Musings at 40,000 feet...

Musings at 40,000 feet...

As I write, am on flight back home to India after 100 day on/off tour of APAC countries....Singapore, Dubai and Melbourne before I take off for Kathmandu in few days. As always my lens to view, observe, reflect and comment on a what I see during my travels is culture. Only this time, it’s the culture of posturing, positioning and pitching. Whether I visited mega diversified conglomerates, worked with technology giants, partnered with small home run businesses or just spent time with local families, what struck me most is the way they are branding themselves, most of all these cities. 

Singapore is all about the core values and intangibles assets of its people. Brand Singapore hits you the moment, the wheels of your aircraft hit the tarmac. It has fought their its way out of non-entity status and smallness into becoming a thriving, glittering economy, a shining case study for several global economies. Singaporeans have deeply engrained the value of honouring multiracialism, with fanatical focus on continuing learning and reskilling. Sojourners to this island-nation are now stayers. Every Singaporean is it’s brand ambassador. 

Dubai on the other hand believes that brands are about people working together towards a shared purpose. It’s putting its people at the center of its vision and making a assertive statement that they have embarked on a journey to achieve ‘happiness’ for all who reach its shores. In fact, UAE has not only appointed Minster for AI but for happiness and well-being as well. Happiness per them is the ultimate metric of success. If a country’s brand can create that illusion to begin with and then make it into a reality, it’s pull will be like that of a siren drawing both trade and tourism to its shores. What a brand story. 

Then there is Melbourne who has what it calls ‘Melbourne moments’. It’s the way they transform ordinary everyday activities into unpredictable and unexpected enjoyment which inspires its residents and visitors to experience them repeatedly, be it the fire spouting pillars on the yarra river promenade, pop up luxury brand retail stores or quintessential reconstructed spaces as empty parking lot, derelict garage or laneways which beckons the passerby just by their sheer promise of unconventional experiences. It’s not for nothing that Melbourne has got rated as the ‘most liveable city in the world’ for years! 

If at times, you do think if spending time and money on building a brand is worth the effort, considering it’s such a intangible, well then it’s good to remember that not only these cities but mega brands such as Pepsi, Samsung, Amazon, McDonald, IPL and heaps more pour in millions of dollars into advertisements, sponsorships, events, billboards to keep their brand alive and kicking and right where it belongs...At the top. Let’s trust their reasoning.

Coming closer home, to personal branding, given my travel observations, I am mulling over these and given that many of you ask me so much about it, thought it pertinent to share:

  1. It doesn’t matter where you come from, What matters is where you’re going. Start now.
  2. Being small does not mean being insignificant. Play the odds.
  3. Purpose fuels passion. Find yours. Fan it furiously. Make it your USP.
  4. To be remembered takes doing. Create your experience moments. 
  5. To be a leader, you need fans and followers. Do good, take the stage, let the spotlight shine and say your piece. Applause will follow!

Transition, transform, transcend! Happy travels...

Amit Verma

Digital Transformation Leader(SPC5 certified) and Leadership Coach (ICF)

6 年

Awesome... lovely note on diversity of cultures and geographies

Neeru Saini

CSM |Senior QA Specialist

6 年

Thanks for sharing . Great Insight !

thanks for sharing !! our coffee is due by the way before you leave for Kathmandu :)

SANJAY THAKUR

Head-Product & Strategy,Small & Medium Enterprise(SME)at Kotak Mahindra Bank

6 年

Impressive one !

Arshdeep Singh

Business Education for Digital-First Careers

6 年

Amazing piece! Great insights.

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Harlina Sodhi的更多文章

  • 7 Lessons I Learnt from: The Last Ship

    7 Lessons I Learnt from: The Last Ship

    Serendipitously, The Last Ship popped up on my Amazon Prime couple of weeks ago. It caught and held my attention due to…

    23 条评论
  • 7 Unexpected Upsides of Social Distancing!

    7 Unexpected Upsides of Social Distancing!

    “We are in an unprecedented situation and the normal rules no longer apply. We cannot resort to the usual tools in such…

    4 条评论
  • A good coach can change a Game, A great coach can change a Life!

    A good coach can change a Game, A great coach can change a Life!

    After my parents, the person who has influenced me the most in my life has been my coach! said a successful business…

    21 条评论
  • Calm your nerves. Speak to elevate

    Calm your nerves. Speak to elevate

    1.I want to, but don’t have time So you’re busy.

    6 条评论
  • Men don't fret. Women don't fume.

    Men don't fret. Women don't fume.

    Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis has likened the human mind to an iceberg. The part that does the conscious…

    18 条评论
  • The Millennial Mindset

    The Millennial Mindset

    Something jogged my memory, in all probability it was this article by Forbes on Millennials I stumbled upon yesterday…

    19 条评论
  • Salute our Soldiers...

    Salute our Soldiers...

    He watched me patiently making a valiant effort to climb the rough metal stairs which extended way above the Khardungla…

    17 条评论
  • Cracking the Code - Becoming a Influencer

    Cracking the Code - Becoming a Influencer

    Many moons ago it dawned to me painfully at first that I just did not know it all. I could not hold my own against…

    74 条评论
  • Life Lessons I learnt from Suits in 2018

    Life Lessons I learnt from Suits in 2018

    Any of you who pause to read it need no introduction to Suits, its iconic central character Harvey Spector, the…

    140 条评论
  • My Travails & Travels…from the Valley to the Peak!

    My Travails & Travels…from the Valley to the Peak!

    It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves! said Sir Edmund Hillary, man who scaled Mount Everest. I spent most of…

    11 条评论

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了