DW's Blog

Are feelings relevant in an organization?

by DW Green — July 19, 2023

Begin to see ourselves in much richer dimensions.

Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, I became a non-conformist, a maverick, and a Beatles fan, always questioning and challenging the status quo. I think that’s why the study of brands is so appealing to me. Branding is about connecting companies emotionally to their customers and helping them differentiate themselves in their markets. It’s about leading, not following. It’s about competing with yourself, making your company better, stronger, staying relevant in an ever-changing world and creating the best possible shopping EXPERIENCE for the customer.Take a look at a different organizational paradigm. Consider refocusing on the deep longings we have for community, meaning, dignity, purpose, and love in our organizational lives. Begin to look at the strong emotions of being human, rather than segmenting ourselves by believing that love doesn’t belong at work, or that feelings are irrelevant in an organization. Begin to see ourselves in much richer dimensions, to appreciate our wholeness, and hopefully, to design organizations that honor and make use of the great gift of who we humans are.In a word, it’s purpose. What is the underlying purpose of your organization?

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Blamesville

by DW Green — July 12, 2023

The buck stops here.

A sign on President Harry Truman’s desk read, THE BUCK STOPS HERE. As president, with more power and control than pretty much anyone else, he knew that, good or bad, there wasn’t anyone he could blame for stuff other than himself. There was no one to pass the buck to. The chain ended there, in the Oval Office. Blaming others or things seem to be an increasingly popular exercise in today’s America.As the president of our own lives—and knowing that our powers begin and end with our reasoned choice—we would do well to internalize this same attitude. We don’t control things outside that sphere, but we do control our attitudes and responses to those events—and that’s plenty. It’s enough that we go into each and every day knowing that there is no one to pass the buck to. It ends with us.

Read More – At Least I’m Consistent

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by DW Green — July 5, 2023

We may also be able to say if there is no consciousness around, there is no tree, but we will save that for later.

Sound is vibration. The strum of a guitar string. The crack of the bat. The wave pounding the breach. The sonic boom in the sky.Sound waves enter your ear and go through your ear canal to the eardrum. The waves make your ear drum vibrate and the vibrations are sent to three tiny bones. These bones are named the malleus, incus and stapes. The bones amplify the sound and send vibrations to the cochlea, which looks like a snail. It is filled with fluid. The vibrations cause the fluid to ripple. This causes hair cells in the cochlea to move. Chemicals then rush into the cells, creating an electric signal. The signal is sent by the auditory nerve to the brain and the brain turns the signal into the sounds you hear.The entire process is electrical and chemical. You “hear” with your brain. Almost everyone has heard the question, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it does it make a sound?”From what you just learned the answer should be obvious. Do you know what it is?The answer is…NO!If a tree falls in the forest it produces sound waves but if there is no ear and brain to receive and in...

by DW Green — June 28, 2023

Differentiation arises from both the choice of activities and how they are performed.

I was reading an article on leadership the other day. The following from Bill Taylor, cofounder of Fast Company, makes really good sense to me.“The true mark of a leader is the willingness to stick with a bold course of action—an unconventional business strategy, a unique product-development roadmap, a controversial marketing campaign—even as the rest of the world wonders why you’re not marching in step with the status quo. In other words, real leaders are happy to zig while others zag. They understand that in an era of hyper-competition and non-stop disruption, the only way to stand out from the crowd is to stand for something special.”It’s been my experience that following the status quo promotes imitation rather than innovation. Leadership is about discovering and performing different activities from rivals or performing similar activities in different ways. Differentiation arises from both the choice of activities and how they are performed. Activities, then, are the basic units of competitive advantage. Overall advantage or disadvantage results from all of a company’s activities, not only a few. The status quo often impedes the search for competitive ...

by DW Green — June 21, 2023

Yet almost every situation is made better by love…

In 1992, Barbara Jordan addressed the Democratic National Convention and railed against the greed and selfishness and divisiveness of the previous decade. (Sound familiar today!) People were ready for a change. “Change it to what?” she asked. “Change that environment of the 80s to an environment which is characterized by a devotion to the public interest, public service, tolerance, and love. Love. Love. Love.”Love. Love. Love. Love. Why? Because, as the Beatles put it, “In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” Not just in politics, not just in tolerance, but in our personal lives. There is almost no situation in which hatred helps. Yet almost every situation is made better by love—or empathy, understanding, appreciation—even situations in which you are in opposition to someone.And who knows, you might just get some of that love back.

