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Trump or Tesla? - By Mellissa Riddle

“No organization can achieve greatness without a vigorous leader who is driven onward by a pulsating will to succeed. A leader has to have a vision of grandeur, a vision that can produce eager followers in vast numbers. In business, the followers are the customers” (Levitt).

In Marketing Myopia, Theodore Levitt writes a synopsis of the obsolescence of businesses. Contrary to the common notion that everything boils down to leadership and how you market and  innovate, Levitt describes the more important underlying aspects of why businesses fail:

They sell products instead of focusing on who they are, what industry they are in, and wholly meeting their customers needs.

All emboldened efforts will also meet a timely demise without proper leadership. As Levitt describes it, the Chief Executive must know exactly where he/she wants the organization to go and make certain the enthusiasm for this is known and shared by the company and its consumers. Trump did this, Hilary did not — plain and simple.

In his examples, Levitt denotes the failure of the railroad industry. Their progress was limited by identifying as a company, a product, and not as transportation. In comparison, lets consider Tesla. Elon Musk built an innovative automobile company for modernity. Musk considers Tesla to be even more than a transportation company, he sees it more broadly as an energy and mobility technology innovator. This common sense and ingenuity  — along with expertise and a lot of lobbying — have evolved Tesla into a progressive company with no limits, challenging the fossil fuel energy with grand sites on not only alternatives to business as usual, but innovation for more sustainable mobility, universally.

Recall from your imagination, the fiction writers of decades past and present who bring to life images of future cities and travel, where we exist in a more communal, collaborative commons. This imagery is what inspires the concepts that will dramatically alter the transportation industry of today. This is an inevitability. Musk is focusing on the needs of consumers, the environment, and national security as they all relate to the geopolitics of energy, and to our future. Musk is a leader who imparts vision to an enthusiastic consumer.  

The point Levitt was making 57 years ago, is that like Tesla, the success of a Presidency (how the president got there aside) requires a leader that thinks with totality and has a properly defined purpose which is taking care of its citizens above all else. Levitt and Jim Collins (Good to Great, 2001), both argue that this is the ultimate recipe for sustained success. Although, I question at what point a leader must go beyond that of his/her own nation-citizens, and account for a broader reaching inclusive society for all of earths citizens and the eco-system at large. With examples like Tesla and the decentralized starfish and spiders out there who maintain universal goals, business it seems, will approach this well before one leader does.

Links: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ultimate-recipe-sustained-success-mellissa-riddle/

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“Make America Great Again” We-centric Leadership Required - By Mellissa Riddle

In Good to Great, Collins describes in detail — supported by research — the leadership in America from presidents to CEOs. Collins identified the five levels of leadership that quite literally “succeed or die," which is a mantra exemplified by his top tier leaders.

In his analogy of our modern leaders, Collins equates that like God, the leader is the one with the plan, the one in which we rely, the one who understands it all. A notion which places blame on leadership rather than invoking thoughtful engagement to bring about valuable change. It is this, the “I-centric” account of a leader that Collins describes in inevitable failures.

So what exactly makes a great leader? Collins addresses this question in his example of Level 5 leaders, those with “ambition first and foremost for the company [country] and concern for its success rather than for one's own riches and personal renown.” This is the “We-centric” mentality. A Level 5 example, Lincoln, a man who to many did not embody the image of a great leader due to a shy disposition, was arguably one of the best presidents the US has ever had. Lincoln “never let his ego get in the way of his primary ambition for the larger cause of an enduring great nation”. Lincoln, like other Level 5 CEO's was successful in his we-centric mentality, creating a strong foundation from which his successors could follow.

To the contrary, and in support of the overwhelming three quarters of failures his research encountered, Collins makes his case against the "I-centric" mentality in the example of Gault, the CEO of Rubbermaid. In response to being called a tyrant, Gault agreed "but I'm a sincere tyrant”. Although a man who had created a brief and publicized success, his dedication to self image over the good of the company resulted in incapable succession going from great for a short time, then “to irrelevant”.

