The role of leadership is not what you think. The likelihood is, the more you think of yourself as an expert in leadership – the less likely you are to be a ‘great leader’. If, when you try and picture a great leader you see Steve Jobs, Jack Ma, Nelson Mandela or Elon Musk. You are probably even further away. Let me explain.
The Rugby World cup is currently on in Japan. A feast of games that has already thrown up an unlikely result such as Japan beating Ireland. The Premier League is also in full swing and it brings an interesting contrast to what a ‘Captain’ looks like for each. I have been lucky enough to captain both a rugby team and a football team (in my younger, fitter days). And the difference is huge. In rugby, you must choose a strategy. When given a penalty, you pick from 1 of 4 potential restarts. It is the captain’s choice and the right decisions at the right time can hugely influence the result. For football, as a recent article talking about the potential for Maguire to be a future captain of Manchester United said, you just have to shout loudly.
So is Elon Musk or Steve Jobs more of a rugby or football captain? Probably neither. They are perhaps more of a Tiger Woods (let’s keep the sporting analogies going!). Tiger Woods has a caddy who helps him immensely. But he has to have his own strategy, play his own way. And he has to execute every shot. That is Elon Musk. He knows more about his products than anybody else. Steve Jobs knew exactly what he wanted to do with his products.
So a leader has to be an expert, know the strategy or shout loudly? According to a new book from HBR – a leader is simply someone who has a follower. This is perhaps a better reference for the workplace – rather than sporting analogies. I am sure there are many people that we have all worked with over the years that have been put into a position of ‘leadership’ that makes you question … why? The problem, in a larger organization, is that people are mandated to follow. They HAVE to do what their boss says. They don’t follow willingly. They are forced. But that person is still a leader, because they have a ‘follower’.
There are so many books, publications, articles and how tos about leadership, that it is almost impossible to navigate the viewpoints with a clear understanding of what makes a great leader (and I do realize the irony of writing this within a blog about the role of leadership).
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How do you identify a leader?
Within an organizational context, how do you find the ‘next great leader’? If the ‘bosses’ are not great and their ‘followers’ only do as the boss decides – how do you identify the next best? For me, that is the opportunity for the organization. If the company culture and initiatives can be geared up to provide everyone with an equal opportunity – then does the cream naturally rise to the top?
In the past, Kadence has worked with ICLIF – a not for profit that specializes in leadership development. Part of a piece of work that we did was a 28 market study on leadership. It was part of the context for a book written about open source leadership. Within this book it was argued that because of a 24/7 world of connectivity, true leadership can not be done in the same way as before. That at the end of the day ‘leadership is more than an art than a science’ . As such, books on ‘how to lead’ simply don’t work.
One of the key areas of the book raised the question about how to find leaders within your organization. The suggest was ‘Throw out challenges to the entire employee base and see who comes forward to showcase their talent and energy. Those who raise their hands year after year to solve company problems or exploit revenue opportunities are your natural leaders for tomorrow.’
This is great leadership. Having an organization that allows those with passion and desire to showcase it off. It is not about forcing Harry Maguire to shout, it is about giving a voice to those that want to. So instead of thinking about individuals that are great leaders, perhaps we should be thinking about cultures that allow innovation to thrive? That the role of leadership is not to lead, but to set up a system that allows people to work on their best ideas.
With legalization of recreational marijuana becoming more commonplace alongside a continual rise in the availability of cannabis-based products, it is a turbulent but exciting time for CBD. But do people really understand what CBD is and what it does? Why do people use CBD products … and how are people using it compared to cannabis?
According to our recent study on the topic, CBD usage is rapidly growing in popularity. 4 times as many adults are using CBD products in 2019, compared to 2018, growing from 5% to 18%.
Unsurprisingly, there is considerable overlap between CBD and cannabis usage, with half of CBD users also using cannabis. That said, CBD growth is also coming from those who don’t use cannabis.
Many CBD consumers use these products regularly to address a range of ailments. Roughly half of CBD consumers use CBD at least once a week, while very few only use the product a couple of times a month. Most (60%) use it for pain relief or inflammation; the next most common reasons are anxiety (45%) and sleep (33%).
