It's been quite a year! At the start, I set myself the goal of writing one meaningful blog post a week. On the whole, I'm pleased to report that this has been achieved - with varying success. It's sometimes hard to keep writing at the top of the to-do list when things get busy with client work. However, I'm quite happy that this post will be the 48th blog post of this year - and with 3 weeks to go, it means I am only off of my target of 52 blog posts by four.
However, I know it's not simply about numbers. It's about quality. That's the real challenge. But there is always fresh brand and culture ideas and tools to share.
Below are the most popular of this year based on visits. I hope you enjoy a look back at 2019 and any posts you may have missed that might be helpful to you...
In at number one is this post where I outline a high-level five-step process which, if followed, would create a logical culture programme which could be explained, enjoyed and sustained in the future. A powerful process for leadership teams.
2. The "5 Whys" Method (5Ys) - how to collaboratively identify and solve the root cause of problems
Coming in at second in popularity rankings is this powerful tool - The "5 Whys" Method (5Ys). In this post, I explain how to use the tool first championed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota. It helps you get to the root of a problem and prevent it from occurring again.
What are the biggest questions for a business to ask itself? Find out in this post and also why a brand strategy is what you need to begin to answer them.
After speaking at a Culture event (Cooper Parry's infamous "Culture Carnival") various questions were asked which we didn't have time to address on the day. These get answered in this post. If you wanted to watch my talk on the day click here.
If I had to select one key thing upon which to build a brand it would be purpose. This post makes the case for having a clear purpose and also gives you seven tips on how to define your brand purpose and use it effectively.
Naming. Why is it so hard to do? Especially if you are trying to come up with a name as a team. This post tackles this. In it, I outline some helpful "design thinking" tools and a simple ten-step process which a team can follow to generate a new name for a brand.
I say this statement on a weekly basis! It made sense to write a blog post about the common misconception that a "brand" is a logo. I make the case that a brand is the "meaning people attach to you and your offer" and that therefore the discipline of branding cuts across internal culture, products/services, customer experience & marketing communications.
One problem that scares leadership teams is the length of time that brand projects can take. In this post, I share the idea of using an agile strategy where a multi-disciplined team swarms on the project making things happen in a matter of weeks not months.
It turns out that we, as humans, need some sort of mental picture of where we are going in order to imagine a way to get there. This post explores the idea of leaders creating a brand vision to help inspire action amongst their people.
The first phase of a branding or re-branding project is to listen and discover where the brand has come from and where it needs to go. In this post, I outline 7 activities you can do to glean powerful insights which can help you forge an authentic brand story for the future.
So that's it from me. Thanks for all of the support this year.
If you've enjoyed the content I've been producing there is a couple of things you might like to do:
If you haven't already why not sign up for a free e-book be notified as soon as new posts are published? There are some big things planned for 2020 so this will be well worth doing.
Why not connect with me on LinkedIn and drop me a recommendation? I'd be ever so grateful!
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO BLOG ABOUT IN 2020? Let me know if there are any subjects or questions you have which you would like my thoughts on. Drop me a comment and I'll do what I can to cover it in 2020.
I hope you enjoy the upcoming holidays and I wish you all the very best for 2020 and beyond.