Culture lessons from a turkey wrangler
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- Created: Wednesday, 03 July 2019 10:57
- Written by Martha Bartlett Piland
My mother grew up in West Virginia. Like many families at that time, hers had a sizable garden and some chickens and turkeys. Typically, my grandmother tended the garden and kept all the myriad household projects neatly organized and running smoothly. (Martha Stewart would be proud.)
Occasionally, the family’s turkeys made a break for freedom, heading directly for the road in front of the house.
Branders often overlook or ignore things that can have a big impact on the impressions they make on their customers. Case in point: the coat closet.
While many organizations say they have heart, rare are those who have created a culture that truly inspires passion. The word ‘credo’ (I believe) comes from ‘cor do’ (I give my heart).
Why should you be an “extra button” brand? The extra button brand is the one who gets a customer by when he’s in a pinch. It's the brand that helps a customer save face. It's the brand that has your back.
I recently heard someone in the c-suite of a company say that a key business development strategy hadn’t been launched because nobody told him to do it. I was shocked.
Keeping your brand aligned means paying attention to the messaging and stories you tell inside your organization, not just what you say in public.
Keeping your brand aligned means regularly auditing everything that tells your story. When you evaluate advertising and PR messages, you should never overlook the many other things that speak loud and clear.
Watch any company’s recruitment video these days and you’re likely to see a foosball table, an espresso bar and a workout room. You may be wondering if you need those to attract great employees, too.
You may think that because your website is updated and your new video takes your customers’ breath away that your brand refresh is spotless.
Many organizations have spent a significant amount of time thinking—and talking—about what they will do.
Old school sales guys will tell you sales is just a numbers game. Get enough prospects into the funnel and they’ll dump out X% of customers at the bottom. Easy.
“Not a problem,” the customer service person said to me on the phone as we were wrapping up my transaction. What!? Not a problem? For who—you!? Wait a minute. Who is the customer here?
Last week, a hot, tired delivery man came into our office with some much-needed supplies. He delivered more than just packages. He delivered angry, ugly opinions about someone else’s brand.
Marketers are spending a lot of time talking about the customer journey. We’re not hearing the same talk about the employee journey, and that’s a shame. Because the customer journey with your brand will be bumpy at best if the employee journey isn’t thoughtfully mapped out and put into action first.
It’s an all-too-common malady: sales are flabby or fundraising goals are lagging, so leadership determines that a fresh new ad campaign is just the thing to make everything right.
If you ever put your car in drive with your parking brake engaged, the car lets you know it right away. Ignore the warning at your own peril.
Have you put off planning, budgeting and—dare I say it—dreaming? If so, you’re probably working too much in the business and not enough on the business.
Amazon Chairman Jeff Bezos has famously said, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
Special blog submission by Moriyah Ramberg
The starlet (insert name) was stunningly beautiful—until she opened her mouth and became a devastating disappointment to her fans. Her foot will be removed from her mouth with the help of a good PR agent.
Be honest: have you ever heard an employee (sincerely) say “OH cool—I’m so excited!” when you announced a staff retreat? For many, the thought of a day away from the office stuffed into a conference room to plan sounds like as much fun as a root canal.
Look into the proverbial closet of your organization. Chances are, there are a few habits or tactics you know you need to give up—but for some reason, just can’t. Worst case scenario: you have a vast store house that needs to be purged.
Whether you’re raising money, growing customers, pitching a reporter or recruiting committee members, you have to make some asks. It can be uncomfortable. But to advance your objectives, you’ve gotta brave the cold.
Oscar Wilde famously wrote these words to individuals. Branders should take heed as well.
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Though this week heralds the arrival of a brand new year, we’ll be making resolutions for 2017 before we know it.
What could you learn if you and your employees really rode along on your customer's journey?
Relationships sometimes don’t work out, and there’s a break up. The same is true for your employees and you.
I’ve seen an awful lot of brand ugliness lately. Ugly design, cheap quality and slipshod work.
Recently I received a letter from a business along with a survey. “I want to get to know you and your company,” the letter said.
Mental habits turn into strategic and tactical action.
Turnover is very costly to business. It can cost a company up to 30% of the employee’s salary (and some say more) to replace someone. And in today’s labor market, there’s a lot of movement.
Twice this week, I’ve selected a menu item specifically because it was supposed to have something dear to my heart on it. Bacon! Both times, bacon was missing. It got me thinking about the way I felt, and how brands can disappoint their people in a similar way.
It’s a great day when you can whip through a meeting, present the plan and assign roles and responsibilities. Everyone is nodding and then they all go back to their desks and get to work. That’s solid, effective leadership, right?
There's a lot of talk about displaying welcome mats and rolling out the red carpet for customers. But are you also taking care of them on the way out? Here are 6 ways to ask the right questions.
People pay for your brand with their hard-earned money. They also pay with things they hold even dearer: their affection, their advocacy and their time. Are they getting what they pay for?
Many non-profit organizations have golf tournaments, 5k runs and fancy dance-dinner parties with silent auctions. But when you can make your purpose and mission part of the experience of the event, the result is far more powerful and memorable. It reinforces your mission like nothing else.
A blockbuster brand has all the elements of great theatre.
Business process is important. Presenting and promoting options to customers is a necessity.
Naughty kids get coal in their stockings. The nice kids get what they want. As a high growth business, how do you get what you want in your stocking? Here are some handy tips from Santa to fill your "stocking"—and your business—with profit and prosperity.
In many companies, training is a low priority. But every high performance organization acts differently. They're the ones who become legendary.
Too many CEOs are looking for growth but can't seem to get out of their current rut. Their greatest obstacle? Themselves.
