Propelling Performance

In Episode Nine of the Propelling Performance Podcast, Rob speaks with Bill Gallagher, Scaling Up Expert, CEO, Serial Entrepreneur, Advisor, Keynote Speaker, Podcast Host, Strategic Planning and Growth Coach. Bill shares his wealth of experience working with business leaders to lean into leadership, and that in order for leaders to create change, they need to change themselves. He takes us through application of the Flywheel concept to leadership – inspire, engage, plan and coach. Bill also explains the ‘fifth decision’ in Scaling Up methodology, after People, Strategy, Execution and Cash - what kind of leader do you want to become?

“[To create change], think about Maslow’s Pyramid, but don't start at the bottom, start at the top. Instead of worrying about getting your basics, like establishing security and food, start thinking about how you want the story to end. Write your own story.” – Bill Gallagher

Listen to discover: 

Bill’s own evolution as a leader, which began when he recognised that anything and any business could be successful by following the right tools and strategies, such as the Rockefeller Habits. 

Bill’s journey to coaching which began in 2000, during a time of self-reflection and learning his life’s purpose was to make a contribution.  

“Leaders must recognise to create change, they need to change themselves.”

Gaps and barriers in business stem from leaders. Leaders are the source of it all. Everything is connected to you.

The gift of crisis - lean into challenges and breakdowns and learn. These are great turning points.

To create change, start by thinking about the end. How do you want your story to end? How do you want to be remembered?

Figure out your life’s purpose, who you want to be in this lifetime. The same applies to you as a leader.

Remember what Marshall Goldsmith said, “What got us here, won’t get us there.” What do we need to do differently?

“Think about the furthest out in the future you're comfortable thinking about – your Memorial Service, or retirement. What’s the legacy? What do you want to be known for? Take this as the basis of what you lean into.”

To scale our business, we have to scale our approach and our leadership. Four essential disciplines work together in sequence like Jim Collins' flywheel concept…

1.    Inspire – we need to light people up, and it starts with us. We need to be lit up ourselves, with a vision for the future. Take a bold stance, use your voice, be passionate, express yourself.

2.    Engage – we need people to commit and take action in their role. We need to listen and appreciate another person’s world, invite them to see where they fit. Ask, what would that mean for you? “Influence vs authority.”

3.    Planning – start with the end in mind, work backwards. It’s the process of planning, not the plan. The plan is of limited value. The act of planning is priceless. Develop a regular habit of planning and replanning together and think about impact on people and expectations.

4.    Coach - Check in with people, supporters, followers, in an ever expanding way, to return them to the flywheel. Listen and encourage people to sort themselves out. This is far more scalable than having to tell everyone what to do all the time.

Take action!

·      To get started on your own Flywheel, amplify your existing strengths and explore your weaknesses. If you are a great speaker, you might not be a good listener. What are your present strengths? What do you really want?

·      Within Scaling Up methodology, there are four decisions to get right in business - people, strategy, execution and cash. The fifth decision is - what kind of leader do you want to become? How do you want to be remembered? 

In Episode Eight of the Propelling Performance Podcast, Rob speaks with Andy Gowers, Business Development Manager, Cranage Financial Group. After a successful career as an elite AFL player with Hawthorn and Brisbane Football Clubs, and a mentor and Director with Hawthorn, Andy successfully transitioned from sportsperson to entrepreneur. Using real life case studies from his sporting career and learnings in business, Andy draws parallels between elite sport and business performance, discusses the benefits of applying a scoreboard approach, and how every leader can look to elite sport for high performance inspiration. 

