Business Tribes Management Consulting

Create - Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

 

Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson "challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence."

Are you leading your tribe to conformity or rather creating something brilliant?

Create - Fashion Times, an interview by Roberta Lage and Elise Lefort

 “Fendi and Prada for Queen Rania of Jordan in Rome and Milan” by Fashion Times 

Roberta Lage is the Director of Roberta Lage Design of Malibu, California.

Elise Lefort is Fashion Editor – Direttrice di Moda of Fashion Times, Milan, Italy.

Fashion Times is an online magazine that shows a versatile world of fashion. 

Fashion Times writes about events held in the fashion world such as the latest tendencies in the world of fashion development, designers and production.

Fashion Times is available in Italian and English.

Roberta: This is my favorite magazine; I love the flare for exhibiting a casual and chic flare as well as a younger view of the fashion world. I believe that it is for everyone interested in fashion and a different approach to fashion.

Roberta: How did you create Fashion Times?

Elise: three young people created the magazine 2 years ago; Fulvio Aniello, Direttore Editoriale, and Elise Lefort, Fashion Editor – Direttrice Moda.

Daniele Cammareri was the Art Director. One year later, Daniele left us to continue his studies in another career in other direction.

Amelia Russo graduated form IED MODA Milan in photography. She joined us to cover the hi-tech section of the magazine, creating diversity, and making the magazine newer.

Fulvio studied political science at l’università Statale di Milano, he is in charge of the commercial part, editing and publishing.

Elise studied Fashion Design at IED MODA LAB Milano. “I love the fashion part, editing fashion and beauty news and interviewing people. I am in charge of Fashion and Beauty news editing.”

Roberta: What makes your team stand out? What is special about your team? I know you and Fulvio are partners right?

Elise: Yes, I know him for a very long time and now we are business partners. It is easy because we know each other very well.

Roberta: Where do you draw inspiration for your work/business?

Elise: My inspiration comes from the world around me, of society, fashion, actuality, story, and economy. I try to talk not only about the “big” of the Fashion World but also about new talents, new brands, and etc.

The important point is trying to always be interesting, not “banal” and exclusive. Studying a comprehensive Italian and international editing of other magazines is really important as well. But the important point is to have your own identity.

Roberta: How is your work unique?

Elise: I will not define it unique but enriching.

Everyday is like a new adventure. Working for yourself teaches you many things such as responsibility, organization and sense of business. You have to think about everything, not only about the “fancy part” of fashion but also about your entire business.

You have to be ready to think about work 24/7. Sometimes, it is not so easy.

Roberta: What are some interesting projects that you have been involved in?

Elise: There are many projects but our constant projects, focus are on developing and making this magazine.

We had a very important project against anorexia: Un Pixel contro l’anoressia e la bulimia (anorexia: a pixel against anorexia and bulimia). But the results were a little disappointing.

Fashion people are not ready to talk and invest on that. It remains theory and opinion. It is an uncomfortable topic.

Roberta: Could you please describe some current projects/ventures that you are developing?

Elise: many of our projects are kept secret, and the magazine has a new more fashionable format.

Roberta: Business Tribes focuses on Connect, Create, and Cause. Cause; people need meaning and purpose. Leaders help stakeholders develop purpose. How does these themes apply to Fashion Times?

Elise: Anorexia is for us a really serious matter that we need to consider it, as it has to be addressed.

Fashion is not the cause of anorexia. Sometimes people get confused thinking that anorexia is caused by bad images that magazines and models convey to women. That's not true. Anorexia is a mental and psychological problem. Our mission is to help these people, to remind them and to neglect them; by showing and supporting a healthy body image, beautiful and healthy people; men and women living well with themselves and their bodies. But Fashion is to support them like any other people.

For the interviews that we get, we try to interest the readers and to have various interviews with important people of the fashion system but with young and sometimes unknown people.

The important point is to understand that talking about fashion is to talk about the big ones who made the fashion history, and about the unknown and the future of fashion.

The new ones that have to write the new history of fashion; fashion has a meaning for all of these people. We display to our readers to meet the world of these two categories.

Roberta: How can people contact you?

Elise: People can contact me by e-mail, or writing on the website in the part: Contact Us (Contattaci).  My e-mail elise.lefort@fashiontimes.it is on the magazine also.

Create - Lessons from William Randolph Hearst

Marina Belozerskaya writes about the rise of William Randolph Hearst in The Medici giraffe. 

"Not content to rise to the top of the city's dailies, Will decided to break into the lucrative Sunday editions as well.  In a brash gesture typical of him, instead of building up his staff piece by piece, he lured over Joseph Pulitzer's brilliant editor, Morrill Goddard, who had made the New York Word's Sunday paper prosper.  And when Goddard hesitated, worried about running Hearst's paper without his old staff, Will brought (or bought) them as well by offering them much bigger salaries and greater freedom to exercise their abilities, as long as they increased his circulation."

Hearst grew his team with money and freedom.  Many people can be lured away by a higher salary, commission or bonuses.  What is often underestimated is granting people the freedom to do their best work.  

Do members of your team have the opportunity to create something amazing?

See: Where do you connect, create and cause?

Create - Hank Williams

Friday afternoon the Gravy Boys played at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill.  They play great music of their own and also a rendition of Hank Williams' 'Hey Good Lookin'.  Williams recorded the hit in 1951.  It has been subsequently recorded by a dozen artists and covered by countless bands. 

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame notes "The words and music of Hank Williams echo across the decades with a timelessness that transcends genre. He brought country music into the modern era, and his influence spilled over into the folk and rock arenas as well.... The “outlaw” school of country singer-songwriters who followed in Williams’ wake - including Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and his own son, Hank Williams Jr. - would have been inconceivable without Williams’ rough-cut artistry. However, problems with drugs and alcohol led to Williams’ premature death by heart attack at age 29 while en route to a show.  In 1961, Williams was the first artist elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame, a tribute indicative of his impact."

Lesson to learn from Hank Williams:

1. Create something worth re-recording and covering.  Hey Good Lookin is almost six decades old and still meaningful.

2. The tribe is not only greater than the person, it makes the person.  Williams is great not despite the many re-recordings and coverings, but because of it.  Paving the way for others to succeed built his legacy.

3.  A business can do well by re-recording and covering if they can add value and their own voice.  Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, William's Jr. and others took off where Williams left off.  Bernard Cova of Euromed and Seth Godin, leadership guru did not create the concept of business tribes, but they did repackage from the academic literature to a form MBA programs and businesses could use.

4.  Avoid tribal pitfalls.  Alcohol and drugs may sound appealing, but they do kill.  What is your business' pitfall.

Create - 4.2 billion customizing cars

87 Chevy Monte Carlo by Scooter Flix

"Will men ever stop loving cars? Despite the traffic congestion, guilt over global warming and the strangulation of machismo, it seems unlikely. Our attraction to these glossy machines is atavistic. We push toy cars around on the carpet when we're kids. We enjoy them racing, jousting and crashing in movies. When we're teenagers, we can't wait to roar off in our first cars as soon as we've passed our tests. Very often, we then tune and modify them until they are an expression of the power and status we feel we need." 

Tungate notes that US college students spend $15 million on cars, and $4.2 billion a year customizing them. “Inspired by movies like The Fast and the Furious and MTV show Pimp My Ride, 'they're outfitting their rides with ground-shaking sound systems, nitrous-injected engines and 20-inch rims...' (Branded Male: Marketing to Men by Mark Tungate) 

Why are auto-manufactures going bankrupt? Too often, they ignore the tribe. Too often they focus on the $15 million on car sales and not on what the 4.2 billion. But this is not about numbers. It is about getting people excited in the tribe. When people paint a car, display it at shows and keep it in top condition for over 20 years, the tribe is saying something.

Create - weeding the tribe

Johan and Natasja

Can a company manufacture a tribe? No, but you can support or hinder its growth. In Escape form Cubicle Nation, Pamela Slim writes "Don’t spend millions of dollars to try and change your culture. Corporate culture is a natural thing that cannot be manufactured. No amount of posters, incentive programs, PowerPoint presentations or slogans on websites will affect the hearts and minds of your employees. If you want to see things change immediately, stop acting like an a____e [edited from book original for younger viewers]. If you see one of your senior managers acting like an a____e, ask him to stop. If he doesn’t stop, fire him. You will be amazed at how fast the culture shifts." 

I like this approach. Weeding out a few a___e from your organization can do wonders.

Create - 1960 Impala a lesson for GM

This Chevrolet Impala was made by GM in 1960.  Almost sixty years later it is in perfect condition because a tribe loves the car.

Chrysler is selling part of its business and General Motors is going bankrupt.  What do you do in a hard market? This is when you find out who is in your tribe.  Who are the people that will always drive a Chevy because "Friends don't let Friends Drive Fords" or the die hard fans who will always keep their classic 1967 Mustang or Chevy Stingray running in top condition for 50 years.

Focus on the fans who will stay by you, not those looking for a cheap deal. Sell off everything else to the multinational conglomerates and focus on the tribe.  How will a car company make money if people keep their cars for 30, 40, or 50 years?  Parts, accessories and memorabilia are a start.  Build something people love and let them create the experience of going back in time.

Where do you connect, create and cause?

Where do you connect with people?
Where are you inspired to create something new?
Where are you passionate to cause change?

People should work where they are able to connect, create and cause the most value. Did any of your answers include a cubicle or office? If the answer is no, it shows how vast majority of businesses spend a lot of money of office building that are not ready for the new economy.

The traditional office and cubicle were designed to isolate people rather the build a group. The world is changing, and you can change with it. Firms are trying to cut costs and raise productivity. It seems everyone wants to get more accomplished with fewer resources. So why cage your best people in a place they they do their worst work? People should work where they will do the best. For some it may be a favorite coffee shop, for others the beach or a park. Offices do have a time and a place in business, but they are not the best in the majority of situations.

Leaders should provide the resources to bring out the best in people. How do you do this? You can start by looking where your people do their best work.

Why work in a cell when you can build bridges?

Both photos were taken of the San Francisco Bay. The top photo a jail cell in Alcatraz, a former federal prison.  The photo below is of the Golden Gate Bridge near Alcatraz.  Sometimes the answer is closer than we think.  Where will you do your best?

Create - New Star and Blue Bio Negotiation

I co-authored an article "New Star and Blue Bio Negotiation: Merger and Acquisition Scenario" with Anjan Chhetry of Euromed Management MBA program. The scenario shows how tribes work in the big picture. This is from the abstract: This merger and acquisition scenario explores negotiation through several lenses: preparation, negotiation as an art, valuation, tribal marketing and the freak factor. Preparation, especially with a best alternative to negotiated outcome is critical in setting the stage for negotiation. Negotiation as art presumes a need for practice and personal understanding of the situation. Valuations are never perfect, with each party having a bias. Tribal Marketing looks at the organizational dynamics and considers how firms can create support by letting stakeholders integrate themselves into the company. The Freak Factor assesses that a firm's strength is found in its weaknesses, success is found in magnifying strengths rather than balancing outs a weakness. The working paper uses fictional corporations to simulate and apply real situations. New Star Technologies is a venture capital backed biotechnology firm specializing in developing antigens for vaccines. The firm is loosing five million Euros a month, internally valued at 200 million Euros, and is developing a promising antigen for use in an AIDS Vaccine. New Star must become cash flow positive. Blue Bio is a publicly traded firm with a market capitalization of fifteen billion Euros; its research and development projects span many aspects of biotechnology. Blue Bio is expanding through acquisitions of smaller firms to develop research synergies and to build and international brand.

Download the full article at The Social Science Research Network.

Create - an interview with Lisa Figgins of VIVA Photography, Part 3

Lisa Figgins of VIVA Photography is a fine arts photographer in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I meet Lisa at Chapel Hill Toastmasters, where she speaks about celebrating life. This is the third in a three part interview series.  Click here for Part One and Part Two of the interview.

Gatlin's Summer Vacation

Joseph: Business Tribes helps leaders improve business with three concepts: connect, create and cause. How do you see these ideas relating to your photography?

Lisa: Photography could be the proverbial poster child for these three concepts. With so many talented photographers out there, the thing that sets one apart from the other is often their ability to connect with the client. My personal style of portraiture is contextual and dynamic. What that means to the client is that instead of them being in my territory (the studio), I'm in their's. I'm observing them interact naturally with their loved ones, or I'm watching as they participate in their favorite activities. To get good pictures, I have to create an environment in which they are unselfconscious. That degree of comfort depends on the connection we've made.

Anialkind

More than just being comfortable with me though, my clients also play a big role in the creation of their images. Before we shoot, we have a design consultation. They tell me about the people and activities that are most meaningful in their lives. They pick locations that are significant to them. When I arrive at the site, I make recommendations about which direction to shoot in or alter the scene slightly to get images that produce the desired results. By the time we get to the photographing, we're all just playing!

Compelling photographic images are invaluable in the promotion of every cause imaginable. Good photos incite an immediate, emotional response in the target audience. Decisions are made on those emotions. Photographers who link with charitable organizations convey the very human side of their businesses. They give potential clients an additional way to connect with them. In my case, I work locally with the Chapel Hill Service League and AnimalKind. I also donate a portion of my profits to Women for Women International every month.

Joseph: Thank you. Lisa Figgins of VIVA Photography can be reached at FIGGINS PHOTOS, by e-mail at lescue@yahoo.com and by phone at (919)929-6887.