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I’m indebted to this thirty-two-year-old pair of Ray-Ban®

It was the pre internet 1980s.  I was settling into a junior marketing role in United Drug (now the UDG Group). My mission, to build the distribution and sales of Ray-Ban® in Ireland.

Then this ‘Driving Glass’ arrived on my desk, bearing the princely retail price tag of IR£79, no mean sum back then.

I soon had it adorning the front window of the 15 ‘exclusive’ Ray-Ban retailers.  With zero budget I sat and waited, with fingers crossed.  Then one evening, as I was glancing over the new car reviews in the paper, a glimmer of an idea took root.  Could I get the motoring journalists to test-drive the ‘Driving Glass’ for me?

The following morning, I compiled what was to be the first of my many journalist contact lists.  Fast forward three months (and lots of tooing and frooing), and reviews started to appear in the newspapers.  My unusual request had stoked the columnist’s curiosity, offering them a ‘different’ motoring angle.

The result landed ‘my’ brand in front of the eyes of their readers, my target customers (car drivers).  Sales of the Driving Glass which had been trickling, began to flow.

The press coverage proved to be an invaluable and cost-effective brand building tool.  They helped:

• Stimulate consumer interest,
• Enhance the support I gave to my stockists
• Grow brand sales, and
• Facilitate extension of the distribution network.

So, back to my learnings.

1. PR is a powerful revenue and brand building tool. It helped grow sales from a minimal level to a six-figure sum.
2. The importance of context.
   Marketing instinct led me to target readers interested in cars.  Today’s neural researchers would point to the fact that the ‘Driving Glass’ reviews appeared in a premium editorial environment.  This enabled me present my brand to the reader at a time when the front and left hand-side of their brain was actively engaged.  This enhanced the encoding of my message, boosting its potential impact by over 20%.
3. This new aspect of Marketing (PR) which was totally new to me gave me a real buzz.  It still does.

Thank you, Ray-Ban® 

Desmond Howett©

14 December 2020

Covid 19 has upended the functioning world as we know it.  It has forced us to ask questions.

• What is truly important to us?
• How best can we achieve this?

So my attention was hooked by the radio interviewer’s question that Saturday morning, as I turned the car from Harbour Road into Main Street.

          ‘….do you think that some kind of self-doubt can be an important attribute for a business leader to have?’

As the interviewee (an Irish C.E.O.) paused, my mind reeled back to the series that had occupied my evenings during the first phase of ‘lockdown’.

‘The Crown’ depicts how the current monarch of the United Kingdom is believed to have dealt with specific challenges before and during her reign.

It masterfully portrays the isolation and loneliness of the position.  We are presented with a character who constantly questions her own ability.  A person who grapples with the confines of tradition.  One who is constantly forced to confront the limitations of her position and the challenges presented by change.  All the while she keeps her self-questioning hidden from those who expect her to ‘lead’.

In her acclaimed book ‘Flourishing’, Dr. Maureen Gaffney explores what makes us feel, behave and act as we do.  She offers guidance on how we can improve our understanding of ourselves.  And suggests how we can best harness this knowledge to move forward.

She reveals how self-doubt is related to one’s genetically based temperament.  How those who self-doubt can be worriers, and tend towards negative feelings and thoughts.  And are more likely than others to see neutral happenings as negative.

Self-doubt has the power she says, to negatively influence one’s mood.  It also has the power to influence our capacity to perform.

Mood in anyone, especially a leader, can be ‘contagious’.  A positive mood enhances a leader’s ability to think and resolve conflicts.  It enables them develop and maintain good relationships.  This positivity can boost the level of optimism and morale across the entire organisation.  It can create an environment where both innovation and execution can thrive.

In contrast, a negative mood caused by self-doubt can shackle both leader and team.  The leader’s poor mood can seep down through the team.  It can lower both morale and performance.  Steer their focus away from opportunity, towards threat avoidance.

But it’s not all bad news for those prone to self-doubt.

Ms Gaffney cites a study on personality development which suggests that life experiences can often quell the intensity of one’s self-doubt.  As we reach our 30’s and 40’s we begin to recognise our competencies and feel more comfortable in our skin.

So, what steps can a person who self-doubts take?  ‘Flourishing’ provides a number of suggestions.

1.Find ways to manage and enhance your mood. Proactively,

• spend more time with friends
• look on the brighter side of things
• cease to self-compare yourself with others.

2. Question your reaction to an event.

• Is your interpretation truly valid, or has it more to do with how your mind works?

3. Use ‘approach’ not ‘avoidance’ goals.  They focus your attention on opportunities and possibilities.  They’ll encourage you to reach out and explore, to meet new people, and try new things.

And so, back to the radio interview.

