It has been a while since my last blog, that’s due to me moving house to the ‘glorious’ city of Leeds. However one of the first things that was handed to me when I moved down here was a book by Ricardo Semler called Maverick.  Now it is quite an old book, possibly around 12 years old but the ideas in it are still ahead of their time now.  Firstly, let me state in no uncertain terms this guy is quite possibly my hero, his ideas of how to run a company (making it flat) are almost everything that I aim to achieve across all businesses. It also gives you a flavor of the difficulties that you face when undertaking such fundamental change but the unbelievable outcomes you will see. Not just for your business or yourself but for everyone within it and all the families and communities associated with it. An amazing book, I cant recommend it enough.

Anyway I digress; the real thing I want to talk about today is a quote that I read in this book. It was an old proverb which says –

“Three Stone Cutters were asked about their jobs. The first said he was paid to cut stones. The Second replied that he used special techniques to shape stones in an exceptional way and proceeded to demonstrate his skills. The Third Stone Cutter just smiled and said “I build Cathedrals”

As well as being quite a profound statement on people’s assessments of their roles in a business or society, it also demonstrates what businesses should be aiming to create. A business should be full with ‘Cathedral builders’. That ability to see the bigger picture will allow people to always keep a perspective that allows them to be at their best. To get bogged down in detail is to hinder a company’s ability to move forward.

It must be the aim of the Business Leader to create the conditions that will allow people in the team to feel like ‘Cathedral Builders’. This is what an organization such as Google has, they believe that they are there to make the world a better place by making information more accessible to all. The Googlers feel this way because they are trusted, they are given autonomy, and they are listened to.

It is the job of the Leader to inspire a team to build a Cathedral and give them the belief that they can achieve it. Through this simple idea businesses can grow and grow.

Imagine one human being. They grow up in a society in which they partake in an education system that has evolved to where, generally, you are taught to adhere to the expectations of the teacher or else you will be punished. Over years of development this culture has grown through no fault of any teacher or school. They attend classes in which you are told there is only one right answer. They are told often that they are wrong. They don’t have the opportunity to explore the things that they want to learn, they must learn what they are told. They attend these types of classes for years; what are the overlying lessons that they are being taught? The human being is being taught that if you fall out of what is expected to be correct then you should be punished. They are learning to fear being different and associate fear with other things / people being different; habitually learning that punishment goes along with difference.

Now imagine two people who go through this system…now a class full of people…now a school full of people…now a city full of people and now a society full of people. What effect would this have on wider society? How would these habitually learnt behaviours and responses manifest themselves in society? Well we needn’t look far, discrimination is all about seeing what is different in people, fearing that difference and thereby reacting to it. One of the most prominent forms of this is racism. People see that certain races do not sit within their world view of who should “live around here”. They fear the difference they can see. The fear manifests itself in many different ways exclusion, discrimination and most dangerously of all, violence.

Now imagine a human being who grows up under a system that says I accept you for who you are. I will not project my ideas and thoughts upon you. I will not try and change you to be more like what I deem to be ‘acceptable’. I will help you to grow and explore ideas in ways that you feel work for you. I will respect you no matter what. I respect you fully as a human being. What does this message send to people as they grow? Accept people for who they are, no matter what, show them the respect as a human being.

Now imagine two people who go through this system…now a class full of people…now a school full of people…now a city full of people and now a society full of people, what would that be like, If people unconditionally respect each other? Would it create a society of individuals who respect difference? Who don’t fear things that are outside of their understanding? Too often we deem that certain people deserve more respect than others, but you know what no one deserves more than anyone else. We are all human beings, we are all born the same and we all die. We are just trying to live our lives as best we can.

Would a society built on unconditional respect be different? Quite possibly…

I have been watching this video quite a lot recently, I find it hugely inspiring. There is one particular section that always sticks out for me “We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in: machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little: More than machinery we need humanity; More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.” It resonates with me because I feel people often forget that behind all ‘the systems’ and ‘processes’ of business there are human beings; they are complex and magnificent. Yet often we ignore that. We let the processes do the work of controlling things forgetting that at the heart of it all is a human who needs to be connected with, inspired and believed in.

