This is not a crisis of epidemiology. It’s a crisis of epistemology. It’s nor a health or economic crisis. We are in a crisis of how we think. In a world awash with knowledge we are struggling with the truth; how we discuss and discover the truth. This is exacerbated by much of the narrative being controlled by those who have no interest in the truth, but rather power. Social media leaves many of us feeling compelled to be an expert on things we have no expertise in as we battle to win and be right as opposed to getting it right. Bullshit explodes as Harry Frankfurt’s wonderful thesis describes. We become swayed by sensationalism and into communicating in short, pithy ways. We’re in a crisis of social capital, how we behave and here’s how this plays out.
We have been talking about climate change seriously for 5 years. 95% of all species that have lived on the planet are no longer with us. Over the next 60 years we will eliminate half of the ecosystem. We need a new economic model, one that is not predicated on growth as is the current one and we need to get off carbon. But we hide from these new fundamentals in preference for quarterly results. The planet got sick of us talking, responded and forced us into action. It forced us all into our homes and out of our dinosaur burning machines. The planet began to breathe, fish returned to the city rivers and the people were forced into change.
As we transform, and digital becomes our survival, so too will an organisation’s. All will be forced to re-evaluate, re-set and re-imagine in some way. But something will be different, and perhaps radically so. That difference is us – all of us. We are all going to be very different after this. Christmas is going to be very different, birthdays are going to be different, conversations will be different. We are going to be more connected, more sensitive, more caring, less brash. Preciousness will join reason in a framework for the path forward. Time will be precious, health will be precious, milestones will be illuminated, human connection and experience will be the new currency. For the first time in a year, Trump has a real contest on his hands. The “new” digitized organisation will pivot towards customer connections, custodianship, honesty and clarity.
When we swing open the doors, don’t expect a lazy stroll back to work. Be ready for a sprint, like newly learned and world-wise caged animals on release. We will be daring, we will want to try new experiences and if you think we were pessimistic about big business and didn’t really care about sustainability before, look out.
So to all businesses, be ready for us, transform. Build a creative idea that becomes the very essence of who you are. This will have value and purpose, be differentiated, credible and compelling. Create this platform with beautiful art, delivering an idea and subsequent plan that turbocharges your transformation. A creative platform for staff to rally behind and for society to embrace. Show customers something new. Take a risk and be daring. Take on vested interests and achieve transformative change.
Who we are is how we lead. The winners will be those that:
- Show up in this very difficult time
- Respond to fear with abundance
- Shift from growth to sustainability as Bunq is evidencing
- Accelerate digitisation across the value chain
- Penalise dinosaur burning
Customer centricity was only ever a thin veil for up-selling and cross selling. Customer success has taken over with community and planetary success right behind. This will require more than a slogan and a brand. It will require products and services that deliver a pathway to success. It will no longer be sufficient to say we are sustainable and successful. Rather the customer, through our products and services, will be sustainable and successful in the new world.
None of what is happening to us is new. We don’t live in unprecedented times. That’s drama. We have been fighting over land, money and power forever. Our people and economies have been cut down by plagues like the Antonine before. None of this is special, nor any of us individually. The only thing that is special is this amazing slice of existence we live on. We sit on this timeless chain of guardians, the Maori call Te Here Tangata, the rope of mankind. We are caretakers and that will become more important.
With a long history for managing some of the biggest brands in the world and digitising them, CX360 and Moroku with their ideation and delivery systems are ready to work with all organisations who want to create a sustainable creative platform for success and to do that now so we’re ready for the world-wise caged animals on release.
And yes, we can do that remotely 🙂
Co-Authored by Colin Weir and Marcus Millgate