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Despite its increasing usage, there is still a large gap in product understanding. Only 24% of US adults believe they are moderately or extremely familiar with CBD, and, more surprising, only half of CBD users (57%) believe they are.
There are also many misconceptions regarding CBD products. 25% of US adults believe that pure CBD can “get you high”, which is not true. CBD users tend to be more knowledgeable about these products but many are still misinformed. For example, 13% of CBD users believe that it can get you high.
“CBD is a fantastic option for many, but it’s a very complex landscape for consumers to navigate. One sees CBD advertised with specific medical claims through dispensaries in medical cannabis states. Then one sees hemp-derived CBD available at the local natural foods store as a dietary supplement — but without medical claims and available in isolate form, full-spectrum form, or hybrids of the two” comments CBD Industry Executive, Ashley Grace. “It’s a lot for consumers to decipher and it all doesn’t work the same. The dispensary CBD might get you high, the isolate CBD may not work at all or might stop working quickly, and many ‘full spectrum’ CBDs are really just oils spiked with isolated CBD. Then you have US-grown or imported. While it’s difficult for consumers to find the right products to meet their needs, the good news is there are some amazing products available that are literally changing people’s lives,” said Grace.
It is important to note that the average CBD user looks just like anyone else. There are no major differences in gender, employment, income, marital status, or geography when compared to the average American adult. Although, younger adults (age 21-44) are more likely to have tried CBD. Interestingly, they are also more confident that they are familiar with CBD but more likely to be misinformed about it.
Download the full report to explore the findings in-depth.
Cannabis talk in the US media is unavoidable these days as changing legislation and recreational dispensaries continue to open up across selected states in the country. How can companies outside the cannabis space take advantage of this growing trend? Our research with over 2,000 US consumers sought to understand this new opportunity for brands.
One-in-five (20%) adults nationwide report they have used cannabis in the last 12 months. Of those, two-thirds (66%) consume regularly (at least once a week). While two thirds tell us that consuming cannabis has not changed their social life in any way, 17% are staying home more and 8% say they are going out more.
Ultimately, this opens up a variety of opportunities for marketers to offer products and services that are tailored to the needs of this group. Meal kit delivery companies could make “dinner party boxes” suited to a night in with friends. Game makers could create games that facilitate creativity and fun. Netflix or Amazon could offer content particularly suited for cannabis-influenced viewers. And clearly, snack makers could have a field day.
In the survey, adults were asked whether they would prefer to consume cannabis or alcohol while doing different popular activities. While clubbing and hosting a dinner party are more likely paired with alcohol, for many other pastimes, cannabis wins. At home, watching TV/ movies, doing chores, playing board games and socializing with family and friends are all activities where cannabis is preferred. Going to the movies or to watch live music are also events where adults would prefer cannabis. A host of other activities are decidedly not alcohol activities, but may be considered “cannactivities” – yoga, gardening, outdoor activities, going to the spa, cultural events and reading. See the table below for details.
How can your business take advantage of this fast-growing industry? Download the full research report to learn more.
“For each of the following, would you rather do this activity while consuming cannabis, drinking beverages containing alcohol, or neither?”
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At Kadence, one of the key traits that we look to develop in all of our team members, is the ability to think creatively. The term ‘creativity’ is often misunderstood. It can be seen by some as a trait that only ‘artistic’ people possess – and not something to improve over time. Whilst it is true that some people perhaps have a more natural leaning towards creative outputs (and why we employ dedicated designers to help with the visual appeal of our output) at its root, thinking creatively is of vital importance for the growth of a business.
If you have not read Ed Catmull’s book ‘Creativity Inc’ – Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration – I would highly recommend it. Firstly, it is a fascinating story about how a person who dreamed of becoming an animator, but could not draw, ends up as the President of Walt Disney Studios and Pixar! However, more importantly is that Catmull brings forward usable, relatable stories of how they could foster an environment of creative thinking. “For me, creativity includes problem-solving. That’s the broad definition of it”.
Thinking outside the box
Whilst it may be easy to associate creativity with a movie studio – much of the lessons learned are hugely practical for any business (or team within a business) that are tasked to ‘think outside the box’ to solve a problem. For me, the largest problem with the term ‘thinking outside the box’ is that it is a cliché, with no clear meaning or benefit derived from doing so. Sometimes, thinking ‘within the box’ is effective. By the purest definition, it was ‘thinking inside’ that you got you to where you are today. ‘The box’ is often a negative, the norm, staying with what you know, how a company operates, and there is often nothing wrong with optimizing this as a starting point.
