Is everything BS?
Give me a few minutes of your time and I’ll give you a fascinating selection of trends, insights and business stories you’ll want to share. Ready? Let’s go.
Enjoy!
Behavioural Science, that is…
Rory Sutherland is one of the world’s most celebrated advertising practitioners. Vice-Chair of Ogilvy and head of its Behavioural Science unit, he’s also a highly entertaining public speaker who’s now enjoying unexpected success as a TikTok marketing guru. In this excellent essay he makes the case for BS (behavioural science) offering unorthodox solutions to many different challenges.
How to run a design sprint
Behavioural scientists like Rory would be very familiar with Parkinson’s Law, which states that work expands to fill the time available. Indeed, anyone who’s ever been set a long deadline will know this first-hand. This is where a design sprint comes in – a process to help companies develop products and solutions much faster. Here’s a helpful guide to running a successful sprint process – and accelerating your growth.
A powerful strategy for scaling businesses
Building a business through acquisition can be a fast route to market expansion, but it’s a strategy that’s not without its challenges. As someone with first-hand experience of buying businesses, I reveal some useful insights – and some red flag watch-outs – in my blog essay here.
Why AI is not a cost-cutting tool
This Deloitte study caught my eye, with 79% of C-suite respondents expecting generative AI to drive substantial organisational transformation in less than three years. Reading between the lines, that sounds like senior leadership will ask their teams to use AI to do more with less budget. But it’s worth remembering that AI is not the hero coming to save the day. It’s simply the added ingredient that enhances what you’re already doing, with the team and budget you already have. It’s a multiplier, not a subtractor.
How Netflix’s hiring policy helps it outperform the market
The astonishing growth of Netflix can be attributed to many things, from content experimentation to user experience and a diversified revenue model. A less obvious factor, though, is its innovative hiring policy of ensuring ‘talent density’. In other words, a continued push for everlasting high performance from every employee – and rewarding that performance handsomely. Find out more in this fascinating article from leading HR research analyst Josh Bersin.
Let’s stop calling them ‘soft skills’
Check out the current most in-demand skills, according to a LinkedIn survey. Top of the list is communication – empathy, critical listening, the unique human skills that we have, in other words. These are traditionally known as ‘soft skills’ but I’m not keen on that phrase, because these are hard and essential skills – particularly in our AI era. The ability of people to interact, innovate and lead humanly is an essential differentiator. So let’s ensure everything we do in business has ‘human skills’ at its core.
Why growth only happens out of your comfort zone (up to a point)
Received wisdom has it that self-improvement and growth is driven by pushing yourself way beyond what is comfortable, whether that’s taking on new tasks at work or adding extra weights at the gym. According to science though, more pain doesn’t lead to better results. Instead, strive for the ‘Goldilocks Zone’, which comprises tasks of ‘just manageable difficulty’. For more ways to build a growth mindset, check out my to-do list.
12 Inspirational TED Talks
If you're hungry for more, check out these timeless TED talks.
Drop me a line
As always, I’d love to get your thoughts on this newsletter to aid its evolution. Are there big stories or topic areas you think I should focus on? Think about what would benefit you and send me a suggestion or two and I’ll look to cover it in the weeks and months ahead.
Look out for more great insights and inspiration in your inbox next Sunday.
Cheers!
Adam