“If the mission is inspiring enough, if you get a team of committed people, who are working together and they're all on the same pathway… you'll have your moment.” - Andy Gowers

Listen to discover: 

Stick to the game plan - how years of AFL training gave Andy the tools to help his wealth clients during the GFC, working closely with them to ‘stay the course’

Lessons for businesses from elite teams - why feedback that is constant and direct, positive and affirming is more valuable

Applying a scoreboard to your business and using metrics to drive performance

Case Study: Measuring and acting on metrics: Cyril Rioli and his 2015 Norm Smith Medal

Case Study: “Make your teammate the best player”: The team rule that took the Brisbane Bears to their first ever Grand Final in 1995

Case Study: Talent or Perseverance: Jason Dunst and 100 goals a week

Why ‘talent’ is the most over-rated word in elite sport - “it’s the ‘non-talent’ aspects that make a difference - determination, commitment, motivation and courage.”

Mistakes and gaps between sporting teams and businesses, and how we can learn from these parallels…

·      Lack of clarity in goals

·      No team contribution to business direction

·      Poor, irregular communication -“annual performance reviews are ridiculous.”

Why businesses should take on the urgency of the sports setting - “working to a timeframe should be critical”

Building a performance culture in your own business - make a shared commitment to an inspiring mission. ‘We're all in this together.’ 

Succession is everyone’s task - mentor, train and educate others. 

“It happens with every club and it happens with every business. There are multiple challenges you face, things that don't go the way you hope or expect and you need to adjust. High performance cultures bear all these things in mind, and move towards their goal.” - Andy Gowers

Recommendations for leaders - two important questions.

Question 1: I don't know, what do you think?  

The most powerful question a leader can ask is I don't know, what do you think? Teach, don’t tell. Throw it back to the person and see what they think. Then help them workshop their solution.

Question: What is best for the organisation? 

“If you put the organisation first in all dealings, it's pretty hard to go wrong. People will come and go, but if you want the organisation to flourish and thrive, you need to put it first.”

Take action!

·      What’s your Ikigai? It’s a combination of four things - what you are good at, what you love, what the world needs and what you can be rewarded for. A combination of all four will improve happiness, increase satisfaction and performance.

·      Reflect on how you would use this to coach your own direct reports, and through your organisation.

In Episode Seven of the Propelling Performance Podcast, Rob speaks with Natasha Hawker, Managing Director of Employee Matters. Natasha shares her insights into the impact of the COVID pandemic on workplaces; what businesses are doing right and what need to be done better; the common mistakes leaders are making with employee engagement; key points on amplifying your culture and how to retain and look after your people as we navigate a COVID normal world. Natasha also shares an excellent HR tool for leaders, Employee Matters’ Employee Commitment Model.

"There is so much untapped opportunity for improvement in the people management space. COVID has absolutely brought this to the forefront in a way we had never seen or believed possible.” - Natasha Hawker

Listen to discover: 

Key skill gaps highlighted by the COVID pandemic; knowing how to hire and exit employees in the industrial relations space, employers knowing their rights and their employees' rights.

 In businesses that are doing well, these things are being done right: 

• Every single person knows what they personally need to do to move the needle, get results and achieve business objectives and strategy
• There are skilled interviewers who know the culture and values and how to maintain and hire for it
• Employees experience stretch in the workplace
• They are clear on strategy and purpose. 

What leaders need to do better in the HR space:

• Know how to hire and structure an interview
• Get better at Employee Value Proposition (EVP) - what’s in it for the candidate
• Candidate management - all candidates should feel nurtured and considered through the process.

The most common mistakes leaders are making with employee engagement are lack of trust;  lack of investment in training; lack of investment in HR / recruitment and little or outdated awareness of employee relations obligations.

Key points to remember on amplifying your culture:

• Remember, people don't leave organisations, they leave leaders.
• How much is your business investing in the development of your management team? 
• Can you articulate the culture in your business? Can your team describe it?
• How do your employees talk about you and your management team when you are not around? 

Tips for leaders as we navigate a COVID normal world:

• Mental health issues are going to increase, and  there is an expectation that worker’s compensation claims will also increase
• Do you have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)?
• Vaccine management and workplace policies - do you know your rights and your employee’s rights?
• The number one thing to be doing is conducting 'stay' interviews to work out the best way to retain your people
• People are questioning what's important to them and flexibility and connectivity is key.

