Read a ridiculous piece this week on Linkedin written by the wife of one of the most famous (retired) CEOs
Basically 5 things to avoid in an interview
“Inappropriate dress”, “being late” and “using your mobile” were 3 of the 5 things to avoid
Cannot remember the other 2, probably as I was laughing so hard
The piece had been liked over 40 times so what do I know about great “insight”
Whilst the “5 things” approach is (usually) memorable, there has to be a more engaging way of framing them
Take Peaky Blinders… not the most obvious of start points but in my view, one of the best things that’s been on TV recently
Brilliantly filmed and acted and a great study in the human condition
What could we take from PB?…
1. Decide what you want and go after it with utter ruthlessness (ok, maybe not with a flatcap and hidden razor blades)… don’t get side tracked by irrelevances and always have the bigger picture view
2. Have a plan B and a plan C… you know that plan A never, ever quite works out the way you initially planned it, so have a contingency and then a contingency on your contingency
3. Only ever work with people you trust and (ideally) that you like… as we saw with the Tom Hardy character, trust isn’t always about trust in character, it can simply be that you have common aims and both parties need each other to get what they want
4. The more successful you become the more people will want to do you over… ok so it may not be personal, but if you create something with value, there will always be those that think they can do it better than you
5. Evolve or die. In many ways it’s a binary choice
6. (for those familiar with series 4 and the boxing plot line)… a quick thinking, nimble fighter will always beat a predictable, cumbersome lump – pretty much our thinking when it comes to insight and strategy agencies
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