Had a fun day with a client last week reviewing future trends and product, proposition and service design for their customers.  Thought I’d share some of what I said to them:

Think about the colour RED. Which organisations do you think of?

Typical answers are Coke, Virgin or Ferrari.  You’d be right, and they’d be delighted.  But what about when you put that same colour on the bottom of a pair of incredible heels?  (If you don’t know, ask someone – they will!)

How about the word LIKE – what do you think of when you read, hear or say it?  Who owns Like?

140.

It’s just a number.  But who’s redefined it for us, one character at a time.  What if they’d decided on 139?

Now try something even more simple.  A letter.  ONE letter.    i.

Who owns ‘i’, and will fight you, hard, to defend it?  These guys also own a few words themselves these days.  If you don’t believe me, how many of us increasingly think of them when we hear certain words…simple, beautiful, design anyone?  Catch them if you can…

Colours, words, numbers and the soles of our shoes.  Anyone can own them.  Anyone can redefine them.  Maybe anyone can own anything…if they really mean it.  Or can they?  Is it that easy?

Just because you do or offer something doesn’t mean you own it, even if you’re good at it.  Ownership comes when your customers can describe what you own without you needing to remind them.  That’s Ownership.

Can you articulate a commercial space that you’re owning?  Where has your proposition design, customer experience and organisational delivery been so relentlessly focused on owning a space, that your customers have followed you there?  Where have you redefined or changed their perceptions of something so that it’s now owned by your brand, creating the ultimate barrier to entry for your competitors in the process?

Maybe it’s not about logos, straplines, websites or brand values.  Maybe the future’s about Ownership.

What space do you Own?  What would it take?

© Coracle Learning Ltd.  All trademarks acknowledged.

Coracle Learning, a niche management consultancy firm based in Warwickshire, today announced Catalyst, a new leadership development programme run in partnership with international charity “Habitat for Humanity”. Catalyst integrates leadership development, corporate social responsibility and community action to create lasting change in individuals, companies and communities. The programme aims to revitalise managers, improving individual and team effectiveness, performance and morale, whilst helping impoverished communities build critical housing.

Catalyst is a programme for groups of up to 8 UK business leaders which includes a fully managed 7 day trip to South Africa, 5 days of which are spent taking part in a Habitat for Humanity community home building project. Individuals are prepared for the life changing experience through a personal strengths analysis, 360 degree feedback and executive coaching to identify development goals and learning outcomes for each delegate. Catalyst concludes with a full debrief, post trip reviews, feedback and action planning in order to cement and apply key learning in each delegate’s ongoing role.

The end result is a management team with renewed focus and drive & homes for a community in South Africa

The first Cataylst programme is scheduled for November 2012.

Today’s leaders crave autonomy, purpose and the chance to make a difference. They want to work in organisations that reflect their values and whose Corporate Social Responsibility programmes are authentic and meaningful.

Catalyst aims to:

Challenge personal boundaries and limitations

Identify and validate latent skills through new and provocative experiences

Strengthen existing skills from application in  a new context

Develop flexibility by working in ambiguous  contexts and time frames

Broaden perspectives, opinions and experiences

Encourage a global mind set

Make a personal contribution and having a  lasting impact

Coracle Learning is a Management Consultancy firm with an impressive track record working with leading UK organisations such as Marks & Spencer, HSBC and The British Heart Foundation. They specialise in customer service, sales and leadership development programmes that challenge conventional ways of working and inspire individuals to perform at a higher level more of the time. Coracle is led by Management Consultant, Tim Robson. Before launching Coracle, Tim was Head of Customer Service Design for Marks and Spencer. He developed customer service & brand awareness programmes for Marks and Spencer stores and remote teams, which led to the creation of the company. Tim took a career break a few years ago to start a charity, run a skate park and build schools in Africa. Coracle continues to be committed to supporting people and charities in Africa through the new Catalyst programme.

Catalyst is run in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, an international charity that aims to break the cycle of poverty by eliminating poverty housing and homelessness. They believe that everyone, regardless of race, gender or belief, has a right to a safe, decent place to live. They champion that right and also take practical action, working with communities around the world to empower them to design and manage appropriate housing projects in their neighbourhood. Since 1976 they have helped over 2.5 million people.

If you would like further information and booking details, call Steph Robson at Coracle Learning on 01789 293553.

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 Steph Robson, Coracle Learning:

Tel: 01789 293553     steph@coraclelearning.com                www.coraclelearning.com

 For more info about Habitat for Humanity visit: www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk

‘Let’s make it happen…’  It’s a line from a sports field, sales conference or board room…except today I was hearing it from a nurse in the hushed corridors of John Taylor Hospice, a social enterprise on the outskirts of Birmingham, UK.  Ann-Marie was recounting stories of her team pulling out all the stops to make their patient’s final few days more meaningful, more care-filled and more dignified.

John Taylor’s mantra is ‘Every Moment Matters’ – for every patient, every family member and every friend of the 40-50 people who reach the end of their lives every month in their care.  And whether it’s organising outdoor heaters for a lady who wants to sleep under the stars ‘just one last time’, or filling the room with the smell of fresh take-away for the patient who’s nil by mouth but would love a Chinese before they die, the team see each unique request as a call to action, a chance to be creative and a chance to Make It Happen.

I spend a large chunk of my time helping organisations sell more products, increase brand loyalty and generate repeat business with their customers…principles as relevant in a community hospice provider as they are to a high street retailor.  Except that last week, the stakes seemed higher.  Because there wasn’t much time.  Let’s Make It Happen had to be acted on now, today, here – in this moment.

It’s made me think.  How often do we sit in board rooms and corner offices discussing why we can’t make something happen, speculating on the risks and barriers to entry, blaming our latest budget restrictions or excusing our own fears of failure?

Maybe it’s because we think we’ve got time.

Maybe it’s because we could always try again tomorrow.

At John Taylor, this moment might be the very last chance.

Today I feel challenged to push a little harder, to focus a little better, to get more creative and to make fewer excuses – to follow the example of the people who live to Make It Happen, because the Moments are all around us, and sometimes they REALLY matter.

Here’s to Making It Happen in your world, in this week…

John Taylor Hospice provides free specialist palliative and end of life care services to communities in Birmingham and across the West Midlands.  Check out their work at www.johntaylorhospice.org.uk

“Coracle Learning is a niche management consultancy specialising in corporate culture, business improvement and employee development. “We provide executive level advice and support to a wide spectrum of companies and some of the UK’s leading brands including M&S, HSBC and the British Heart Foundation.  We have developed business improvement programmes and workshops for a number of FTSE 100 companies across the UK and Europe since we started in 2009.   Our training is designed to raise customer service and sales levels, boost morale and improve teamwork and communication.  Working with the Police and a great bunch of young people certainly made a change to our typical audience!” commented Director Tim Robson.  “NBL is a fantastic initiative – the change in behavior & attitude in the young people by the end of the week was tangible.  It was a privilege to work with them”.

Natural Born Leaders (NBL) is an innovative programme developed and delivered by Warwickshire Black Police Association.  Running since 2007, it recognizes the talent that lies within young people from diverse and often difficult backgrounds, whilst acknowledging some of the self-imposed constraints hindering the release of such potential.  The students spend an interactive week in a variety of situations developing their confidence and skills such as leadership, team building and presentation skills.

The week long programme concluded with an awards ceremony when those who had successfully completed the course were presented with certificates from Warwickshire Chief Constable, Andy Parker.   Also attending the ceremony were parents, friends, local dignitaries and partner organisations.

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