More often than not, I find, people are seen as machines, if you input this, I will get this output. But people are so much more than that they have ideas, they care, they believe in things and they grow. People often believe if I provide them with this skill then they can do ‘X’. They will do this because I pay their wages therefore they do as I say, “I’m the boss around here”. Well this attitude won’t wash with many people any more, you pay people to HELP you achieve something. They will join you because they BELIEVE in what you are doing. The IDEA is what will drive them; doing something worthwhile. This is truly what drives us as human beings. The reason they will be more selective now is because more and more people are realising that they can do it themselves. The most creative and driven individuals are doing it on their own. For a business to be successful it is these individuals you need to inspire to join you.

No one does things just for money. Even people who say they do it for money I would suspect really mean they do it for what they perceive money will bring happiness, status, ‘a better life’. Those are the ideas that drive them. Unless there are individuals who literally may just want to sit on a huge pile of money and if so good luck to you . But as people become more and more aware that money does not bring these things at all they are looking for bigger things to inspire them. They are looking for avenues to help fellow human beings have a better life. In this day and age it is important to see beyond you or your business to see how you can help wider society. How can you build a vision that will inspire people to want to join you on your journey? It is inspiration that truly drives people. It is the idea that you can make a difference that people want, you can see this through so many things in life none more so than what people give to charity. People who have nothing will go out of there way to help charities and why? Because it is for the greater good. Imagine if you could combine the social and emotional drive of a charity with your business objectives you would truly have a team that is driven to succeed for the benefit of everyone.

Ever since man roamed the plains in Africa social status has been a core driver in life. Back then it was about who was the best hunter, who could gather the much needed food for the tribe. You would be revered for your skill, strength, power and bravery. But how does social status manifest itself in our society? Well you don’t have to look far to notice what is revered in today’s world; wealth. We see it on TV, in newspapers and magazines and in everyday conversations. We constantly salivate at ‘the world of the celebrity’,” look at their house, wow, look at that car, amazing. If only I had that money.” People aspire to have ‘stuff’; houses, cars, clothes, gadgets. With wealth comes the opportunity to influence, access to things, which us mere mortals can only dream of. Society is structured to benefit those who have money. We are taught that success is often judged through the size of your bank balance.

Throughout history we have seen a trend towards more socially aware and compassionate societies. Although there are times of great human conflict and difficulty, the overall trend demonstrates that we are understanding more and more the value of helping our fellow man.  Taking this into consideration is it not possible to conceive of a future within which social status is no longer about wealth but your drive and ability to help others? As human beings we have an innate altruism, when we see someone really in need we try our best to help out. We can see this through the amount donated to charity over the last few years, even though we were suffering from the worst recession in a generation. Is it this empathy that should really drive us as a society?

But how would this make any difference? What could empathy do in a business? If companies were no longer about profit but about creating the right working environment for their team members to really enjoy their work, would this not start to build a different kind of world; one in which human beings are put above profits?  The irony of course is that all the evidence suggests creating a happy and enjoyable work environment will lead to higher profits. In the future will it be that the soon to be new team member can ask about what will the work environment provide for my well being? Will they become the Managing Directors ‘customers’?

If we were to build companies based on compassion and empathy what would this do for wider society? Would you be ashamed to talk of profits? What if we had an equivalent to the stock market ran on some kind of empathy scale? As a human race we have some innate universal truths that we all share;  love, loss, friendship etc. We all share that ability to empathise with one another as we share the highs and the lows of the human condition. What if we could build businesses based on that ability to empathise? What would it do to our society?

So many times you hear the phrase “that’s definitely the right thing to do” or “why have you done that? It’s all wrong.” These phrases permeate our society; you hear them said between families, friends, colleagues and complete strangers. We have television programmes which seem to consist of people saying “I am right, you are wrong”. We have grown up within an education system that says there is a right and wrong answer, yes or no, black or white. It is inherent in our society and has a huge effect on us as individuals, our homes, our businesses and society as a whole. What if I were to suggest that how would it be if there was no right or wrong?

