers Choice Awards (based on their Journey Around Cumbria £95 a head tasting menu – with my favourite black pudding bon bon, duck liver and grey squirrel!)

Chapeau Chapeau to Ryan and Craig!

Mad Men (III)

2022-09-26T21:15:00.001-05:00

More Leadership tips from the Golden Age of Advertising.

4) Make Magic

Always fight for great ideas.
Pull rabbits out of the hat.
Don’t give them what they want, give them what they never thought possible.
Treat every advertisement as your own – mentally substitute your name in the key number – still proud of it?
Aim to have as many creative people as you have account people, maybe more.
Make your Creative Director your equal partner.
Push the limits; just because something can’t be proved to work, doesn’t mean it won’t.
Trust your instincts.
Avoid the mundane.
Build a legacy of dreams made real.

5) Create PIC’s – Permanently Infatuated Clients

Choose clients carefully. Make sure the relationship will be mutually beneficial.
Never leave a client unsure of the impact of the agency’s work.
Remember there’s nothing like a great idea to make a great client.
Keep the initiative, build the momentum.
Work with clients who are equally passionate.
Never assume a new client on the team has ‘bought into’ the programme.
You can’t do great work for a client you don’t have.
Make clients want to come to the agency.
Put yourself in your client’s shoes.
The best new business is business you already have.

6) Think Big – Big Ideas Lead To Big Results

Always look for the big idea.
Invest in ideas and insights.
Put your faith in imagination – nurture it, believe in it and resource it.
Great ideas come from anywhere.
Look for long-term solutions.
Embrace change, champion it.
Show your respect for consumers by rewarding them with big ideas.
No great idea is too hard to pull off.
Don’t settle for a partial solution – go all the way.
Search for transformational ideas.

Mad Men (II)

2022-09-22T21:34:00.002-05:00

Ten Top Tips – actually 100 split into 10 groups of 10. (Who said leading an Agency team was easy? Simple yes. Easy no.)

And still relevant in today’s crazy world.

1) Take Charge and Do What’s Right

Don’t manage, coach.
Aim for peak performance every day.
Be a realistic optimist.
Work harder than you expect from others.
Make ideas – don’t just talk about them.
Don’t say “but”.
Make decisions quickly.
Clear the way, get rid of obstacles.
Spread calm in a crisis.
Focus on the important, not the urgent.

2) Nurture the Culture

Shun moderation – live, eat and drink ideas – nothing succeeds like excess.
Live the philosophy – nothing but the best is good enough.
Zig when others zag.
Ensure progress, not process.
Learn our nuances. Guard them jealously.
Share the dream.
Be courageous. Fortune favours the bold.
Use the agency’s work to make the agency famous.
Win awards, keep winning, be the best.
Bring our Vision to life, make it the cornerstone of everything you say and do.

3) One Team, One Dream

Employ the best people, don’t settle for second best.
Develop your people.
Inspire your people to keep exceeding their personal and organisational best.
Get everyone involved, no one is unimportant.
Bomb the hierarchy – organise, group and regroup constantly around the changing issues, problems and opportunities.
Remember good manners, treat everyone with respect, always.
Think, talk and act as a team. ‘We’ not ‘me’.
Be accessible to your people.
Hire interesting, passionate people.
Recognise others’ achievements, be generous with your praise.

Mad Men (I)

2022-09-19T23:03:00.001-05:00

I spent almost 20 years as an Ad Man, as Worldwide CEO of iconic agency Saatchi & Saatchi.

Early on in my tenure we updated our Account Leader’s pointers/tips.

I was working in my Study in my new seaside apartment/office in beautiful Kohimarama – just outside Auckland – when I came across this 20 year old booklet ‘A Bit of a Tip’ – 10 things you need to be a leader at Saatchi & Saatchi. And these tips have stood the test of time and, I believe, are relevant to leaders everywhere today.

The short intro is reproduced here:

Leading an agency team is never easy, especially when the agency is ours – Saatchi & Saatchi – and our expectations are so much higher.

To help you keep focused and to provide you with help when you most need it, we’ve prepared these 10 pointers or tips.

No single set of ‘tips’ can cover every contingency, however we believe these tips, drawn from our worldwide network, will help in those circumstances when a little help really would be helpful.