In consideration of the 'I' verses 'we' centric leaders, I wonder what we are getting in 2017? In Collins examples those Level 5 leaders from the brilliant, shy, and enduring like Darwin Smith of Kimberly-Clark, to president Lincoln, the images of these Level 5 leaders was anything but charismatic or ego centric. However, in Collins examples of those with the "I-centric" persona, the ones with big personas — these are the ones who fail 75% of the time.

 In Harvard Kennedy’s Presidential Politics course, discussions range from Orwellian dystopian sentiments to the wielded images of presidents such as Nixon and Reagan; the post Bernay's pseudo-event world; to the ambiguous "low-calorie" diatribes where "the crowds" appetite for synthetic "Gee Whiz" two-minute bites of data have coalesced into pseudo-qualified presidential candidates. Within this framework we have little opportunity to understand who our candidates are based upon leadership qualifications. And what's worse is that apparently most of us do not care about the true credentials, but the image. This very much resembles an "I-centric" mentality. Are we then setting ourselves up for failure?

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A World of Pseudo-Events - by Mellissa Riddle

"We hardly dare face our bewilderment, because our ambiguous experience is so pleasantly iridescent, and the solace of belief in contrived reality is so thoroughly real."

In The Image, by Daniel J. Boorstin, he explains how society has moved from authentic events to “synthetic happenings.” Much of it he attributes to our desire for the “Gee whiz!” events, something that was authentically novel, which shifted the media industry, like any other industry striving for more viewership and success, toward fabricating mind-numbing novelties. The eagerness for this new fulfillment opened a door for propaganda that over the decades has displaced quality and literal content.

 However, many of us were stunned by the 2016 presidential campaigns lack of valuable content. Trump, Bernie, and Hilary supporters alike were asking why nothing valuable is making the debates and news. Perhaps this synthetic news and consolidated tactics are finally losing their novelty.

 For quite some time, I have questioned the integrity of the father of public relations (PR), Edward Bernays. As an employee of the U.S. government, Bernays ran PR campaigns to overthrow governments. In an article written by Noam Chomsky, he quotes Bernay’s, who in his publication in 1928 entitled Propaganda (at that time, not such a negative word), describes the solution to the problem of an America that is becoming too democratic. That answer is his propaganda, or the wielding of information to result in the emotions and actions of the orchestrator. This poignant effort to manipulate and regiment the minds of the less intelligent “slobs” so they “stay on the right course," may not have seemed at the time to be an attack on our freedom, but today we must consider this notion.

 Bernays invented PR and the pseudo-events as a direct result of the lessons learned from the first world war (Chomsky, 1997). These techniques established with a liberal intention for crowd control were used to engineer the public relations effort behind the U.S. backed coup which overthrew the democratic government of Guatemala (Chomsky, 1997). This is one of many examples. Is this psychological warfare not still warfare, and therefore in direct violation of American citizens constitutional rights?

 In The Image, Boorstin discusses that our democratic society specifically allows for such pseudo-events through the “freedom of speech and of the press” which is the equivalent of the “freedom to create pseudo-events.” Perhpas this is exceptable, although a gray area. But, consider for a moment that psychological manipulation is being used against you and your chidlren for a specific purpose that you are not aware of, and for the desired effect, to which you are also unaware.

We can recall historical accounts of such manipulation from Hitler, Stalin, or more recently the stereo-typing of Muslims; which has documented examples of orchestrated manipulation to garner support for militants and for proxy wars, as well as pseudo-events produced by medias war-journalism framing.

 This is not to say that the stereotyping, propaganda, pseudo-events, and this newer concept of “leaking” is only a scheme to undermine ourselves. “The efficient mass production of pseudo-events…is the work of the whole machinery of our society” (Boorstin). We may trace back its origins which is valuable, but placing blame is no solution. What is important is to acknowledge and understand its consequences.

Today we find ourselves in a society where we are overstimulated, with short attention spans, and being fed more “gee whiz!” worthy news than the last few minutes; the product of which has now affected how our candidates debate on pointless character flaws and stereotypes. Instead of purposeful exchanges of information, we judge our candidates based on two-minute performances void of valuable content. These pseudo-events “thus lead to an emphasis on pseudo-qualifications”(Boorstin).

