gilesmdavis

[gilesmdavis]

A friend from college recently reminded me of this guy I’ll call Danny, who was crazy in a way that was particularly useful for politics, namely, he was incapable of feeling humiliated. When Danny got to campus freshman year, he announced his candidacy for student body president by printing out like a thousand copies of his CV—including his SAT score!—and plastering them all over campus. He was, of course, widely mocked. And then the next year, he won. It turns out that people vote for the name that they recognize, and it doesn’t really matter why they recognize it. By the time Danny ran for reelection and won in a landslide, he was no longer the goofy freshman who taped a picture of his own face to every lamp post. At that point, he was the president.45

Face it: you're a crazy person - by Adam Mastroianni

Great article about unpacking jobs and playing to your craziness. And a good quote above about fame.

[gilesmdavis]

I don’t generally take notes when I read (unless I’m doing research). I tend to think it’s best to let your brain do the filtering: if something’s really important it will stick. But this may be my job. As a columnist, if a thought is not memorable enough to last without writing it down it’s probably not worth putting in a column.

How to read and why - by James Marriott - Cultural Capital

Wise advice that can apply to any piece of writing, especially “thought leadership”.

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(via Singles in America | Home)

Match.com American singles survey - nicely done

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(via Spring / Summer 2025 Look Book Recipes - Recipes | Oatly | United Kingdom)

[gilesmdavis]

Make something happen If I had to pick one piece of marketing advice to give you, that would be it. Now. Make something happen today, before you go home, before the end of the week. Launch that idea, post that post, run that ad, call that customer. Go the edge, that edge you’ve been holding back from… and do it today. Without waiting for the committee or your boss or the market. Just go.

Make something happen | Seth's Blog

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great stories agree with our world view. The best stories don’t teach people anything new. Instead, the best stories agree with what the audience already believes and makes the members of the audience feel smart and secure when reminded how right they were in the first place.

Ode: How to tell a great story | Seth's Blog

Not thought about this - but it’s true. In advertising being unique or first is feted whereas Disney at their best tell us what we already know. 

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One of the better atricles out there - it all rings true.

[gilesmdavis]

When Phil Reilly ran the party media operation under the coalition, he told his team: ‘We need to be first, funny, or interesting.’ Umunna, who sat on the campaign committee, disagreed. ‘His view was that we should do serious, weighty press conferences,’ an aide remembered. Rathe explained, ‘We can’t do that because no one will care because we are the Liberal Democrats.’”

To the sound of trumpets in thrusts March • Buttondown

Russell Davies (no relation, not the Dr Who one) is great at finding interesting things. “First, funny or interesting” is a great mantra.

[gilesmdavis]

Great copywriting, well, storytelling. In the “Owner’s Manual”

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(via Chester Zoo Rebrand, Web Design & Web Build)

Lovely examples here

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(via Logo)

Lonkedin Brand resources, always good to see how big companies do it

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The light in Crete doesn’t just fall. It slices, sculpts, and illuminates with a force that is almost architectural. It is elemental intensity, that photographer Dennis Eichmann captures in ‘Sea, Sun and Soil’, a series of analogue photographs that reveal the layers of their subjects like a slow exhale.

Sea, Sun and Soil: Dennis Eichmann’s Crete in Analogue - IGNANT

[gilesmdavis]

So much of this resonates

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(via Three common investment mistakes and how to avoid them)

Hold your nerve

[gilesmdavis]

What are the dozen dos? Based on this analysis the top twelve dos for staff engagement are: Give people a voice, one that is heard and that counts. Giving staff a voice and showing that it counts has the most impact on staff engagement levels. Build a compassionate culture. Compassion may be the most important overall factor in health and social care. Support line managers to lead their teams in a supportive and compassionate way and strengthen team working. Line manager behaviour is the single greatest driver of engagement. Increase involvement: when people feel listened to and involved in decision making. Involvement should happen at all levels within the organisation. Give people autonomy, agency and control over their working lives. When people experience freedom and autonomy, their level of engagement improves. Provide staff with support to develop in their job role and progress in their career. Where staff feel supported to develop their skills or career they tend to feel more engaged. Ensure senior leaders are visible, approachable and communicate well. Two-way communication leads to greater engagement. Build psychologically safety. The degree to which people feel psychologically safe to speak up and raise concerns has a key impact.  Value, recognise and celebrate staff regularly. Where staff feel appreciated and valued staff engagement is fostered. Reduce people’s work pressures and ensure staffing levels are safe. Looking at and addressing pressures in the workplace is a key factor for staff experience and can enhance staff engagement. Provide improved health and wellbeing support. Health and wellbeing and staff engagement are closely connected; and higher levels of staff engagement can have a positive impact on staff absence. Work in partnership with staff side. Staff representatives and bodies can be a key factor in engaging fully with your employees.

The dozen dos of staff engagement | NHS Employers