We’ll share the tips in four upcoming posts.

Back To The Office (II)

2022-09-15T19:30:00.000-05:00

Noah Hickey, ex New Zealand International Footballer and CEO of fast growing logistics software company Whip Around, has launched a back to work programme called H.I.T.T. (High Impact Team Together).

The title says it all ... get back to work, form a Team – in real life, not via the screen – work together and get high impact stuff done.

In the new world it’s vital to remember the four C’s. When you’re back together, make sure you:

Connect
Collaborate
Create
Commit

And make sure you’re brim-full of the two E’s:

Energy
Enthusiasm

And remember:

The way we do anything

Is the way we do everything.

ONWARDS.

Back To The Office (I)

2022-09-12T17:31:00.000-05:00

The world is re-opening – and what a mess it’s in.

Politically, socially and economically, the challenges are enormous. Tensions are increasing, gaps are widening, extremism is rampant, supply chains are splintering, health issues are all around us, climate change is accelerating and the All Blacks are losing!!!

Amidst all this chaos, productivity, efficiency, corporate performance, worker dissatisfaction and standards everywhere are slipping.

It’s time we went back to work – personalised yes, flexible yes, but to work we must go.

And not ‘back’ to work, but ‘forward’ to a new way of working. We must raise the bar to pre-Covid levels in terms of excellence. We must rebuild our sense of Purpose. We must re-inspire our people. We must revive our Culture. We must develop hunger, ambition, belief and courage.

My former Saatchi & Saatchi Chairman, Bob Seelert (KRC August 15^th, 2022) spelled out 10 truths 10 years ago that will stand all businesses in good stead as the great re-entry begins. In essence, he advised businesses to:

- Get the truth out on the table,

- Re-establish standards for the new reality,

- Think long term, act short term,

- Communicate, communicate, communicate,

- Get all hands on deck,

- Get out with your customers,

- Stay true to what made you great in the first place,

- Reframe the value of your product or services for the new environment,

- Every time you think of the word ‘add’, you should simultaneously think of the word ‘reduce’; and every time you think of the world ‘create’, you should simultaneously think of the word ‘eliminate’,

- Set tight priorities.

More to follow later this week.

Foodie Friday – Hail, Hail Melbourne

2022-09-08T16:43:00.005-05:00

Back in one of the world’s foodie capitals, Melbourne for the first time since February 2020 – 20 days pre our Covid jail sentence.

And three dinners with Melbourne residents and friends – Damien, Jamie, Kate & Duncan and co.

Matilda – Open fire, hot coals, modern Aussie food at the Royal Botanical Gardens. Good bar, good Aussie wines – Kangaroo tartare, oysters, dressed Fraser Island Spanner Crab, Murray Cod and amazing steaks.

Gimlet – Private room for eight of us at Gimlet in the 120 year old Cavendish House in Melbourne’s CBD. A nostalgia/retro heritage gem – great cocktail list, terrific atmosphere. Jam packed (on a Monday!), great service, another dose of great local produce.

Bar Lourinha – A tiny Portuguese tapas/wine bar on Little Collins Street. Casual, lively, no frills – great sardines and bacalao.

Cecconi’s – Classic Venetian inspired Italian.

A good time was had by all.

And Auckland awaits!!

Back to the Scene of the Crime

2022-09-05T20:39:00.006-05:00

On February 25^th 2020, I posted a blog about my Global Transient Amnesia episode in Melbourne. I paid homage to my minder “Iraqi” Cam, my AIA guardian angels – Stella and Alison, my own guru – AIA CEO Damien, and Peter and James at The Sheraton on Little Collins Street who made their Hotel my home.

Well, 2½ years of Covid later – I’m back in Melbourne. Dinner with Damien last night, two days with AIA this week, “Iraqi” Cam amazed me by a surprise pick-up at the Airport and James spent the day at The Sheraton on creative work-arounds so I could watch the AB’s and Man City both live (special thanks to Exec Chef Migo who provided a VPN option).

It all came flooding back – 15½ hour Qantas flight from LA to Melbourne (great to hear Anzac accents again and to enjoy Neil Perry food), bingeing on 1883, escorted through Customs / Passport Control by an Amex Centurion guide – and the cool Winter/Spring sun shining.

