Get Out of the Office

When a brand is delivering the lifestyle it promises, then it is doing something right. When a company fails to touch the lives of its customers in a real, tangible, meaningful way, then it is doing something very wrong. Failure here is so wrong that you should immediately stop before any more time or money is spent carrying-out a massive mistake that is continuing to damage your business.

If you are walking in the wrong direction, then the first step is to stop walking. Whatever "urgent" thing you are currently working on should be put aside immediately. Your focus needs to shift toward doing important work rather than seemingly urgent work.

If your brand is in trouble and truly in need of transformation, then drastic measures need to be taken. If you are failing to deliver your promise to the consumer or, worse yet, if you are failing to even make a compelling promise to the consumer...then you need to acknowledge the urgency of the situation. If you are unwilling to stop what you are doing, then you do not understand the urgency and nobody can help.

If you do understand the urgency, then why not make a plan to get out of the office and spend some time living the dream you are promising to the customer? Only when you can touch it and feel it, and when you do so in an atmosphere of risk-free openness and trust with your colleagues, can you discover the true purpose and meaning of your work. Why not spend as long as you need to, wherever you need to, until there is consensus that the vision is clear and the plan is clear? Then, when you know the true path forward, you can return to the office and get to work.

Think of it as a mini-vacation that will change everything and make history. The absolute best way to free your mind and let new ideas flow is to travel, to get away from the routine, to be in a place where you feel great and are happy. While you are away, why not send a newsletter back to the office to let everyone know about your journey "giving birth" to that new brand -- that reinvigorated brand that is going to be formed around the tribe of your customers and is going to serve and change the lives of your customers. In doing these daily newsletter updates, you will slowly generate awareness of your work, you will already start to change the company culture, and even before you return you will have begun building a new tribe back at the office who are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to carry your inspired vision forward.

If you are going to create meaning and inspire a movement, then you need to feel it! Take the team to a place that is connected with your brand or just anywhere fun and beautiful that is absolutely away from the of the office.

#offsite #teambuilding #brainstorming