It is always difficult for an ex-Unilever man like me to publicly praise an ex-P&G man...
But I must say that Jim Stengel, former Chief Marketing Officer of Procter & Gamble, has published a fabulous book about growth and best-in-class growing companies : It is called Grow ... so simple.
Stengel studied 50,000 brands performance over a 10-year period, identified the 50 fastest growing ones, and derived some thought-provoking conclusions. For example, there is a direct cause-and-effect relation between great financial performance and the ability to connect with fundamental human hopes, values, emotions and purpose... In a word, brands/companies with higher ideals and inspirational dreams outperform the index.
It may sound obvious once written, but dreams and ideals are the NUMBER ONE source of value, progress, growth and success: Someone once had a dream that all men, black and white, should be treated equally; Someone once had a dream that men would walk on the moon; Someone once had a dream that music would be sold on-line rather than on CD...
Now, look at those brands forming the Stengel Index, those great performers with an ideal: Dove exists to celebrate every woman's secret beauty; Pampers exists to help mothers care for their babies; Red Bull exists to energize the world; Zara exists to democratize fashion trends... It is obvious that all these brands and their employees share a common dream to improve lives, in a way or another.
Hence the question for all of us: What ideal, what dream, what greater purpose does my company serve and promote? And the same question applies to us personally: What ideal, what dream, what purpose do I share to inspire my fellow workers, my customers, my students, my suppliers?
So, today, look at your company's dream and ideal, and ask your boss what he/she thinks the ideal is about... Be prepared to ask yourself too what dream and ideal you bring to the world...
Focus on your ideals and you will grow.
Pursue your dream and you will inspire and connect people!
Stengel studied 50,000 brands performance over a 10-year period, identified the 50 fastest growing ones, and derived some thought-provoking conclusions. For example, there is a direct cause-and-effect relation between great financial performance and the ability to connect with fundamental human hopes, values, emotions and purpose... In a word, brands/companies with higher ideals and inspirational dreams outperform the index.
It may sound obvious once written, but dreams and ideals are the NUMBER ONE source of value, progress, growth and success: Someone once had a dream that all men, black and white, should be treated equally; Someone once had a dream that men would walk on the moon; Someone once had a dream that music would be sold on-line rather than on CD...
Now, look at those brands forming the Stengel Index, those great performers with an ideal: Dove exists to celebrate every woman's secret beauty; Pampers exists to help mothers care for their babies; Red Bull exists to energize the world; Zara exists to democratize fashion trends... It is obvious that all these brands and their employees share a common dream to improve lives, in a way or another.
Hence the question for all of us: What ideal, what dream, what greater purpose does my company serve and promote? And the same question applies to us personally: What ideal, what dream, what purpose do I share to inspire my fellow workers, my customers, my students, my suppliers?
So, today, look at your company's dream and ideal, and ask your boss what he/she thinks the ideal is about... Be prepared to ask yourself too what dream and ideal you bring to the world...
Focus on your ideals and you will grow.
Pursue your dream and you will inspire and connect people!