However, there does come a time where you need to look for new ideas and inspiration. You could Google ‘how to think outside the box’ but there are many, many results that come up – and whilst some claim to give you advice (Forbes for example) it is not as easy as that to implement.
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Using research as a tool to think creatively
This is where research companies can play a pivotal role … not just by collecting data, but by helping you think about a problem differently – creatively!
At Kadence, we look to help companies make sure that they are focused on the impact that research can have – and we work creatively to be able to do that. Our starting point is always making sure that we are thinking about the business goal. A great example of this (and an interesting read regardless) is in HBR’s article on ‘Are you Solving the Right Problems’. The author describes framing a problem, an elevator being too slow in an office building – with disgruntled tenants – with the list of potential solutions geared up around making it faster (new lift shaft, upgrade motors, change algorithms etc). However, the problem is really that ‘the wait for the elevator is annoying’. This then presents a much different list of potential solutions (provide entertainment, TV screens, mirrors to check appearance, etc) – all of which are much cheaper than construction of new lift shaft!
This correct framing of the problem brings us back to creativity as a tool. If we are tasked with thinking ‘creatively’ about a problem, how do we do so. Particularly if we have been ‘in the box’ for a long time. The rest of the HBR article continues with suggested ways of re-framing the problem, but at Kadence – we go searching outside the box!
Harnessing ‘spheres to influence ‘ to find new solutions
We use a term called ‘spheres of influence’ to assess what are the associated, but distinct industries, or experts that might be able to give an opinion on the problem or potential solution. We draw this up with our clients, then we go looking for our creative solutions. For example, when working with an airline, whose goal it is to create the best in-flight experience possible we would create a map of the ‘spheres’
By looking at the spheres of influence on a brand, and by speaking to people who have a viewpoint on this (e.g. for an airline, understanding views on what makes best in class bedding or a best in class luxury car seat etc) we can reframe the problems creatively and therefore focus our proposed solutions on something that is likely to be more relevant.
Increasing creativity in your organization
As a first step, you could always look to assess how creative you, or your teams are. There is a test called the Torrence Test of Creative Thinking (which we recently carried out on our team in Kadence) that allows you to assess how creative individuals are. If you do find that you or your team score low on this, don’t fret. Either give Ed Catmull’s book a read….or simply get in touch with Kadence*
*ideally you should do both
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We’ve all been there. That moment of frustration when you visit a store or restaurant or hotel and are so entirely and completely underwhelmed by the experience. Perhaps it was the inattentive or poorly trained staff. Or the unclear and confusing information. Or the restricting opening hours. But what makes the whole thing worse is that this is not what you were promised – the ads; marketing and branding all suggest a very different experience. As an extreme example, the hot water that United got into for forcibly removing a passenger is a complete mismatch of its brand promise of: “connecting people. Uniting the world.”
On the flip side, there are golden moments when the unexpectedly wonderful happens. The barista remembers your name and favourite order; you’re given a hotel room upgrade; the restaurant goes out of their way to accommodate your food allergy.
The reason for both of these reactions is because of the unexpected. The experience you were primed for by the brand promise is different. Causing an emotional reaction as we deal with that.
Experiences have become perhaps the most important aspect of shaping the brand. Not only can experiences be documented and shared more easily than ever with camera phones and social media; but an experience is more visceral and powerful than any marketing and will live on much longer in the memory.
However, a recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Marketing suggests that only 53% of marketers claim successful alignment between brand promise and experience; just 37% believe their employees understand how to deliver this brand promise; and a measly 17% feel they enable their employees to suggest way to improve brand experience.
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Part of the reason for this is that it’s hard to measure the brand experience. Brand health studies measure the brand promise not experience; Satisfaction studies test the brand’s SOPs rather than the consumers’ experience; and mystery shopping relies on a small sampling of outsiders’ opinions. Relying on these studies alone is not enough for the CXO to draw any kind of conclusions about how their customers are experiencing the brand. Also, is it even relevant?