The Airport was heaving (and creaking), the bars were full, the Melbourne foodies were back out in force – and I’ve three days of full-on leadership / marketing meetings – in person with people I’ve only seen on screen for 2½ years – ahead of me.

Time to Connect, Collaborate, Create and Commit.

Good on y’a Aussie!

KLEO

2022-08-30T16:40:00.002-05:00

A sleeper – KLEO – on Netflix. If you’re a Killing Eve or Tarantino fan (KRC July 19^th), buckle up for KLEO. Bloodshed, violence, humour, beautiful period scenery (East and West Germany in the 80’s and 90’s). A solid first four episodes then it really hits its stride. Quirky, stylish, hedonistic, black comedy, interesting characters.

I binged all eight episodes from Dublin to Chicago on Saturday. Now fingers crossed for a second series.

Watch the trailer here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15135104/.

Start with the Answer and Work Back

2022-08-15T22:45:00.003-05:00

For a decade I worked hand in hand with Bob Seelert – as Chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi and as a Publicis Board Member. A top marketer, a top strategist, a top golfer and a top man.

He celebrates his 80^th birthday this month surrounded by the love of his life, Sarah and a posse of upstanding kids and grandkids.

He remains a mentor/commentator for me and reminded me of a speech he made at Cambridge University a dozen years ago – a time when the world was in the throes of a financial crisis and a recession.

His speech was based on the 94 stories he told in his great book “Start with the Answer and Work Back” which was published in May 2009.

Bob’s advice, 11 years on, is still relevant today (KRC July 21 2022). To quote Bob “Tough times require the absolute best in performance by great leaders. On an ongoing basis, the three big requirements of a leader are to set direction, to establish standards and to unleash the energy of the organisation”.

Here are his 10 things to do:

Get the truth out on the table.
Establish standards for the new reality.
Think long term; while acting short term.
Communicate, communicate, communicate.
Get all hands on deck.
Get out with your customers.
Stay true to what made you great in the first place.
Reframe the value of your product for the new environment.
Add/Reduce, Create/Eliminate.
Set tight priorities.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.

Foodie Friday – Vive La France!

2022-08-11T22:43:00.004-05:00

Two contrasting dinners last week – both rooted in France.

L’Escargot in London’s Soho. The oldest French restaurant in London. Established almost 100 years ago in 1927 and still serving classic Escargots, Tournedos Rossini and Foie Gras, classic French Bordeaux/Burgundies, décor old school French traditional. (I had a big blast here one night 15 years ago in the private Salon Vert room upstairs, which involved All Blacks Sean Fitzpatrick and John Kirwan picking up LRGS school friend Paul Fitton by his underpants!!) A bygone age (the restaurant, not the rugby antics!).

And then to Lafayette St in NYC to Le Coucou – our new favourite New York restaurant. A Michelin star, an amazing space, superb service, brilliantly classic French food with imaginative twists – Navets en guise d’escargots – mussel, sea urchin and turnips in disguise, ‘All of the Rabbit’ – in three different plates. A superb chef – Daniel Rose – and the best Maitre’D in NYC – Robert Banat – ex Nobu, Balthazar, Minetta Tavern and a superb professional photographer in his other life, and an amazing wine-list. Put it on your next NYC itinerary.

Still Rockin’ – I’ve Got It Made

2022-08-09T19:07:00.000-05:00

Good mate Peter Corijn, aka Paul Numi is at it again. Channeling Bryan Adams and Sting:

“If truth be told I’m getting old,

I can’t make it on my own.”

Check it out on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTqATJRwaqc

Five Quotes from a Recent Sequoia Founder’s Meeting

2022-08-04T21:36:00.001-05:00

Adaptability

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

Charles Darwin

Change

“Change is inevitable.

Growth is optional.”

John C. Maxwell

Wishful Thinking

“Wishful thinking is a waste of time.

Don’t sit around talking about ‘the good ole days’ with hope they’ll return.”

Age of Instability

“This is the age of instability where managing change is everyone’s job.

Think of it as your personal assignment.”

Opportunity

“You cannot overtake 15 cars in sunny weather ... but you can when it’s raining.”

Ayrton Senna

And one from China:

When the winds of change blow,

some people build walls,

and others build windmills.

Build your Windmill!