What is unsaid in business, powers the enterprise forward, or causes it to go belly up. “Much of someone's real character lies in what they don't say about themselves” observes Joyce Rachelle. Whether in marketing, looking at an organisation chart, or observing a manager’s actions, it is the ‘unsaid’ that speaks loudly.
Marketing is how the brand makes you feel
Managers often mistakenly associate marketing with their company’s branding and logo with who they are -- the image that they want to project on to the marketplace.
Yet, in reality, an organisation’s identity is how the customer feels when they use their product, or service. As Seth Godin points out, imagine that Nike went into the hotel business. One could get a pretty clear idea of the design and vibe of the funky establishment.
In contrast, imagine a global hotel chain like Hyatt, Radisson, Marriott or Hilton went into the sneaker business. What would the athletic shoes be like ? Tough to say, as in all these hospitality brands, it’s hard to tell one from the other, they all look pretty much the same.
Their façade, restaurants and rooms feel close to identical. Same goes for the now ‘big four’ audit firms, that are almost inter-changeable. Once the ‘big eight’ by revenue, the most innovative Arthur Andersen, disappeared as a result of their involvement with Enron’s financial misreporting.
Communication, influence and power in the organisation chart
Despite what the boxes and lines on an organisation chart suggest - leading up the board of directors - who has influence, who pulls the decision making strings, is often not the obvi, the often hold sway. Classic example is how a man, with no official position, 5 feet 5 inches tall, wearing a humble dhoti and shawl, with few material possession, managed to change the course of India’s history.
In challenging the British Raj, by simple acts like the Salt March, Mahatma Gandhi was such a thorn in their side, that his actions led to India’s independence in August 1947. In today’s terms, -Gandhi would be called an influencer, way before everyone that little rectangle in your pocket, read addictively for perhaps 100 times in a day, was even thought of.
On November 5, the world’s most dominant economy will decide on who becomes its next president. In what amounts to stark choice between an authoritarian big man with ‘dictator for a day’ tendencies and a continuation of the democratic tradition, beginning with the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the American electorate face a profound ‘fork in the road’ choice.
Appearing on the stage as a 16-year-old independent singer-songwriter in 2006, Taylor Swift has steadily amassed fame, success and public curiosity in her career, speaking out about corporate greed, sexism and racism. With no official position in the political hierarchy, influencers like Swift can have a solid influence on who gets the US top job, leading to political and economic decisions, that will soon trickle down to Kenya.
Not what you say, it’s how you say it
Often a manager’s behaviour and influence is shown more by what is unsaid, than what comes out of their mouth, or the ubiquitous PowerPoint presentation.
If you notice carefully, managers are dying to tell you who they are and what they value. Not so much by their words, but more by their actions, what they choose to focus on, and by contrast, ignore, or sweep under the corporate carpet.
Inevitably, we all gravitate towards what we feel comfortable with, and tend to rely on our strengths. What is more revealing is not what is said, but how it is presented, look to the tone of voice, body language, and facial impression to understand the real message.
What is unsaid in the corridors of Kenyan business, is that things rarely go according to the business plan. When things seem to be turning upside down, in an environment of constant turbulent disruptions, success goes to those who are able to be agile, question fundamental assumptions and reinvent themselves.
Forget the ability to make comforting predictions. What is unsaid is, sometimes you just have to be ready to ‘fly by the seat of your pants’. In academia, this is known as “disjointed incrementalism’.
In the words of Henry Gold, business acumen, often lies in the recognition that: “It’s how life happens, coincidences, and a willingness to take risks. ”