Natasha’s Top Tips:

• Culture is the ‘secret sauce’ and most businesses don't value it.
• Remember, you are always recruiting.
• Be very clear with your Employee Value Proposition.

 Take Action!

•  What is your employee ROI? How do you measure that?
• If you’re not getting the right fit and experiencing employee churn, you need to fix that gap.
• Understanding where you need to focus your energies will make a significant difference to your bottom line.

Natasha’s recommended Tools for Leaders

The Employee Commitment Model

Culture Amp

“People are much more driven by working for a company that has a great purpose now than just taking a great salary.” - Natasha Hawker

In Episode Six of the Propelling Performance Podcast, Rob speaks with Rich Armstrong, President, The Great Game of Business. Rich shares strategies to introduce financial literacy into your business; explains principles including financial huddles, scoreboard and mini games; discusses common mistakes he sees from leaders; how to build engagement in your organisation and examples of how to get started by creating and using a mini-game.

“We're very big believers that the most efficient, most profitable way to operate a business is just to teach everyone in the organisation how the business makes money, give them a voice in how the company is run, and then provide a stake in the outcome if we're all successful.” - Rich Armstrong

Listen to discover: 

The origins of the idea for the Great Game of Business, and ownership by SRC Holdings Corporation

Insights into how Jack Stack used financial literacy to bring people together and increase their personal investment in his business 

How financial literacy and connection at SRC began to spawn other new businesses

Rich’s hallmarks of effective businesses

• Teach everyone how the business makes money    
•  Give them a voice in how the company is run
•  Provide a stake in the outcome if we're all successful
•  Bring these principles alive through high involvement, planning, financial huddles, scoreboard, mini games.

Make the numbers visible everywhere. Make a connection to the everyday metrics, how they connect and drive the overall financial picture.

Introduce financial literacy training for everyone, from the CFO or cleaner to the production line, everyone is taught how the financial game is played. 

The definition of a ‘mini game’ and how to use it, including reward or recognition when you drive profit or move the needle, such as cash bonuses

Use ‘line of sight’ - make sure employees can see a clear line of sight from what they do every day to impact the business

How to introduce financial transparency to your business

• Combat the fear of being transparent with your employees
• Get comfortable with the ‘risk’ of sharing with your employees
• Adopt the practices - weekly huddles, financial literacy training.

The common mistakes…

• Lack of vulnerability in leadership
• Not having the courage to be transparent
• Being unable to release ‘total control’ 
• Not looking at this as an operating system, where everything works together.

The difference with a financial literacy approach in family owned business vs corporate structures

How to start building engagement

• Involve your people in the business more than you do today
• Teach them the business, empower them to use that knowledge to help the business be successful
• Help them understand how the business works, understand your customer, the strategy of the business, and your competitive advantage
• Build culture and relationships, and make work meaningful to drive retention and attraction.

Understand how to launch your plan by creating and using a mini-game that is cross-functional and avoid silos. The bottom line is you want people to work together.

Take action!

• With talent shortages a reality, how are you going to become an employer of choice?
• What operating system would you use to do that? 
• How will you provide meaningful work for your employees?

Rich has generously shared some excellent resources you can put to work in your business right away – get started here

In Episode Five of the Propelling Performance Podcast, Rob speaks with David Werdiger, director of Nathanson Pearson. David shares his wealth of experience as a second-generation family business member and discusses the challenge of expectations surrounding subsequent generations in a family business, the critical importance of communication, shared vision and aspirations and a mindset change from ownership to stewardship.

[Having a legacy means]…saying, I've got a story and I want that story to endure, but at some point, I've got to make way for the next generation to write their chapter of the story.

“We're writing chapters, and rather than ruling from the grave or prescribing what we want our children to do… making sure we create the space for grandchildren to add what is uniquely them, into this evolving family story.” - David Werdiger

Listen to discover:

The double edged sword of family business; opportunity or lodestone?