The summation of this blog post brings images of Disney's Walle to my mind: the plump humans in their little hover carts, slurping neon colored concoctions while their comatose brains stay fixed to their hover cart screens. No human interaction. No decision making. Just consuming. My point in this albeit cynical rant, is to imagine where this goes. At times it feels like an uphill battle, but there is no alternative; Upon understanding our ambiguous reality, seeking truth and literacy become ever more obligatory.

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Mellissa Riddle: How to Write a Business Case Study

Mellissa Riddle offers advice on how to showcase your company’s success using compelling case studies otherwise known as testimonials. Outlined here Mellissa describes the importance of case studies for your business and offers instructions on how to get testimonials. Mellissa provides a case study template, and an example that she has worked from over the years to support other entrepreneurs just like you.

When you think about buying a product or service, what’s the first thing you do?

Chances are you seek a recommendation either from a friend, colleague, or do online research. You know that a bit of online research could spare you from a poor purchase.

Your business customers are the same. They know that you think your product is great, but they still seek others opinions too.

The Importance of Case Studies

Case studies are invaluable assets in establishing proof that your product or service is valuable and of quality. They add authenticity and credibility to your business. Getting real opinions from others who have tried and tested your product or service are helpful because typically they are unbiased, and often rooted in a common experience.

Certainly, there are cyber-bullies who create malicious content, but to your defense those who are familiar with your products and services will inevitably prevail over slander. It is even more important then, to authentically showcase how your business has truly helped others, and case studies help you to achieve just that.

How to Write a Business Case Study From Start to Finish

First lets begin with preparing your case study questions. To write a great case study you must ask open-ended questions that guide the customer topics you wish to cover. The questions asked should be impressionable, helping to tell a relatable story.

Ask questions about consumer experiences.

Its best to conduct live interviews so that you can probe for more detailed responses, however,  if you are limited, phone testimonials are applicable.

Some question examples:

Consumer experience prior to selecting your product or service.

What product/service were you using before?

What frustrations did you face with that product/service?

What were the reasons you selected that product/service?

Why did you decide to stop using that product/service?

 Consumer experience using your products or services.

How was your experience getting started with our product/service?

How have we helped you to overcome the previous challenges?

How are we different from the alternatives you tried?

What is your favorite feature about us, and why?

What positive experiences have you had using our product/service?

How have we helped you to achieve your goals?

What measurable impact has our product/service had?

What is the most important reason why you would recommend us?

How to Get Testimonials

Be selective with your case study candidates. Testimonials should address concerns that your potential customers might have. To find ideal customers for your case study, look to your resources such as your sales team, website reviews and social media.

When seeking candidates look for customers who:

Know your product or service very well

Have used other competitors before coming to you

Engage customers who are seeing great results

Have recognizable names within your industry

Case Study Checklist

Your case study should be laid out effectively for the reader. An example of an effective case study is as follows:

I. Executive Summary

II. About the Client

III. The Challenges

IV. The Solution

V. The Results

VI. Call-to-Action

Case Study Templates

I. Executive Summary

Your case study summary should begin with a catchy headline like your tag-line, followed by a short summarization of the most relevant points of your case study. Limit this to no more than five sentences.

II. About the Client

This is where you will provide a brief description of your client. It is best to pull a description from LinkedIn or their company website, being mindful to add links to their websites homepage. This helps the reader identify with and authenticate the testimonial they will read. Limit this at two to four sentences.

III. The Challenges

Write a  few short paragraphs about the most challenges within your target audience, that your customer faced before using your product or service. Describe the challenges and identifying the goals they were trying to achieve. Limit this to no more than 150 words.

IV. The Solution

Use this section to really showcase your value. Write a few short paragraphs describing how your company worked with your customer to find solutions to their problems. Discuss the success of implementing the strategy, then further discuss how they are now using your product or service to address challenges is effective ways. Limit this to no more than 150 words.