We often encounter business leaders trying to skip to the end without doing the hard work it really takes to get there. They jump from one big idea—or consultant—to the next, looking for the shortcut to leapfrog past their competition.
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Sneaky, insidious little inconsistencies in your brand add up to big holes. That means you have to work harder or spend more to overcome them—unless you act quickly. Read on for our top 10 things to watch.
Employee appreciation events are usually born of good intentions. But somewhere in the planning process, committees and "have tos" suck out all the fun faster than a Dyson Ball. Here are 4 ways to make your event a rousing success.
I dropped in at Walgreens recently, picked up a few items to help me battle a wretched cold, and the woman at the cash register thanked me and said, "Be well." I felt like she really meant it and I almost stopped in my tracks.
Do your employees love your brand, and you, so much that they'd go on strike for you if you were fired?
At the bottom of the fruit bowl, out of sight, a tiny blemish starts to fester. On top, everything looks beautiful and healthy. But eventually, an odor develops. By the time you investigate—and actually find it—it has spread.
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Football is here! To "kick things off," here's our checklist to build a winning team, along with quotes from Paul "Bear" Bryant, one of the most highly regarded college football coaches of all time.
A meaningful brand is much more than just a logo or slogan. When done well, it delivers an experience that's far more than the sum of its parts. See our infographic for a look at how to evaluate and build yours further.
The heartbreak of going on a date with her "steady," only to see him schmoozing up the other girls at the party has a lot in common with the mob of marketing messages targeted at new customer acquisition.
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While the word "innovation" is almost ubiquitous, the ability to come up with new ideas that are truly groundbreaking seems to be anything but. Enter honeybees and jackalopes—and how they can lend a hand. (Photo by 
It's graduation season. Graduations have gotten a lot fancier since I was in school: large parties, catered food, extravagant gifts. That's a lot of pomp for their circumstance. But with the high price of higher education, some festivities are in order. It's a big deal.
TIPS FROM THE BARD
Brand slogans should be more than something that sounds cool. The best ones resonate on the inside of an organziation just as strongly as on the outside. Then, magic happens: trial, loyalty... profit. Read more for some of our favorites and why we think they're great.
When major changes are underway, it can be quite uncomfortable for employees. Like the shock of an unfortunate haircut, new initiatives may cause collective distress and the desire to hide. Or they could be as exciting as a brand new 'DO!
Groucho Marx is famously quoted as resigning from the Delaney Club quipping "I wouldn't belong to any club that would have me as a member."
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We've all witnessed it: the company retreat that gets people fired-up and ready to change the world. But soon, the insistent voices of daily work drown out the enthusiasm. 
Have you made any business resolutions for the new year? Better yet: a business revolution. It's a new year, full of possibilities. Here are some ways to create far-reaching changes that make '14 your best year yet.
Twentieth century philosophers 
"Frankly, some women's bodies just don't actually work [for Lululemon yoga pants]" famously said Chip Wilson, chairman of Lululemmon.
Do you know people who poke a hole in the bottom of a chocolate to see whether or not it's the one they want? The culprits I know never throw away the damaged piece they've decided against. They just sneak it back into the box. (As if no one will notice!)
We've all had one. At one time or another. You know what I'm talking about. A mustache. Maybe it's a milk mustache. A milk shake mustache. Or a pink Kool-Aid one. Then there's the one you get from an extra foamy cappuccino.
"Martha Ellen Bartlett, that's entirely too big a bite for a young lady."
People in your rapidly growing company are working at a hectic pace. They love the brand and are proud to give it their all. But they'll run out of energy (and the company will flounder) if you don't keep feeding their passion and purpose.
Does your organization make outbound calls to support your issue or invite people to an informational event? Here's a very, very wrong way to go about it...possibly the worst voice message ever.
Please come to our fair city. Spend money at the shops—and some more with the cops.
At a glance, this seems like a gimmicky marketing ploy. But is it?
I'm not sure if this is a series of coincidences or a disturbing trend. But this week, I've had two "asks" for sizable charitable donations via email or Facebook. And I've had at least five sales people try to pitch me with a cold call via email. Really?
When they're hiring, lots of companies spout "great benefits" and "positive work environment" to anyone who will listen. But they don't think about the type of person they want to attract. That's right. Attract. Shouldn't it be more like dating? 
Recently my children went back to school. A sheet came home asking parents to have their children wear specific colors for the first two weeks of class. The reason: our kindergarteners need help learning their colors. First it was Red Day. Then Brown Day.
Even a casual Star Trek viewer has heard of the legendary Borg. So united in purpose and mission, they were stronger than almost anyone else. The Borg were also scary, evil and incredibly nasty.
There are lots of reasons to read the 
The behind-the-scenes drama at the famed Russian Bolshoi Ballet has made 
Collaborate… cooperate… cohabitate… The stongest brands are a co-mingling of attributes that are co-owned and co-created by the company, the customers and the employees. 
I love my closet. My friends know it's merchandised. The hangers match. Items are organized left to right, short to long and light to dark.
Companies everywhere have a proverbial watercooler. It's the place to chat about sports, or a new Dilbert-esque project from above. Yawn. The special ones—high growth companies who rely on innovative employees—have a roaring campfire.
Rapidly growing companies are moving fast. Some are kicking furiously in the Shark Tank. Others are trying Lean Startup methods to evolve their brand or launch something new. They're pivoting, exploring and trying to propel ahead.
What happens when an employee leaves? Beyond the exit interview, it's safe to assume that several people will post online reviews that are either wildly flattering—or excruciatingly unflattering. Are you paying attention? Ignorance is not bliss.