The various challenges faced:

·      expectations surrounding subsequent generations in the family business

·      generational differences between siblings

·      working with ‘two hats’ on - as an employee/boss and as a family member

Managing multiple relationships - the importance of well-established boundaries between family members

Making sure family members work their way up in a business - either earning their way, or getting their credit externally, by working elsewhere for 5-10 years

The critical importance of communication in a family business 

A discussion of the ‘trigger event’ and potential conflict - the passing of a family member, divorce or restructure

‘Disrespected power’ - the changes in power dynamic in the family 

How David helps family businesses… 

·      build better communication - creating a safe space where they can say the things they need to say

·      work on articulating shared values and mission as a family, setting a collective family mission

·      decide on their aspirations as a family and outside of the business

The five types of family capital….

1.    Legacy or spiritual capital - the shared purpose

2.    Family capital - looking inwards - staying connected and working together

3.    Human capital - creating your own identity 

4.    Social capital - looking outwards - what is our place in society?

5.    Financial capital - running the business and managing assets

The important mindset shift for business owners - from ‘ownership’ to ‘stewardship’ - to hand over the business to children effectively and become a ‘custodian’

A discussion of the challenges of family business succession

An explanation of collaborative practice…

·      Having the family lawyer, accountant and advisor all work together to serve the interest of the family

·      The importance of who is ‘around the table’ and the family dynamic

·      How the location and context sets the mood.

“Helping somebody shift their mindset from owner to steward, helping somebody realise the value of social capital for the family…those are the key moments, where you change someone’s perspective and change the way they look at the world.” - David Werdiger

Take action!

Think about what’s important in your family - the things that cannot be measured. Consider what cannot be measured in numeric terms. This is where you should be putting the most effort.

In Episode Four of the Propelling Performance Podcast, Rob speaks with strategic leader and Executive General Manager - Home Care & Retirement Living, IRT Group, Ross Gallagher. Listen to Ross’ insights on his leadership journey and the lessons he has learned; his hallmarks for great leadership; advice for young and emerging leaders; the most common mistakes leaders make and how he led his team successfully through the challenges of the COVID pandemic.

 “One of the key things is to try and be authentic. Be yourself - and try and do it naturally. Don't try and be Steve Jobs. Your team will pick up on it if you're not authentic.” - Ross Gallagher 

Listen to discover:

Ross’s hallmarks of effective leadership

·      Be authentic - don’t try to be something you’re not

·      Relax and be a natural leader, especially in your communication

·      Empower your team to think for themselves

·      Stay calm. Regardless of what you're thinking or feeling in times of crisis, your team will look to you as the one to steady the ship and give them support and direction

·      Be a leader who guides their team. Help them make sense of situations, then empower them to make the call

·      Treat people as you'd expect to be treated yourself

·      Be intuitive - be open to learning and learn from your mistakes. 

Listen as Rob and Ross explore the advantages of the Scaling Up methodology - how Scaling Up builds trust through clarity, making it easier for leaders to engage people in the journey; creates focus, by breaking up actions and plans into bite-sized chunks through the one page plan; allows you to clearly articulate goals and plans either upwards, to a board or downwards, to people on the front line and enables a key focus on two or three key things so people can actually wrap their head around it.

Ross’ advice for young or emerging leaders 

·      Make sure you get the fundamentals right

·      Do the hard work early and talk to all stakeholders

·      Make sure you can clearly articulate your purpose, vision and mission so you can take your team on the journey with you

·      Don’t forget your educational path - read books, join seminars, join the CEO Institute

Some of the most common mistakes leaders make

·      Trying and take on too much yourself - hitting the deck running to get things done

·      Succumbing to Imposter Syndrome. Just because you've got a new title, you don't have to be the smartest person in the room

·      Don't be afraid to make the hard calls early. Fail fast and move on - don't manage with ego or pride. There will always be meaningful learning you can take forward.