Of course I am by no means suggesting that we don’t have any kind of moral code and go back to some kind of survival of the fittest type of scenario. I accept that there are some innate moral laws which are in built into our DNA and have evolved with us as a species. But beyond this what if there was no right or wrong there was just stuff that works and stuff that doesn’t work. If we as a society accepted that people tried things out and learnt what worked and what doesn’t. To say there is a right way and a wrong way to do things limits not only that individual’s ability to see new possibilities but those that they might lead. It also presupposes that we all work in the same way. I may come to the same conclusion as another but by a different route; which is right and which is wrong?

In a business environment to throw out the idea of right and wrong would really allow the organisation to flourish in areas that in may never have previously considered. If there is no right or wrong then there can be little judgement of others because you accept that there are many ways to discover things and complete tasks. If there is no right or wrong it frees your mind from these constraints and you can take on new ways of doing things. Right or wrong is not particularly useful in business or life; it should be what works and what doesn’t for that individual, for that team and for the business.

By living in a world where there is no right or wrong you can open up your business to many new opportunities and build a culture of respect by recognising difference. These are some of the core principles behind creating an innovative culture. So forget what is right or wrong and just think there is some stuff, some of it works and some of it doesn’t.

This week I came across a TED talk video (as per usual) around the power of human beings sharing ideas. Speaker Matt Ridley points out that anything we create these days is the combination of ideas from all around human society. For example he talks about the computer mouse and how it is full of human creations from the plastic that makes it to the transistors that sit within it. It is through human collaboration and sharing of ideas that we have come to be able to create such advanced technologies. Ridley also points out that it is not down to intelligence of the individual but the strength of the ‘Collective Brain’ which allows this to work so well. By that he means our ability to share our ideas with each other to be able to create new solutions, products or technologies. Our ability to share and collaborate is the absolute fundamental basis for being successful when being innovative.

This talk offers a real insight into the importance of collaboration for the development of new ideas and technologies. Within any business environment it is key to its growth and success to always be looking for innovative solutions. There is no better way to do this than by creating your own ‘Collective Brain’ and fundamental to this is collaboration. But how can a business environment go about creating a collaborative environment and thereby enhance their ‘Collective Brain’? Well to do this it is hugely important to first of create a safe and secure environment for all individuals within which they can explore the ideas that they have. Through building a culture based on unconditional respect you will create that feeling of safety and trust which allows all people to develop at their own pace.   Then through creating the conditions within which people can share ideas, such as more opportunities to communicate and just getting together and talking, whether that be online or in person, you can build the ‘Collective Brain’.

The people in your company are the neurons of your brain and everyone’s skills have a place. It is the communication that creates the connections between them and will build your ‘Collective Brain’.

This week I came across this video on YouTube. It demonstrates how different the world is compared to how it was even ten years ago. It shows us how selling a product is no longer about money or price it is about trust and peer recommendations. It also gives an insight into how younger generations see the world. It is a fundamental shift from 15-20 years ago. People now grow up with a platform that is constantly changing, it doesn’t discriminate, and it allows you to air your opinions, discover things for yourself and share with others. This is now the norm, especially with Generation Y, it is important for business to be able to reflect this to attract and retain young talent because this is what they understand. Someone said to me yesterday if you want to build a successful business you need to aim for a legacy and to do that you must build it, not for you, but for the next generation. That is the way you will create a long lasting successful business.

I have always struggled to understand peoples working patterns, even in school I struggled to understand how teachers would only seem to believe there was one way of working. I have come across so many different ways people work. There are those that work really long hours and get a lot done, those that seem to work really long hours but not get much done, others who don’t seem to do much work but always get done what is needed and then the people that just don’t do anything and don’t really come out with anything either. You see these types of people throughout life; to protect my reputation I am not going to suggest which category I may be. Although I think most people would recognise that we all work in different ways but our businesses are structured for people to work in specific ways. There are other factors

The traditional 9 to 5 jobs are becoming less and less common with such things as flexi time being adopted across business. However there are businesses which have no flexi time either, they say come to work and do your job when you want to; Facebook is a major proponent of this. Changing to this type of work set up takes a major step in trust from the employers point of view, but having said that it says straight away to any employee I respect you and I trust that you will get the job done. Given this freedom then the individual can fall into their natural work pattern and become much more effective. Their motivation and management of their time will come from within rather than coming from an external force; self motivation is the most powerful of all. People do things best when they WANT to do them, it is your job as a business leader to draw that out of them, not to dictate to them how they SHOULD be doing things. that can affect how people work to, like time of day, comfort, music, and people around them. What can businesses do to take advantage of peoples natural work patterns?