After all, while ‘satisfaction scores’ and ‘likelihood to promote’ a brand can be assumed to imply that the customer ‘likes’ the brand, that inference does not necessarily show the CXO what is the nature of the experience, and what specifically about it created the ‘emotional hook’ strong enough for the customer to want to ‘promote’ the brand to other users or have been satisfied. In short, it will likely leave more questions than answers, rather than illuminating actionable next steps for improving the process.
Rather, you need a measurement tool that tells you what customers of your brand (as well as your competitor, and even category) value when it comes to experience. Something that complements current studies you already have; but offers deeper insights that can help you create a strategic plan of action. A piece of research that sheds light on not just the ‘what’, but the ‘why’ of your customers’ emotional connection (or disconnection) with your brand based on their experience.
In short, Kadence’s Emotional Connection Matrix (ECM) is what you need. We have completed a study amongst Singapore consumers across categories on how individual brands scored in terms of emotionally-connecting with them, how these brands compare to others, which product category has the highest tendency to provoke positive emotional connections based solely on brand experiences, and what kinds of actions actually lead to said positive emotional connections. Drop by the CX Conference 2019 at Four Seasons Hotel on 26th July to satisfy your curiosity, as we talk more about the Emotional Connection Matrix.
How do you create customer delight? Our latest research sought to explore what matters to customers in 11 markets which match our international footprint: the UK, US, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India and China and Hong Kong.
As part of the research, we uncovered 5 must-have principles for any global customer experience strategy. In this blog post, we share these principles, together with examples of brands getting it right, to inspire your strategy development.
1. Understand customers’ needs and feelings
We discovered that what matters most to customers globally is that service personnel take the time to listen and really understand their needs. This far outweighed any other factor by a long way. So how do go further than in-store interactions and deliver this on a strategic level?
Research, of course, is crucial – and doing this in-store can further strengthen the customer experience. A good example of this comes from British supermarket, Morrisons. The brand implemented a “customer listening program” in 80 stores across the country to speak to customers about their in-store experiences and overall perceptions of brand. Not only did the strategy enable Morrison’s to build relationships with customers, it helped the supermarket understand what elements of its positioning to leverage in its future communications and campaigns.
2. React positively to customer requests
Another element that matters to customers is that the service personnel react positively to their requests. But beyond staff training to ensure this is happening in store, what else can brands do?
Starbucks has one solution. They launched My Starbucks Idea, a crowdsourcing platform where customers can request everything from new drink flavors to customer service improvements. Since the site was established, hundreds of ideas have been launched by Starbucks. Providing free WiFi in store was a My Starbucks Idea, as was introducing new payment solutions, and numerous product lines and flavorings started out life on the site. As a way of reacting positively to customer requests and feeding its innovation pipeline at the same time, it’s a real win-win for Starbucks.
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3. Show customers they matter
It’s also important that service personnel express how important customers are to the brand. There are numerous ways of achieving this, ranging from small tactical actions to more comprehensive loyalty schemes.
There’s lots that established brands can learn from smaller businesses here. From handwritten notes to customer appreciation events, small gestures can really make a customer feel valued, building that bond with your business.
4. Empower staff to go above and beyond
Customers also value service personnel going beyond their usual responsibilities. But how do you get your staff to make this a reality? One tip is to move away from rigid customer service processes and to embrace a more flexible approach. This will empower your staff to react to customers in the most appropriate way, creating a personalized and therefore superior customer experience.
A great example of this comes from UK coffee chain Pret. Each week, staff in the store are allowed to give away a certain number of free drinks to customers. Giving employees the freedom to offer a free coffee to a flustered customer is a small gesture that delivers big returns, quickly making someone’s day and creating a positive brand experience.
5. Give gifts that reflect customers’ needs
Another component to consider adding to your customer experience strategy is gifting. But to really resonate, gifts needs to take customer wants and needs into account. If you’re in search of inspiration, look no further than Sephora. The French beauty brand delivers personalised emails – based on an individual’s search history – that give customers chance to get their hands on a relevant free gift.
As part of our research, we investigated how these factors vary by market. Get in touch with your local office to find out the 5 must-have principles for a best-in-class customer experience strategy in your market.
Senior Marketing Executive
Sales & Marketing
Vital Strategies
Customer Intelligence Director