Why a mentor is so important to good leadership, and Ross’ life lessons from his mentor

How Ross navigated the challenges of COVID in one of the most high-risk businesses, aged care/home care, including daily stand ups (not normal in the aged care space) regular meetings with a critical incident management team and staying connected with the team and customers.

“Some of the best advice I had from my most valued business mentor was ‘In life or business, remember this motto - keep it simple, live in the moment and back your gut.’” - Ross Gallagher

Take action!

·      COVID gave us challenges, but also opportunities

·      Don’t be afraid to innovate, solve problems differently and identify new markets

·      Ask yourself - how do we innovate in a challenging operating environment without placing more strain on the core business?

In Episode Three of the Propelling Performance Podcast, Rob speaks with former school teacher turned CEO and strategic leadership coach, Andrew Smith. Andrew offers valuable insights on his journey from functional expert to CEO and leader of a multi-million dollar, IASX listed company and beyond. Interspersed with his triumphs and challenges on the leadership journey, Andrew shares what he would have done differently with hindsight; the transformation of 3P Learning’s performance and culture after the appointment of a strengths-based team; the four areas of focus for growth and change; how membership of an advisory board fundamentally changed his business and why he believes in fostering a culture of learning and living your values.

“I had the whole business on my shoulders. I was singular as a leader. I built a small leadership team of four or five people, a culture based on strengths…. people with the strengths and skillsets I was lacking to run the overall business. The change was almost immediate.” - Andrew Smith

Listen to discover:

What Andrew would do differently if he could start again - getting more help and leading more purposefully

How Andrew recognised and corrected 3P Learning’s ‘plateau’ and moved from being a singular leader to building a strengths-based leadership team 

Andrew’s insights into using Clifton Strengths and taking a strengths-based approach to team-building - having ‘the right people on the bus’, assigning tasks based on each person’s skillset 

The process of driving growth and change; a focus on strengths in four areas - execution, influence, relationship building (including customers) and strategic thinking

 The empowering nature of the strengths-based approach to leadership

“In 2009 I joined an advisory board… probably one of the best decisions I made.  I was getting support from a group of people from different industries, different backgrounds. Their insights on leadership, sales and marketing, all piled in to help me make some really big decisions.” - Andrew Smith

The key changes that turned growth around and increased 3P Learning’s ability to scale… 

1. Joining an advisory board and seeking help from peers and mentors
2. A focus on strengths in execution, influence, relationship building and strategic thinking
3. Strong communication with customers, especially those who were unhappy with 3P’s products

Redesigning 3P Learning’s recruitment process to include personal attributes, personality traits and learning and staff alignment with the organisation’s purpose - their ’North Star’

How taking 3P Learning public impacted the company’s purpose and leadership team, due to values misalignment - but recently moved ‘back on track'

Andrew’s journey as a strategic advisor since leaving 3P Learning and how he actively fosters development and learning in people around him

Rob and Andrew’s learnings from Advisory Board membership; traits of successful advisory board members; the impact of ‘hubris’ - those who feel they don’t need help; advantages of having an independent collection of peers; the value for senior leaders in having ‘space for self-reflection’ and the importance of having a learning mindset.

 Take action! 

• Andrew’s suggestions on reflecting with your team every quarter…
  • Spend the first half of your meeting looking back, and the second half looking forward
  • Key questions to work on with your team; What did we do well? Why was this successful?; Why was this unsuccessful? Why did we fail?; How do we see behaviours lived in our business and with our customers?

Enjoyed the podcast? Extend your learning by reading Chapter 15 and 19 in ‘Propelling Performance'.