Read More – I Love You

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by DW Green — June 14, 2023

When people are afraid of making mistakes, they shut down; they won’t take risks or try new ideas.

Ben Franklin once said “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” I would add mistakes to that list of certainties! All three are inevitable! Though it seems that we view our personal mistakes much differently than mistakes made by others. Especially those mistakes made by our subordinates. Why is that? Since we all make mistakes shouldn’t we extend the same forgiveness and understanding to our employees that we accord ourselves for our errors?

Unintentional mistakes just happen. Accept that reality. Identify the cause and work to improve the process. The notion that the same mistake will never happen again is erroneous. Like stubbing ones toe, one cannot guarantee the same mistake will never happen in the future.

What’s more troubling to me is when employees become fearful of making mistakes, for fear of reprisal or retribution. When people are afraid of making mistakes, they shut down; they won’t take risks or try new ideas. We learn from failure not from success. It’s best to treat mistakes as a learning experience. Discuss, learn and move forward...

by DW Green — June 7, 2023

Brand marks are simple, clean, and an easy-to-remember graphic representation of a company’s Brand name.

Cool, as in the context of slang, as an interjection to express acceptance, approval or admiration. And what’s more cool—neat, nifty, boss, keen, groovy— than a brand mark or Icon. Brand marks are simple, clean, and an easy to remember graphic representation of a company’s Brand name. Brand marks are like punctuation symbols:. stop, pause; pause longer! exclamation mark? question mark Brand marks and icons can represent a deeper meaning of a company’s purpose or an abstract expression like the Nike swoosh. We have a Northwest client whose brand mark is a sailboat. Who would have thought of a sailboat icon for a food store? The sailboat is very meaningful to their company culture. It’s meaningful to me too. I’m proud to wear their caps and jackets that showcase their company icon.The DW Green icon reflects our design and life mantra “Less is greater than more.”So, if you’re considering a new or updated design for your company’s brand mark, give us a call.

Kinship With Truth

by DW Green — May 31, 2023

A lifetime kinship with Truth.

Friendship itself is a metaphor for another kind of friendship, our lifetime kinship with Truth, with Love, with Unity, with God. We may spend much of our time unaware and unenlightened, yet the presence of Truth and God, like a deep and ancient friend, can shape our entire lives.

Read More – I Got You

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by DW Green — May 24, 2023

Have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing.

Do you recognize any of these comments: “We have always done it this way”, “We tried that once and it didn’t work”, “The big chains don’t do it that way” “Our wholesaler thinks that would be a mistake”. Sadly, these comments are more common than you might think. Consider a different perspective. Have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing.This seems like a principle to live life by. I’d like to think I have an open mind, or mostly an open mind! But then this statement isn’t about having an open mind, it’s about having a mind that is open to everything. I’m sure I’ve discounted or rejected things from either an unwitting bias or an unpleasant or unsuccessful comparable experience. A mind that is open to everything is a mind that is open to trying new and different things, and understanding a different point of view, a different way of doing.I think the second part of the statement “attached to nothing” is more difficult to achieve. Why? Because what we’re attached to, is often an attachment to our identity. If I do this or that, I might look dumb, or unsophisticated or foolish or some other negative quality. Those are possible outcomes. I know I’ve...

by DW Green — May 17, 2023

Well-placed signs and story telling add to the magic and message of BUY ME!!

Yep, retail is all about presentation and merchandising! Especially food retailing. People eat with their eyes. They purchase with their eyes. Of all the varied supermarket activities, the single most important, the most valued, the skill set to “own”, the key to competitive advantage is presentation/merchandising. Even the value of “street appeal” rests in the appearance of the storefront from a distance.Presentation and merchandising set the tone for the entire shopping experience. Its what creates the “likeability”, “comfortability” and “authenticity” of the retail brand. Its what creates sales and additional sales and additional sales. Of course, readable, well-designed, well-placed signs and story telling add to the magic and message of BUY ME!!If you could do just one thing for the balance of the year, work on improving your store presentation and merchandising skills. If you do, you will experience a handsome increase in sales!