Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Culture, Differentiation
So a while back I wrote about how I had one of those DNA tests done to identify my heritage and when it came back, it didn’t resemble anything I expected.
Well unsurprisingly I recently got an email saying they had ‘updated’ my results to better reflect my information.
“I knew it” … I said, with a self-satisfying smugness that they had got it wrong.
That was until I pressed the link and discovered this …
I’m still only 1% British and 27% Italian … but now I’m a whopping 64% European Jewish.
Now I have absolutely no problem with that, except – as I said in my earlier post – my Mum’s family have been Italian for many generations and my Dad’s family have been British for many generations so either there’s some big family secret or, as I suspect, Rosie the cat did some fiddling with my sample before I sent it off.
The reality is it doesn’t bother me, but it does intrigue me.
What is the truth?
What would my parents say?
Why am I not religious in any way whatsoever?
Whatever the answer – and let’s be honest, we’ll never really get one – it highlights that nothing is as it seems, however hard we try to make it so.
People who voted for Donald Trump should remember that fact in particular.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Culture
This shop is near my house in Fulham.
Now I must admit that I haven’t tried it, but something tells me Chop Chop’s ‘authentic’ Thai/Chinese/Malaysian/Singaporean is targeting people who don’t actually know what authentic Thai/Chinese/Malaysian/Singaporean actually is.
A bit like Wagamama.
Or Gary Vee.
The word authenticity is in danger of going the same way as words like revolutionary and innovative … a meaningless tag used by adland to try and make boring look a little interesting.
I hope not, because authenticity – real authenticity, not the marketing/hype/PR version of the word – has an incredible ability to drive both distinctiveness and loyalty but as James Hetfield of Metallica told me [un-humble brag there] …
“You can’t be authentic if you’re not prepared to be vulnerable”.
Something very few people and brands understand until its too late.
God, this post has gone pretty heavy from being a photo about a noodle shop in Fulham.
No, the title of this post is not some homage to Porn Hub, it’s because today its bonfire night and I get to introduce Jill and Otis to it for the first times in their lives.
I know this shouldn’t excite me, but it does.
OK, I know they’ve seen fireworks before – and sadly, the last time Otis hated them – but this is one of those days where I know I’m truly back in England and I’m happy to share how England does fireworks with my family.
Mind you, now I come to think of it, a dodgy Catherine Wheel, a sparkler that will burn someone and an unsatisfactory hotdog doesn’t really hold up to the extravaganza’s we had in Sydney, Shanghai and Manhattan Beach. Oh god, what have I done …
Filed under: Comment
So tomorrow would be Mum’s 86th birthday.
Eighty six.
Given she only passed a few years ago, that shouldn’t shock me – but it does.
I’m not saying this just because I am terrible at maths, I’m saying it because my Mum never acted her age.
I don’t mean that in a ‘growing old disgracefully’ sort of way, but in her desire to be an active member of contemporary culture rather than a critic of it.
Sure, there were things that she didn’t necessarily like, but that didn’t see her putting up barriers, nor did it see her negatively judging the people who behaved a certain way.
Mum was fine if she didn’t understand something if she knew it meant something to someone because she saw it as a chance to learn, to feel present, to not be left behind by a world constantly in progress.
I’ve written this before, but Mum taught me to care about things other people care about.
It sounds easy, but it’s not.
It’s about having genuine interest in other people.
Not just the good stuff, but the things that move them and why.
It’s so much more than listening, it’s about curiosity and empathy.
The planning community love to talk about curiosity – and I’ve written about why that drives me nuts a few times – but the bit they forget is empathy.
Empathy reveals the why behind the what.
Empathy breathes air into the context of every actions.
Empathy opens doors that might otherwise remain closed.
It’s the difference between resonance and relevance … which means you don’t have to pretend you’re like someone to connect to someone.
It’s why my Mum was such a special person and I wish she was here to wish a happy birthday.
Love you Mum.
Rxx
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Culture, Customer Service, Emotion, Empathy, Honesty, Insight, Management, Perspective, Resonance, Social Media, Sport
I’ve written a lot about customer service over the years.
Or specifically, bad customer service.
And the ironic thing is the worst examples tend to be organisations who literally say they’re in the ‘service industry’.
I suppose that’s why I loved how Claridge’s hotel train customer service to their staff – especially their belief in moments of stubbornness – because while they set incredibly high standards and ways to deal with situations, they always leave room for their staff to act in ways they feel is in their guests best interests … even if their guests don’t realise it yet.
And for me, that’s where customer service becomes it’s most powerful.
Where it moves from service to care.
Not just in terms of the obvious things, but reading between the lines.
Where it goes beyond just anticipation, but true consideration for the other party.
In many ways, it’s the ultimate demonstration of loyalty …
Not expecting it from your audience and instead, providing it to them in return.
Proof that they matter.
Proof that they care.
Proof they need each other.
Recently I saw an amazing example of this.
Surprisingly it came from a Chief Executive Officer.
More surprisingly, it came from a Chief Executive Officer of a football club.
And even more surprising than that, it came from the the youngest Chief Executive Officer in the entire football league.
Now to be fair, it’s the CEO of Barnsley Football Club … a club that is known for how much it values its community and fans.
But even that doesn’t quite capture what Gauthier Ganaye – the Barnsley CEO – did.
Read the letter below … then next time you’re with a client who talks about customer service or social listening, show them it and ask them how they’re going to demonstrate how much they value their audience, rather than just saying it in their corporate mission statement.
_______________________________________________________________________
PS: For the record, he – nor Barnsley – promoted this, the receiver was the one who made sure this act of loyalty, compassion and service got to a bigger audience.