In Episode Two of the Propelling Performance Podcast, Rob speaks with ‘The Accountability Guy®’  Darren Finkelstein about how to make accountability your super power and get it working for you. Darren outlines the seven barriers to accountability success and some simple actions you can use to move ahead; questions leaders can ask to help teams with accountability; how fear of failure and overwhelm stops progress; the power of an accountability buddy and the efficacy of old vs new tech accountability tools. He also shares some real-life accountability success stories.

“A lot of people don't share their goals, don't share their tasks, because their fear of failure overcomes the notion to want to share it.” – Darren Finkelstein  

Listen to discover:

The seven barriers to accountability success and some simple actions you can use to move ahead: 

1.    Overwhelm – start with the easiest task

2.    Overambition – start saying ‘no’

3.    Not having a plan – break tasks into small chunks

4.    The impact of past problems - review the positive and negative and learn

5.    Not knowing where to start – find the first small step to build momentum

6.    No reason to get it done – make sure it’s aligned with you and your role

7.    No one cares – find someone who can help with your progress. 

Rob’s experience working with founder/owners on accountability, matched to the BHAG, strategic planning, breaking down tasks and quarterly reviews

An American Society of Training & Development study on the steps to completing a goal, matched with probability…

• Having an idea – 10% probability of completion
• Decision to do it – 25% probability of completion
• Add a date – 50% probability of completion
• Make a commitment to another person – 65% probability of completion
• Commitment to more than one person – 95% probability of completion

How to assess what accountability means to you and your team

Five questions a leader can ask to help their team with accountability:

1.    What do you have planned for this week? 

2.    Where exactly are you with that task? 

3.    Where do you want to be with the task? 

4.    What's stopping you from getting there? 

5.    How do you want to get there - what's your motivating factor?

Old vs new tech - ‘wall charts and butcher’s paper’ or online tech tools, it’s whatever works best for you

How high-performing leaders have found achievement simply by removing overwhelm

Darren’s personal story of accountability success.

“Accountability can be as simple as sitting down and finding a buddy, finding a partner, and agreeing to meet them at a certain time every week. That's where it starts.” – Darren Finkelstein

Take action!

• Ask yourself - how likely are you to achieve your goals, promises, obligations, or commitments alone? 
• How many of the seven barriers do you recognise in yourself?
• Find someone who can hold you to account - an accountability buddy, or working group
• Find someone who is not a friend or partner, because they can’t ask the hard questions. Fresh eyes make all the difference.

As we begin Season Two of the Propelling Performance Podcast, Tom Bosna shares timely insights into the need for leaders to focus on wellbeing in the workplace. He talks us through some of the common mistakes and misunderstandings around wellbeing programs, the questions leaders should be asking of themselves and their teams and how to take the first steps to develop your own effective wellbeing strategy. Tom says there’s no better time to ‘show up and show leadership in this space’ and offers examples of two successful wellbeing programs in action.

“Wellbeing isn't something you can just buy and do. It needs to be ingrained into your organisation and your culture.” – Tom Bosna

Listen to discover:

1. Tom’s overarching definition of wellbeing – being comfortable, happy and healthy

2. The five segments of wellbeing - career, social, financial, physical and community. In a global survey of all demographic segments across 150 countries, while 66% of people are doing well in at least one segment, only 7% are thriving in all five segments

3. The two pieces of the wellbeing puzzle in the workplace; legislative and compliance, and attracting and retaining top talent

4. Two common mistakes Tom sees

• Companies that think they can buy wellbeing or ‘tick a box’ to get outcomes
• ‘Fruit bowls, flu jabs and fitness’ - companies expecting one-off initiatives to highly engage employees and get outcomes.

5. First, read the meter on what your staff team actually want - then take action. Ask questions, run surveys (these can be incentivised), get the data you need and develop solutions.

6. Leaders need to find the missing link in the connection between what they think and what employees think

7. If you’re a leader getting into wellbeing for the first time, look beyond COVID towards the larger mental health concerns in your workplace community. If you're not providing solutions, support or even listening, you’re behind the play.

