Back to the Beginning... is now the time for you to rethink how you move forward?

When I was first introduced to Simon Sinek, my fundamental way of thinking changed from just thinking about my own success to thinking outwardly to serve others and how this was intertwined with the definition of a brand. This is how I distinguish between businesses and brands. Ultimately, you need a cause bigger than you.

“Start with Why” was inspiring, for many marketing and business leaders, globally. But what was more special for me, was that before I watched his TED Talk, I had become so disheartened with my role in business development. I was young and striving for something else, something 'shinier'. Sales was like the ugly duckling of the agency; the one-man band, that no one wanted to be a part of. Please... no violins.

But in 2012, I rewired myself and with this new way of seeing the world, I went about helping agencies and other businesses understand their ‘purpose’. What was then Kiwi Gray, brought a new narrative to the agency positioning scene; one that focused on your purpose, cause, mission or your 'Why'. Even then, we believed agencies were no different from any other business and they too needed to act like brands. This is still something we are educating the market on eight years later, as it is commonly misunderstood.

Sinek’s latest book, “The Infinite Game”, is another great example of how agencies (and all businesses) should be thinking, and what we mean by acting as a brand. Simon talks about the need to have a ‘Just Cause’, which he defines as:

For Something – affirmative and optimistic

Inclusive – open to all those who would like to contribute

Service Orientated – for the primary benefit of others

Resilient – able to endure political, technological and cultural change

Idealistic – big, bold and ultimately unachievable

How many agencies can claim they have a mission that delivers on all of these? They might tick service orientated but often full short on the rest. Many agencies struggle to grasp the concept of thinking beyond the rational of what they do or the value they bring to their clients. Most of them are playing a finite game and when I ask the owners about their vision and wider objectives, all I get back is “growth”. And there is no reason behind this growth, they just want to grow… for vanity, for money, for fame? Who knows? The problem this highlights, as Simon talks about in the book is that this vision only benefits one type of person, and that is them; the owners of the business. Nobody can get excited about this type of growth; not employees; not future employees; not clients; not prospects; nobody. Eventually, not even the business owner! As after they achieve the commercial goals they set themselves, year after year, they soon start to get deflated and think, so what? What’s next? What's the point of all this?

It is impossible to motivate people purely around money for the long-term. We only have to go back to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to understand what motivates people and what they want, things like a sense of belonging, self-respect and self-actualisation.

I would argue that most businesses don’t have a greater mission than to grow and be the best at the thing that they provide. The problem with looking at the world like this is that there will always be better, there will always be faster, or cheaper; and soon your product or service will be out of date (again).

Once this happens, you are then forced to reinvent, and this is when most companies think they need to sort out their positioning. However, they’re not thinking about their long-term mission, they’re just pivoting, playing a finite game and soon the newer, shinier offering, will too become extinct.

The idea behind having a mission, a cause, or a BHAG, is that it will never be fulfilled, and you will always be striving to achieve that, no matter what. When you tap into a much deeper emotional motivator, this is what will keep your fire burning forever, give you the ability to diversify, and will attract a following of top talent and new clients, because they will also believe in your just cause.

So why do so many struggle with this concept and why are they unable to think just beyond what they do?

We’ve been able to help many clients achieve this by challenging them to think a lot harder and deeper, introspectively. It’s not until we really interrogate someone’s background, their education, their career experiences, the people that inspire them, and the events that have ultimately shaped that person's beliefs, values, and way of thinking; that we are able to unearth the roots to their key drivers.

Many people find this kind of introspective analysis quite uncomfortable and also many don’t see the relevance until you can map out a pragmatic journey as to how this could reshape their approach to life and business. However, when their drivers are turned into a mission, business model, and a sales and marketing plan, it can be truly inspiring and incredibly fulfilling to witness.

It’s these very personal conversations that we think consultants are either unable to, or not willing to have, with their clients. But in doing so, their advice can be no more than a sticky plaster. Often it is the business owner that needs to be challenged and questioned about the fundamental mission and whether they have aligned their personal ambitions with that of the company.

So, in order to transition from a business to a brand and reinvent yourself once and for all, we believe you need to have a just cause. To find that just cause you need to be challenged to discover your personal drivers. When you’ve done this, you will be able to tap into a much deeper motivation for yourself and for your community (employees, clients, prospects, suppliers etc.).

The past month has been one of the most significant events in decades, maybe centuries. And it has pushed people to really consider their just cause and what they want out of life. Now might be the time you need to consider, more heavily, how you can bring your personal life, closer to your work. Life is too short to not be doing what you love every day. If you are either struggling to motivate yourself, motivate your people, win new customers, differentiate yourself, or searching for how to push your business to the next stage of growth; the chances are you need to discover what it is that drives you, which FYI is something we love to do it ;)

We’re relaunching our regular Rehab sessions online, so do come and talk about your passions alongside your rant of the week! We’ll do them weekly on a Friday afternoon for 5 agency owners at a time… BYOB and sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/agency-business-development-weekly-wind-down-tickets-104308993006