By giving employees liberties like this as well as others such as the freedom to make mistakes it creates an environment within which the individual can work as they feel they do naturally. Instead of forcing everyone to try and work in the same patterns which doesn’t work very well at all. For a business to succeed it needs to get the best from all individuals. By providing them the freedom to work in their natural way will not only increase their effectiveness but also create an environment full of trust and encouraging individual responsibility, building blocks to any successful business. You shouldn’t see people’s different work patterns as a problem it is an asset to take advantage of and build a truly effective working environment.

For what it’s worth these are the 3 basic rules I would live by as an employer –

1, you are free to work when you like

2, you can work as you like as long as it doesn’t hinder others ability to work

3, you are expected to work towards the company’s vision through your daily tasks and any extra projects you wish to pursue

I believe give people freedom and trust then they will reciprocate.

When I was in my first full time job, at the tender age of 19, I used to spend Sunday evening dreading the next day when I had to go back to work. I thought this was the way things would always be, that feeling in the gut that for the next five days your freedom will be curbed and you will have to do things you had no interest in. I couldn’t deal with the idea that for 40 hours in the week I will be using up my life doing things that hold no interest for me. This led me to the conclusion that I must go back into education to get a degree then I can build a career I want to do. Inevitably it didn’t pan out that way. After three very enjoyable years at University which was full of new freedoms, I found myself back experiencing that ‘Sunday feeling’ but just in a new workplace. I also had friends and family members that would describe that same feeling to me; I started to wonder if that was the ‘norm’. I wondered for sometime about whether this is an acceptable or beneficial way to feel about your working week. I decided it wasn’t.

It was then I started to look for opportunities to grow and take responsibility myself to eradicate it. Then I started to learn about how companies such as Google and Facebook treat their employees. They create an environment where people WANT to be there, they WANT to work and they WANT it to succeed. There is very little that is as powerful as an individuals will. Telling people to do things will only get you so far but if you have the power to inspire people and make them want to do things you really have something. As was shown in my previous post inspiration comes from giving people an idea bigger than profit to drive them; a vision. The clip below shows what it is like to work at Google, why can’t we all work in environments like this? Places you would go even if you had a day off. A place where you are respected, trusted and listened to. That is what I endeavour to achieve in all businesses through Blue. I believe we have the research and the insight to help organisations become environments where people WANT to be and WANT to succeed. I want to eradicate that ‘Sunday feeling’ for everyone.

I recently watched this fascinating TED talk from Simon Sinek about how Leaders inspire people. He discusses what it is that great Leaders do that others don’t to get the best from what seem to be just regular teams of people. He cites examples from The Wright Brothers and Martin Luther King to that modern day beacon of Innovation, Apple. What he demonstrates is that most organisations know what they do and how they do it but many don’t really know why they do it. A fare few of businesses would say they do it for the profit but that doesn’t really hold up for a couple of reasons. Firstly, profits are an outcome of your business, it is a result of what you do not the reason you do it. Secondly and possibly more importantly, to an individual working in a business garnering profits is probably not the greatest driver for them. So much more important for a business to grow is to know why you do what you do. Why is it you get out of bed in the morning? This is what inspires people to work harder and give so much more. This is what great Leaders always talk about why they do what they do, whereas your average Leader will just begin with what they do. People don’t buy what you do, but why you do it!

So this got me thinking what is it that gets me out of bed in the morning? Why do I do what I do? I guess I have always known, it is the reason I quit my relatively safe job at the Council to pursue what I am doing now. My vision is to change society by creating working environments which people want to be a part of, collaborative, supportive, creative and respectful; settings where people can enjoy their life. But also grow and develop as human beings and professionals to be better at what they do and happy in their life. Too often people tell me they hate their jobs, they talk about when it is all over, they work for the weekend; I have been there myself. How can this be right, people are wishing their lives away, lives are to be lived and enjoyed. That is why I do what I do.

Maybe I am a dreamer, but hey if we don’t have dreams what do we have?