8. Questions for leaders:

1. Do you know how your workplace is feeling right now?
2. How can you improve the performance of your team by providing extra support?
3. Do you want your team to thrive, or do you want them to languish, and be a business with average performance?

9. Look at your leave policies. Pinnacle has introduced wellbeing leave, with one day  for staff to use per quarter. How can you be innovative with your leave policies?

10. Two wellbeing program case studies - skin cancer checks and a marathon challenge

11. Consider this process to be about health promotion and behavioural change. Sometimes the first step is ‘nudging’ people in the right direction for healthy behavioural change. Start by asking employees about their areas of need and their interests.

“As a leader right now, it's really about showing empathy, understanding, but then also connecting, to provide solutions and options for your employees.” – Tom Bosna

Take action!

Here’s how to get started on workplace wellbeing:

• Think about your core values. What do you believe in, what are you trying to achieve? 
• If you were to amplify your team's performance or amplify support for your employees, what else could you achieve?
• What support systems do you have in place right now?
• What are you measuring right now? 
• Have you ever measured the health profile of your team? 
• If you could improve the health profile of your team by 10%, would you be interested? Would you embrace the strategies needed to make it happen?

In Episode Nine, Andrew Griffiths talks about future proofing your business. Andrew specialises in future-proofing businesses across virtually every industry and every corner of the planet. At a time in history when we are all struggling to think about what the future holds, Andrew provides us with a crucial reminder that as leaders, we must be consciously and consistently future proofing our businesses, not just during times of crisis. Using real life examples and Andrew’s own global client base, we explore the biggest mistakes companies are making right now, why we must know how to adapt to survive and Andrew’s seven-step framework for future-proofing yourself and your business.

“Failure to evolve in a rapidly changing world is really what sums up the challenge for most businesses. That's why we're seeing so many industries and so many businesses failing right now. We blame COVID for it, but the reality is, they had old models in a new world.” – Andrew Griffiths

Listen to discover:

The three big mistakes we’re making that impact the future of our businesses…

1.    Not staying relevant to our customers

2.    Not evolving in a rapidly changing world 

3.    Not communicating transparently.

We must know how to adapt to survive. Alvin Toffler, who wrote the book Future Shock, said "The illiterate of the 21st century won't be those who can't read or write, but those who can't learn, unlearn and relearn."

“As soon as an Excel spreadsheet becomes more important than a conversation with a customer, our business is in trouble.”

Build extraordinary relationships with clients and customers, to the point where we're ingrained in the evolution of where they're going and we're a part of it.

Build a brand that is more inclusive and relevant and communicate at a much more transparent level.

The seven step framework for future-proofing yourself and your business…

1.    Look critically at your business model. Are you working on an old model in a new world?

2.    Embrace everything new and being new. Don’t throw out the old, but you’ve got to embrace the new.

3.    Build a bulletproof brand as a company.

4.    Create experiences. Move away from the transaction economy. 

5.    Be transparent and build trust. 

6.    Communicate more wisely, in a way that is more engaging, with more storytelling.

7.    Stay so tightly connected to your customers that you are involved in their decision-making process. You need to be one step ahead of them all the time, developing a product or service just as they need it.

Explore incredible examples of future-proofing during COVID here: https://www.covidinnovations.com

“It's not the big things that we lose customers about, it's the little things. Lots and lots of little things ultimately frustrate people and make them go somewhere else.” – Andrew Griffiths

Take action!

• Invest time to ask more questions of your organisation, your customers, your industry, yourself as an individual
• Spend some time looking at innovations. It's not that hard to figure out what the world's going to look like in five or 10 years' time
• Ask yourself - what are we going to sell when people no longer want to buy what we're selling today?
• How are you going to build ridiculously tight relationships with your clients?
• How do you make your customer experiences better? How do you move away from just doing transactions, to doing incredible experiences?
• Why is someone going to pay more to be with you? How are you going to really differentiate yourself?
• How are you going to tell everyone that you are different?