V. Results

Write a few short paragraphs proving how your product or service helped your customer to achieve their goals. Include metrics from impacts such as percentage changes, and/or a return on investment —this is powerful proof that further authenticates your value. Limit this to no more than 100 words.

Quotes & Visuals

Select a quote or two to feature following this section. For example, provide the quote with their LinkedIn head shot, full name, and title.

Add visuals that are important to the story being told. A powerful image is one that specifically highlights your product or the customers experience with your product. For example, providing a customer experience image that quantifies their success with you.

A short video of the testimonial received is a great way to showcase your customer success story.

VI. Call-to-Action

Use this opportunity to turn the readers enthusiasm into action. Lead your reader to an applicable landing page of your website, and invite your reader to speak with you or fill out an intake form.

An applicable landing page may offer options such as call, online chat, demo request, start a free trial — whatever the offering may be, this is one of the most important aspects to your case study.

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Entrepreneurship Week in the Emirates;Dubai hosts its 5th annual Down town Design Fair

To be successful as an entrepreneur, it is necessary to overcome the various obstacles that may arise (administrative, technical, financial, etc.) without becoming discouraged. And for that, it is required that the ideal entrepreneur shows a real tenacity.

Entrepreneurship is celebrated today in many countries around the world, but entrepreneurs' week in Dubai has never been over-hyped. During the Global Entrepreneurship Week, Dubai simultaneously hosts its 5th annual Dubai Design Week with featured events like Downtown Design (which also runs every year as part of Dubai Design Week).

It's about celebrating the entrepreneur and entrepreneurial spirit as one could celebrate dance or music. Entrepreneurs have talents and put them at the service of society, as well in the sectors of the traditional economy as in innovative technological activities, the social and solidarity economy, the protection of the environment, etc.

To celebrate entrepreneurs is to give a face to passion. And the annual event is designed to inspire as many people as possible to use their initiative and innovation through local, national activities and international.

From large-scale competitions to smaller events or gatherings, these activities are designed to connect participants with potential collaborators, mentors, and even investors - opening doors to new ones. Interesting opportunities and opportunities.

The Entrepreneurship week offers interactive and fun workshops, conferences, testimonials, round-tables or open houses during which more than one hundred speakers and entrepreneurs from all walks of life come to share their experiences and provide practical advice.

The event is not only a framework and avenue for the recognition of entrepreneurs, but also and most importantly an opportunity for entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers to find solutions to current challenges in the field.

In this fifth annual exposition, the Design Dubai Fair invites designers and industry professionals the world over to exhibit, collaborate and offers a mercantile exchange. This year Product Design Award presented to Jozef Hendricks & Felix Trunk for 'Welcome to my Dune.'

 As a regular participant of the Dubai events, Mellissa Riddle was asked about her experience with the annual event: - “this is my third year attending Dubai Design Week as a patron of the arts and a design hobbyist. At 23 I launched my first business out of Bali, Indonesia designing furniture. And although that is no longer part of my life, design is. I enjoy meeting creatives and the diversity of design, especially those hosted by Esra Lemmens Agency. I look forward to viewing the regions local talent like Salman Jawed of Coalesce Design Studio. I appreciate the simplicity of their products and the jovial nature embedded in their designs.”Said Mellissa Riddle.

It is continuously noted, entrepreneurship requires certain qualities to succeed. But what are the essential attributes? To be a perfect entrepreneur, one has to be able to abide by the following guidelines:

1. Keep an Overview of Success

While most successful entrepreneurs and coaches advocate visualization and definition of success well in advance, there is also need to be open to progress once it is achieved. The reason is that, while remaining evidence of success, the length of the order book, the order of magnitude of the profits, and the value of the business involve many variables that could change the original definition.

2. Adopt an Inclusive Approach

In the quest for success, a business leader must not neglect other aspects of life. Family, personal growth, physical and mental health must all be part of their vision of success.

3. Treat Everyone Well

"Treat others as you would like to be treated": this is the golden rule leading to success. The entrepreneur should thus put forward the notions of respect, honesty, and patience in his professional and interpersonal relationships.