As I parked the car, the C.E.O’s gentle voice nudged my ear again…….

          “I think it’s important to always question yourself, and put yourself under pressure but……..when you’re leading a team it’s important that they believe in you, and that they don’t pick up that you’re doubting the direction that you’re taking……..I’ve never been one of those people who has been able to go home at night and not worry about work…….about decisions that I’ve taken. I do and I think it keeps you on your toes……”

The interviewer delved no further but I’m curious.

The character in ‘The Crown’ hid her self-doubt for years.  She occasionally revealed it, as she sought counsel from the few who earned her trust.

Does the interviewee have a trusted listener(s)?  One who walks in her shoes with her.  Who provides empathy, shares insights and offers context specific counsel?

Do YOU?

Desmond Howett ©

8 October 2020

I locked eyes with Julia Roberts that sunny Sunday afternoon.

Reminded of that brief encounter recently, I see my younger self (1995) crossing the lobby of The Shelbourne Hotel. Glancing in the direction of the famous revolving doors I catch the eyes of a woman dressed in period costume. Sparkling beneath a khaki green hat, they register with me instantly, but instinct somehow prevents me from greeting them with a wave of friendship.

Of course, I didn’t and still don’t know JR. I am acquainted with the public personas she has famously portrayed, as she glides seamlessly between onscreen characters. What a challenge that must be for actors! To step into the shoes of someone else and don their persona for months or even years, all the while retaining a firm grip on the REAL you.

Business life can pose a similar challenge, obliging us to ‘perform’. The ‘YOU’ that lives at home transforms as you step into the shoes of your work persona. This can happen seamlessly for years until one day something nudges the real ‘YOU’ in the ribs and those work shoes start to feel uncomfortable.

Wearing ill-fitting shoes can be tortuous. They slow us down and impact our ability to perform. If we don’t adjust or change them, they begin to damage our feet, and negatively impact our life.

If your work shoes are ill-fitting you need to ask yourself

• What part of the shoe (my work) is hurting me and impacting me negatively?

Do a thorough examination just like you would on your shoe. Walk through your average work day. As you do, note down the parts you enjoy, and those you don’t. Scrutinize each.

• What is it about the ‘enjoy’ parts that fit ‘YOU’ and the ‘don’t enjoy’ ones that cause you discomfort?

Be as thorough as a Chiropodist would be when examining your foot.

• What causes you to flinch, to feel pain?
• When does it happen?
• What other factors (if any) play a part?

With the pinch points identified, move on to explore what options you have to ease the discomfort.

• What avenues are open to you to convert those ‘don’t enjoy’ parts to ‘enjoy’?
• What will be involved if you travel down each avenue?
• What might ease your passage?
• What obstacles might you meet?

Armed with this information you can move on to make an informed decision, comfortable in the knowledge that you have performed a thorough examination.

Should you find it difficult to get started on your journey, a qualified Business Coach will, like a Chiropodist, help you locate and understand the key points of discomfort. They’ll help you evaluate your options, and ease you forward to the point where you can make informed decisions and set out your plan of action.

Remember, the important thing is to take action. If like the average working person, you spend over 50% of our waking hours at work, why wear shoes that don’t fit properly?

Desmond Howett © 6 July 2020

On the eve of Ireland’s lockdown ‘easing’ I undertook a task I’d been putting off for months; to forcibly eject a large family of spiders who had taken possession of the walls and ceiling of the outside toilet. Doing so with the greatest of care to minimise death and injury, many made valiant efforts to return. They sought out nooks and crannies to evade my sweeping brush only to be once again shepherded onto it, and deposited down the garden. I couldn’t help but be impressed by their sheer determination, courage and resilience. Their home and food store had been forcibly taken from them. Their months of work was in shreds, and through no fault of theirs, they found themselves in a strange new environment, susceptible to threats of all kind, not least the resident Robin.

As humans many of us find ourselves forced to face mighty challenges, be it from Covid 19, war, abuse, addiction, the list goes on.  Change is thrust upon us and we have no choice but to adapt.  It takes extraordinary courage to accept change, especially when we feel it to be unfair. But sometimes we are left with little choice, we must adapt or die. 

As a first step it can be helpful to find the positives to our new situation.  What can we be thankful for?  Take the spiders for example.  They are alive and uninjured.  They are in a new outdoor home replete with fresh food resources and plenty of foliage under which to find shelter.  It is early summer; the garden is alive and the temperature is well above freezing.  Those of them that react in this way, and look to the future will adapt and start afresh.  They’re the resilient ones. 

So, the next time you find change forcibly thrust upon you, follow their example and think of the positives.  Your web of positivity will give you the courage to take stock, adapt and move forward.

Desmond Howett © 30 June 2020