The Engaging Brand

Show #269 - 3 Steps to Design Thinking

2009-11-06T11:57:57-08:00

Show 269 of The Engaging Brand leadership and marketing podcast is ready just for you. To subscribe or listen on your PC now - both for free, you don't need to download anything - all explained at the end of the post and don't forget GotoMeeting hold your meetings online for just $49/mo. Try GoToMeeting FREE for 30 days

Today I am talking to one of my favourite authors - Roger Martin. Roger really makes me think about thinking! If you have listened to the podcast interview with him on how we need to learn to hold opposing thoughts together at the same time, then you can listen here.

Tonight we talk about his new book The Design of Business

Are the permanence of roles and job titles stifling business today?
Life is a series of projects
3 stage funnel of design thinking
How reinvestment of time saved is vital for design thinking
Is the skills gap in management and leadership about finding the customer mysteries to solve or knowing the actions to take?
Is there an optimum time between the stages of thinking?
Do you need to be a design thinker to implement design thinking?
Why the education system fails our society

Don't forget to subcribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site.

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter.

How you can listen to the Engaging Brand

1) You can listen on your PC now without downloading any software just click hear to listen to the latest marketing podcast

2) You can subscribe to the show via iTunes or

3) If you use a different podcatcher then you can subscribe using the following http://www.podcasternews.com/feeds/enbr.xml

Why bonfire night is so special to me

2009-11-05T15:15:40-08:00

Bonfire night is a wonderful night in the UK and one which brings families together. It will always be special as it was 6 years ago today we lost my Dad...so I thought I would share a little story...

I asked him about how to decide whether to join a company, he said

"Only join healthy companies, check if it has the dreaded CDAIC"

Looking totally confused I said "That sounds awful what is it...something contagious?"

He looked and said "Highly....and it needs to be guarded against at every turn...it stands for corporate diarrhea and idea constipation. ....some symptons are...

When faced with decisions they get the runs
When ideas are stuck in the system because doing the same is safer and more comfortable
When the organisation is bloated because people don't manage poor performance

I often think the stories show why he could have never worked for anyone else but himself...or as he described his team....I think he may have been a little too honest for modern business :)

Miss you Dad...

Who are you...you are a diamond?

2009-11-04T04:03:20-08:00

Talking business with Dad was always....infuriating and exciting...both at the same time :)

I remember talking about "Work Anna" and "Home Anna" and wondering how much the two should overlap. We had a discussion about how core values have to apply to all parts of your world but then he said something which I think is as relevant to brands as it is to people....and very relevant in a world of social media. He said

"You are a diamond"

Clearly I started to smile and look very proud of myself because Dad then said

"You are obviously a gem to me however that is not what I mean here., I mean that as people we are multi dimensional like a diamond. When we understand that beauty comes from the different aspects and the different lights which reflect across the surfaces...then we become that rare commodity in the business world...the diamond which is sparkling, beautiful, valuable and yet robust at the same time.

When we understand that we cannot deny the multi-dimensional element and instead thrive on bringing the dimensions together to create beauty...then we have found our true value to share with the world."

How do you spend your time?

2009-11-03T14:02:26-08:00

I am reading all about design thinking in a book by one of my favourite thinkers Roger Martin (can't wait to record The Engaging Podcast about thinking later this week)

He has made me think about how we spend our thinking time and how we should use the outcomes of thinking time to find more thinking time! It is a continual investment program.

Here are my thoughts on thinking!

Thinking time is about freedom, the freedom to think of new ideas and to see how the world could be....

Thinking is then about taking those ideas and turning them from concept to reality.

Thinking is then learning about what the full process has taught us holistically.

Thinking is then realising that the efficiencies and value made from these ideas should now have created more space in your day to reinvest in even more thinking !

If not was the thinking right? Or if the thinking was right was the application right?

It's not what you know....

2009-11-02T12:14:03-08:00

....it is how you use the knowledge that you have....

I have always been a learner, I just crave learning new things, going new places, meeting or connecting with new people. I never feel more alive than when I get the chance to connect new ideas, find new ways or learn from inspiring people.

It is not necessarily the knowledge, it is the chance to use that knowledge to benefit others.

For me, life is about taking that knowledge and applying it to your world and making the world a better place.

3 questions to ask yourself every night

What did you learn today?
How can I use it to make the world a better place?
Write down one thing that you can do tomorrow or one person you can help through this new knowledge.

Show #268 Psychotactics of Online Marketing

2009-10-30T11:17:29-07:00

Show 268 of The Engaging Brand leadership and marketing podcast is ready just for you. To subscribe or listen on your PC now - both for free, you don't need to download anything - all explained at the end of the post and don't forget GotoMeeting hold your meetings online for just $49/mo. Try GoToMeeting FREE for 30 days

Today I talk with Sean D'Souza who one of our listeners - Juliet Fay - suggested came on the show. Sean runs Psychotactics and today we talk about the psychology behind online marketing

What is meant by psychotactics?
Is marketing really psychology in disguise?
Is it a case of expressing your psychology or connecting with customers psychology?
What is the psychology behind successful websites?
How to use a filtering style of questioning to understand your business.
How to create engaging articles for customers?
How to find inspiration for writing articles?
When you write for brand engagement - are you writing for yourself or others?
Why strategy is not critical to success!

Don't forget to subcribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site.

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter.

How you can listen to the Engaging Brand

1) You can listen on your PC now without downloading any software just click hear to listen to the latest marketing podcast

2) You can subscribe to the show via iTunes or

3) If you use a different podcatcher then you can subscribe using the following http://www.podcasternews.com/feeds/enbr.xml

Emotion is better than beauty!

2009-10-29T14:54:51-07:00

Isabella Rossellini was interviewed this week on television - remember that box that used to sit in your lounge! - anyway, I was hit by something she said

She basically said it doesn't matter how beautiful you are as a model or actress if you can't express emotion you will not succeed...the beauty gets you the testing but the expression of emotion gets you the role.

Yet, how much time do people spend on the prettiness, the beauty compared to the emotional connection? It is the emotional connection that sells you, the brand, the message....in leadership, life, social media a great test is to see how much of your day is spent on emotion.

What do your eyes tell a person?

2009-10-28T09:51:33-07:00

One thing that set my relationship with Dad apart from anyone else I have known, is that he always felt that he could learn from me....yes, that's right Dad, who was over 40 yrs older than me and who had so much life and business experience could learn from me!

It was an important lesson because as people grow older, as people get used to new technology, as brands become successful.....as we all do more of what we do, then we can succomb to that thought that "we know best" so easily.

Dad described leading, coaching and living as "being less about what you do know and more about learning what you don't know"

He used to say "Engagement comes when people feel that passionate desire from your eyes to learn more about them, to want to help them, to value their very being....."

Engagement comes from a desire to learn and that understanding that no matter your age, colour, skill set, background...there is always something to learn from that person you are speaking to....

10 Life Lessons from Tibetan Monks!

2009-10-26T13:11:56-07:00

I am an avid reader as listeners to my business podcast know...and at the moment I am reading about how the brain works and how the Tibetan Monks have learned how to control their emotions...here are 10 lessons which I wanted to share

When you lose, don't lose the lesson
Open you arms to change but don't let go of your values
Don't let a little dispute ruin a great friendship
Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality
Spend some time alone every day
Love as if you've never been hurt
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck!
Once a year go somewhere you've never been before
Follow the 3 R's Respect for self, respect for others, responsibility for all of your actions
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer