A bit more than just the birds and the bees

Life has had a bit of a buzz to it over the past week. I went to the CIPD’s inaugural Festival of Work and had a wonderful time connecting with friends and contacts, putting faces to names and learning about new products and services. I particularly enjoyed hearing Garry Kasparov's thoughts on technology (below shows him speaking beside a picture of his beating  a number of computers simultaneously in 1985 - he famously lost to Deep Blue in 1997 - a moment he now sees as a triumph for humans, rather than his personal loss. He is confident that we have a great future ahead of us thanks to AI and technology.)

I also had the good fortune to attend a splendid garden party at Marlborough House (great fun, despite the rain). We were raising money for Bees For Development - a charity that helps disadvantaged people, living in some of the world’s poorest regions, to lift themselves out of extreme poverty through becoming beekeepers.  There was a fascinating display of traditional hives, these ones are from Africa: a bamboo hive from Uganda and a split cane one from Ethiopia - these would usually be plastered on the outside with a mixture of soil and cow dung and given a grass roof to protect from the rain). 

We were joined by some true Queen Bees of UK society, including Martha Kearney (a patron of the charity), Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall 

and Mary Berry (who was sporting a wonderful jacket covered in embroidered bees). 

Bees have been quite a focus for me.

Last weekend I gave a tour of my beehive to some neighbours, a delightful couple with their equally delightful teenage sons – they had won the viewing as a prize in a local charity auction. The bees behaved beautifully (and they have made some amazing wax constructions inside the hive where there was a gap in the brood box, which made the inspection even more interesting for my guests). 

I enjoyed explaining some of the weird facts about bees – did you know that:

• the queen can select what sex egg she lays, but that her choice is based on the shape of the cell that the workers bees have made for her;
• pollen is multi-coloured and so is honey (it all depends on the plant from which it originates);
• a worker bee will usually live for up to 6 weeks but a queen can live for up to 5 years (it is believed that a bee lives for circa 500 miles of flight – an over-wintering bee, which flies less, can live for a number of months);
• humans have been using bee products (wax and honey) for over 9,000 years;
• honey is almost the only food that doesn’t go off and remains in an edible state (so ignore those “best before” labels) – jars of honey have been discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs and their contents were found to be still edible;
• the average bee will make a 12^th of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime; and
• the male bees (drones) have big eyes, furry backs and no stings (they also do very little to help with the work of the hive but get fed and cared for and are left to do their own thing until its time to buzz off and have sex).

We laughed about the number of similarities between bees and humans. All in all, my guests and I had a good time. However, this is not a post about bees or even their resemblance to people. It is what happened afterwards that made me think…

Drawing of a bee by Dame Judi Dench
one of a number of postcards auctioned at the Bee Garden Party

Late this afternoon, there was a knock on our door – the family had returned with two boxes of eggs as a thank-you gift, as they said that they had had such a good time. How wonderful! The eggs had been laid by their hens (London is more rural than many people think) and there were different types in each box – dinky little Bantam ones and a larger collection, coloured a delicate shade of blue, laid by Araucana hens. It was the eggs that have got my brain whirring and made me decide to blog.

Are chickens eggs any different if they have blue, white or brown shells? Are some better for you than others? Why do yolks vary in colour from deep orange to a pale yellow?

So this is, indirectly, becoming a post about diversity.

What makes you feel you are different? Is there a difference or are appearances deceptive and superficial? Why do we reject and fear people who are different to us? What can we do to overcome stereotypes? Why are some people “hen-pecked”, whilst others like to be dominant and “rule the roost”?

Perhaps we should start with the hens…

The claim that Brown eggs are better for you than white ones is a myth. All hens’ eggs have the potential to be the same in taste and nutritional value, regardless of the colour of their shell. The colour of egg that a hen lays is dictated by the colour of its ear lobe (yes, hens have earlobes – it is a small feather-free area just below the bird’s ear). Hens with white lobes lay white eggs, those with red or brown skinned lobes lay brown eggs.

Many people erroneously believe that brown eggs are more nutritious and/or taste better than white ones. It is true that they usually cost more, but this is primarily due to the fact that the hens that lay them are larger and hence require more food, so their eggs are more expensive to produce. White eggs, due to the smaller size of the birds, are more cost efficient for commercial egg farmers to produce than brown (or indeed blue or green), which is why they are more common in the shops. It is the hens’ diet and the environment where they live that makes the difference as far as nutrition is concerned; for example, hens that roam outdoors produce eggs with 3 to 4 times the vitamin D content of their indoor-reared, restricted counterparts that have no access to direct sunlight. The environment for the hen is important for the quality of the egg, as is the condition of the bird: stressed chickens and older, tired hens or those that are hen-pecked and hence last to get near food lay eggs with thinner shells.

"Dead Hen" by Elizabeth Frink, 1957

I see similarities between egg-laying hens and humans in the workplace (which is not to say that people are battery hens) – like the birds, most workers have little immediate control over their environment (even changing the temperature and air conditioning can prove problematical). I am convinced that every individual has the potential to produce great results – regardless of colour, race, background or size. Like chickens, people deliver better outcomes when they are in a place that they find stress-free, supportive and conducive towards their giving of their best. We each need a situation that suits our physical well-being, with daylight, fresh air, an appropriate ambient temperature for us not to be in discomfort, and adequate space, a workplace where we can perform well without feeling under undue pressure or fearing harassment or bullying from those around us. If you want to know more about how to create a fantastic workplace, I urge you to read Neil Usher’s excellent book: The Elemental Workplace.

Hens with their Young, by Edgar Hunt 1905

Hens, like humans, are not always kind to each other – there’s a reason why we use the phrase “hen-pecked”. It is true that hens have a pecking order with some dominant and others having to play a more submissive role in their community. The term ‘pecking order’ for hens was first coined in 1921 by Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe to describe the hierarchy of flock dynamics and it came into popular usage in the 1930s. A flock in the wild is as strong as its weakest member. There is a dominance hierarchy in many societies and it is closely linked to the survival of the fittest – it serves a useful purpose in that it prevents the need for constant fighting - it ensures that the most dominant in a group can have access to limited resources ahead of the others and thereby maintain health and strength. Hens will peck and drive away an ill or injured member of their flock (a survival trait that has remained as a behaviour amongst domesticated fowl). It is important not to introduce fewer than 2 hens at a time to an existing flock (and even then they need to be kept apart and integrated gently over a period of weeks), unless you wish to risk a bird being literally pecked to death. 

Introducing hens

Humans are unlikely to kill a new colleague; we are not hens – we are rational beings and can control our baser urges. However, we are often unfriendly and unwilling to allow a new employee to socialise with an existing group of friends. It can feel very lonely and isolating joining a new team. Try not to be bird-brained and foul (see what I did there); a little kindness towards others can make a big difference to a new colleague – you never know, you also might make a new friend.

We, like hens, need to be well cared for. It is true that an employer has a duty of care towards the workers. However, we also owe it to ourselves to be careful ourselves. There are things each of us can do to help keep ourselves physically and mentally, including, but not limited to:

• exercising,
• eating a balanced diet,
• sleeping for long enough on a regular basis to enable our bodies and minds to recharge,
• drinking sufficient water to meet our bodies’ needs,
• giving ourselves time in an environment that helps with our personal well-being (this could be in a gym, an art gallery, a field or forest or by the sea or near water)

These all help us to remain healthy and productive. Do you make the effort to be kind to yourself?

And finally – time to answer that long-asked question – “What came first, the chicken or the egg?”  The answer is the egg: hard-shelled eggs were laid by reptiles long before chickens came into existence.

We can learn a lot from the birds and the bees.

Ukrainian painted egg

All we need is love

Day 10 (Thursday 10th December 2015)

10 past 10. In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch 
is approximately 10:10. The reason for this is to "frame" the logo of the watch maker.
The hands at that number cause the eyes to look right at the logo! 
contributed by Shaun Hussey, Graphic Designer

This inspirational post was written by respected Marketing guru and wit Alan Gilmour. Alan has recently started a new role as the Head of Acquisition and Retention for Police Mutual. Alan and I should have crossed paths at Lloyds TSB (as he was Head of Marketing at the time when the group acquired a business I co-founded). However, we only met face-to-face when he became responsible for the high profile project of establishing Identity Cards for the UK's Passport Office. He is highly engaging company and those I know who have worked with him describe him as an inspirational, entertaining and remarkable leader. You can follow Alan on Twitter (his handle is @alan_gilmour) or read his (sporadic) personal blogging. 

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You don't have to shine in a flashy and ostentatious manner to be a high flier.

Earlier this year Burt Shavitz died.

Burt, a bearded, free-spirited, hippy, who was 80 at his death, turned his affinity for nature and beekeeping into the multi-million dollar personal care products company, ‘Burt’s Bees’.

A man of deep principle who turned his back on the company he created and walked away with virtually nothing. And went back to the bees he loved.

Yet the company he created lives on and describes itself on its website as ‘basically a bunch of hands-on, tree-hugging, greased elbow do-gooders. It's kind of what makes our company special. We think the bees would agree.’

Burt would have approved.

And Burt’s story begs the question - Why is that ex hippies have built and run some of the world’s best brands?

Think about it

Michael Eavis and the Glastonbury Festival.

Richard Branson and Virgin.

Anita Roddick and Body Shop.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield and their eponymous ice cream.

Yvon Choinard and Patagonia.

And the biggest hippie and biggest Hippie Brand of them all, Steve Jobs and Apple.

The list goes on.

And if some of these companies were not exactly begat by the Hippie era, their founders certainly betray Hippie-esque tendencies.

But what is it about the Hippie culture that it has spawned such a litany of great brands?

It is because they have a cause.

A clear mission and vision statement that transcends making money or being first in our chosen market or improving shareholder returns. Or some other corporate guff.

They want to change the world for those they serve, those they work with.

For us a brand must have a cause.  A cause that inspires and motivates all who work for the brand, all who buy the brand. A cause rooted in a brand truth.

Brands do not necessarily need to change the world. But all brands must have a belief in what they are doing, why they are doing it, who they are doing it for, where they want to be.

The more succinct, the more inspiring, the more emotional, the better the brand.

Maybe Hippie Brands are just better at doing this.

At building a vision and a mission for the brand that resonates, that is distinctive, that is believable. Better at creating a cause for their brand.

And if you want to see what great looks like in this context, here is one example:

‘Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis’ (Patagonia)

But no matter the words on the paper all will come to naught if your brand and its people cannot live and breathe the brand, strive for the cause. It all comes down to brand execution.

Great brands, hippie or not, not only define what they stand for and what they want to achieve, but can execute against this with great consistency and great rigour through the organisation and across all touch-points. Including those who work for the brand.

This is how you build a brilliant brand and soar.

It is not about being a hippie.

It is about defining and being true to an inspiring, emotional and motivating brand cause.

We can all do that.

The "Hippy Hippy Shakes" - sung by the Swinging Blue Jeans

Be Fruitful

Last week I found myself as Key Note speaker at the Financial Services HR Leaders’ Strategy Meeting 2013 in London - a first for me, as having damaged my hip, I had to speak to whilst sitting down.  I hope people didn't think I was being rude.  I am indebted to a fellow Human Resources Director, who unexpectedly had to pull out of the conference, not only for the opportunity but also for his title: What does “strengthen your core, innovate your business” mean for HR in Financial Services?  Given that today is Halloween, a day on which apple bobbing is a traditional pastime, I thought I’d swiftly share with you the points I covered in my talk, many of which centred on fruit and fruitful approaches.

As you know, I firmly believe that you reap what you sow.  When I was at school, there was a girl in my class called Sarah.  For some reason, Sarah really irritated one member of staff and I remember this teacher yelling at Sarah

“You are rotten, rotten to the core.” 

This is a shocking thing to shout at anyone, but potentially a devastating statement for a young girl hitting puberty.  Sarah was shocked and hurt and spent much time mulling the phrase over.  Eventually she decided that, if she was already a lost cause there was little point in trying to be an obedient and studious pupil.  Sarah became a rebel and, to my mind, her decision can be traced back to the expectations expressed of her and they way that she was spoken to.  Admittedly, there are occasions when telling an individual that they are potentially doomed to be a failure can drive their behaviour the other way.  My father’s office was next that of the father of a boy who was seen as different, a troublesome handful at school.  His headmaster told him that

“You will either go to prison or become a millionaire”

The father was so exasperated by his son’s conduct that it fell to family friends, such as my father, to give the lad funds to establish a small magazine (initially a school publication) that grew into a national student magazine with interviews with Mick Jagger and John Lennon, and which was the first entrepreneurial success for young Richard Branson.  Some people need a challenge to spur them on.  Much depends on how you react to the way you are perceived by others.

As Marcellus famously says to Horatio in Hamlet, there is

“Something rotten in the state of Denmark”

And one could claim a similar opinion towards the state of Banking.  Certainly, Financial Services as a whole have not been well perceived since the Financial Markets crisis of 2007-2009 and it is not hard to see why.  The wasp-like Media has feasted on a glut of issues, including:

1.  UBS being accused of concealing assets
2.  RBS, HSBC, Standard Chartered and others allegedly involved in money laundering
3.  J.P. Morgan Chase - $7 Billion trading mishap and more recent problems
4.  Barclays settles re Libor rate rigging
5.  Anglo Irish Bank directors recorded planning to deceive regulators
6.  ING named for aiding illicit Iranian and Cuban transactions
7.  Capital One accused of deceiving customers
8.  Occupy Wall Street
9.  Mis-selling of insurance by retail banks & credit card providers
10. 80% of the world’s 26 banking and finance unions have cited stress as a major problem for their members – UNI survey 16 Oct 2013
11. Huge pressure on staff - since 2008 the big 4 banks have cut around 180,000 jobs 

              

Financial Services’ reputation has been badly damaged, as Casio says to Iago in Othello:

“Oh I have lost my reputation I have lost the immortal part of myself and what remains is bestial.”

The only thing that can restore the institutions’ reputations and the trust of their customers and clients is the conduct of the people who work within them.  People working in Financial Services must do what is right.  As Douglas Adams once said:

“To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.”

HR’s area of expertise is people and hence now is the time when HR should shine.

To be taken seriously, HR needs to prove itself to be commercially astute and have the strength to stand up for what is right and in the long-term, sustainable interests of the industry, as opposed to caving in to short-term greed and personal gain.  I have mentioned before the situation with the pear orchards in Sichuan where it was believed that a greater commercial harvest could be reaped by eliminating insects that damaged the fruit.  Powerful insecticides were utilised that destroyed all insects – now, due to the lack of pollinators, men have to climb the trees and pollinate the blossom by hand.  HR needs to speak out and address the shortcomings in strategic plans and proposed behaviours.

HR needs to be brave and when necessary make the hard decisions – all orchards are enhanced by judicious pruning.

There is much to be said for focusing on core business activities when times are tough.  Some topical examples include:

• Twitter, which is concentrating on its mobile offering going forward as that is where it anticipates most customer usage in the years ahead

• Burberry which has turned itself around by strengthening its core retail offering thereby producing 17% growth – it as also interesting to note that Apple launched its latest handset on the Burberry catwalk – an indication perhaps of closer connections to come.

Apple, of course, has traditionally been hailed for its focus on innovation. Collaboration and Innovation are two key buzzwords being used to explain the anticipated success of leading businesses going forwards.  When done well, innovation can be the key to success much like the appeal of the unusual citrus tree below (clever grafting has enabled grapefruit, oranges, limes, lemons and clementines to be harvested simultaneously).

But you need to take care not to overdo it.  This apple tree has 250 varieties of apple but the man who created it can no longer name or remember each type without assistance.

Over the past year I have worked hard with fellow executives to introduce some innovative approaches and roles within my own employer.  We know and are proud of the fact that we provide a unique offering for our clients based on understanding and trust.  HR has earned its place and has a voice that is listened to when considering our strategic direction and drivers for success.  I urge you to look at your offering and business model, truly understand what your clients value and work to ensure, through relationships based on integrity, that both you and they can thrive.  It is HR’s role to ensure that the businesses we work for and the employees within them are well organised, flourishing and fruitful.  Like the honeybee, HR can bring a little sweetness to the world.

Fruit trees at Highgrove House