That Old Chestnut

Don’t quote me but, its true that we all live parts of our life by popularised sayings, driven by what the good book says, by inspired quotes, motivational or positive speeches that are designed to keep us straight and true.

But why do it? And why let mantras drive your life? While there is likely a proverb for just about everything, there’s good reason: proverbs touch on just about every aspect of life, providing a connection to truths that go beyond one person or any single moment in time.

And in that way, they are a little like stereotypes – widely fixed oversimplified ideas but based on elements of truth and fact. So while nothing defines a culture quite as distinctly as its language, the element, therefore, of language that best encapsulates a society's values and beliefs, is its proverbs.

We have all used axioms, such as “plenty more fish in the sea”, “what’s for you wont go by you”, “a watched pot never boils” and “all good things come to he who waits”. There are even “old saws” for the procurement industry - “It is bad procurement policy to unilaterally lock itself into one set of technologies.” - Tom Schatz. But while the best rebuttal to trite inspiring sayings is probably a tweet by comedian Damian Fahey: “It’s never your successful friends posting the inspirational quotes.” Ask my successful friends (who while they don’t necessarily "post" their inspirational quotes) they certainly use them to great effect in motivating others, sharing their belief system or in helping keep business simple!

But “time is money” and so I’ll keep this brief. Given there are endless sayings to align to each of our personal and professional lives, Id like to “cut through the clutter” and share with you three maxims of mine that sit behind the daily effort in my professional life – and specifically the commercial element of what I do.

“People buy from people they like/people do business with people they like”

(Told to me by my first manager - someone I still look up to and respect to this day!)

When you appreciate others you will find that your relationships are stronger, your circle of friends will grow wider, your career and business will succeed beyond your expectations, and your life will simply be happier. What’s not to like about creating success by appreciate other people – your team, your clients, and your stakeholders?

“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” It could be a simple “thank you” (as one of the most powerful phrases out there) but the ability to build relationships opens doors beyond compare. Especially in business where repeatability and scale are concerned – it’s easier to retain an existing client than source a new one! It’s all about the relationships!

“Contribute more than you cost”

(Shared by the Founder and former Chairman of a business I managed for five years)

If the inclusion of you as an employee is to achieve particular KPIs then the measurable for your work will be clear – but your performance will be defined by how you add value. It’s about contribution not necessarily static longevity. Think about it as being paid for performance - not about the hours you put in, or the work you do, your tenure or your good intentions. If it’s merely considering your effort against your salary – it’s a start! But if you yourself can deliver a clear ROI, you are more than likely living this already!

And finally, perhaps the most pertinent one, given the work I do, to help businesses achieve maximum commercial returns…

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got”

(A supplier raised this to me years ago in relation to explaining her tactic with business activities when I was considering and developing mine)

Many well known entrepreneurs have had this adage attributed to them over the years but regardless of the origins, what matters is its point. Which is, if you want to change the end result, you need to change the way you do things. 

It applies to so much in business, to your strategy, your marketing, sales, social media, operations, events and in how you conduct yourself and with whom you engage! But the key for me is in talent and recruitment.

As with so many of the organisations that I’ve had the pleasure of work with, they all want change – be it growth, new product development, increase in revenue, to achieve more engagement with consumers and clients. Whatever the goals, all of this is wrapped up in this quote – and specifically the talent who you have to lead this change.

As a business - have you ever had someone suggest a change or offer to lead you through change by teaching you something new? Did you jump at the chance or pass the offer by? Did you heed that advice, take the necessary steps to embrace a new way or just go back to your old way because it was faster, easier, cheaper?

As someone who more often than not is about instigating a change – in fortune, in strategy, driving success in revenues. If this is you, then my advice is to embrace change, set your goals, take the time to plan, communicate frequently during the change initiative process, welcome feedback and adjust your plan when necessary as you move forward and enjoy your success! It takes a different kind of leader, with a different set of skills to what you probably already know – but be brave and don’t just resort to your default settings. Recruiting the talent you might always do, will deliver ultimately the same results.

And so, if part of the route to change is a different leader, with a fresh set of eyes looking at your challenges, with knowledge and experience from a wider sphere of influence, then why would you opt for the same? Change! It might hurt some in the short term, but as the saying goes, “no pain, no gain” and if its change you really want – you now cant say you weren’t warned about avoiding the status quo.

"The beginning is easy; continuing, hard". So with that its "out with the old, in with the new".