Tune in every week for a roundup of hand-picked brand lessons, tips and advice that can be applied to your brand.
Three Changes in Thinking to Realize the Benefits of Diversity
Let’s be honest for a moment: Diversity is hard, and inclusion even harder. But it’s the right thing to do, and the benefits to business are clear. As reported in a recent article by Katherine W. Phillips in Scientific American, a number of studies exploring the impact of diversity on teams and organizations found that:
- diversity encourages diligence and open-mindedness
- social diversity in groups inspires cognitive actions that homogeneity does not (like working harder to find common ground when disagreement occurs) Read More >
Five Steps to a Healthy Ecosystem for Your Business
The earth is covered in ecosystems, each a complex natural relationship between the plants, animals, microorganisms and their natural environment. Wetlands, rainforests, prairies and ponds … Regardless of the type of environment, in all healthy, biodiverse ecosystems each living organism is interconnected.
When ecosystems function as a unit they maintain balance in all these relationships, are healthy and sustainable. When they do not – or when some external force throws them out of balance – they suffer, and sometimes die. Read More >
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams: Four Crisis Lessons From a Purpose-Driven Brand
Open a business, any business, and the one thing you can be sure of is that there will be a crisis to overcome. What kind of crisis and when? Who can tell? But if you start with a strong set of values and a clear purpose – one bigger than profit – these challenges can be met head-on and overcome. Managed well, you can even come through stronger than you started. Read More >
Two Smart Strategies to Uncover Hidden Issues
“The queen thinks the world smells of paint.” – Billy Connolly
A humorous but insightful observation from one of my favorite Scottish comedians. It’s also a dangerous reality for many leaders today.
In the retail business, for example, the unannounced store visit is the stuff of store manager nightmares. Texts and calls come in waves from employees who have spotted the CEO strolling through the mall with her venti soy latte in hand. Panic ensues in an all-hands-on-deck attempt to make the store look as good as possible before inspection. While planned store visits reduce anxiety for employees, they often mask important issues that should be addressed. Read More >