4. Proof of Humility

A good entrepreneur should not consider himself the center of the universe. He must keep an open mind and maintains a certain humility in his decision-making role. This allows him to face obstacles and failures in a less personal way, and to consider the different solutions with a clear vision.

5. Celebrate Success

Small or significant, every success deserves to be highlighted. The business leader must take the time to celebrate the victories, motivate the staff and become aware of the progress made.

To create a business, it is necessary to have an idea. So, to have several, it is so many successes guaranteed. It is, therefore, essential to anticipate the needs of the future, the future expectations of consumers, to be able to create products or concepts that meet needs or desires.

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INET Conference

At the end of October, The Exchange Edinburgh played host to the Institute of New Economic Thinking’s Reawakening Conference featuring speakers from all over the world on the past, present and – most importantly – future of the economics profession.

INET’s mission statement is to advance economic ideas to move forward as human beings and better our species. They support research and fund grants for those who share these thoughts, making more people aware of the economic issues affecting our world. They also believe in the importance of education, mentoring and teaching people to not only understand the importance of the economic problems but to think about the solutions that can be used going forward.

The purpose of the conference was to explore how the world ended up in the state that we’re in – with world recessions, Brexit and the American Presidential election. Gathering nearly ten years after the financial crisis that still continues to shake the global economy today.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon kicked off the event, talking about how Edinburgh was the perfect location for the conference, and providing an insight into how the government and economics are fully interlinked and without recognizing them as one and the same, we are doomed to fall into the same traps of the past. There were also talks on how inequality needs to constantly be redefined to address the problems that we face in the modern economy.

The other talks given were insightful, and provided people with an expert opinion on the challenges our society is currently facing. INET promotes different solutions and ideas to social dilemmas and economic crises, all while upholding the interests of the many, not just the few. It is an idea that is very close to the heart of Mellissa Riddle, a first time INET attendee, visiting in her role as a finance professional and supporter of social enterprise.

Educating and informing are one of INET’s biggest challenges, but people at this conference, including Mellissa Riddle, felt that “no one was prepared to debate and oppose each others ideas”. This is the type of environment where people are not afraid to speak about the inefficiencies of capitalism, however more debate on new economic thinking would better serve the attendees.

The future of INET, and indeed the future of global economics should be based on honest and open dialogues, without fear of ridicule or persecution. Mellissa Riddle shares this idea and wants to see a world where people are progressively debating what can be done, without fearing the reaction from those who don’t like to rock the boat.

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Mellissa Constance Riddle Serves As Chief of Staff at Altajir

Mellissa Constance Riddle studied International Relations from Harvard University, 2017; Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Stanford Continuing Studies, 2013; Executive training in Lean Strategy from Six Sigma, 2011; Executive training in Management & Investments from Arizona School of Real Estate & Business; Business Administration and Management, 2003, from the University of Georgia State education system. Mellissa attended undergrad on an academic scholarship from Georgia Governor Roy E. Barnes. At present, Mellissa holds the Chief of Staff position at AlTajir, a UAE and EU based organization. Mellissa assists the chairman in strategic initiatives and projects management. Her studies and positions held across international markets have contributed to her cultural intelligence. Mellissa is proficient in English, with working knowledge of Hebrew, Indonesian, and Spanish. She has received honors for her community work by Mills Corporation and A Place to Grow. In addition to this, Mellissa Constance Riddle is associated with philanthropic organizations. She believes in the Sager Family Foundation's mantra "Hands Up, Not Hands Out," and her father's humanitarian belief that teaching a man to fish, are sustainable acts that create lasting solutions.  Currently, Mellissa volunteers with the American Red Cross, MIT Energy Initiative, the Institute for New Economic Thinking, and various social entrepreneurial organizations. In the past, Mellissa served as a committee member of JDRF, Child help Foundation, raising $42,000; and a board member of Martin Family Charities. She has also volunteered as the campaign coordinator for Arizona State Treasury, and a US senate campaign.

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Mellissa Constance Riddle serves as the Chief of Staff (COS) to AlTajir Industries, a UAE based firm since 1997.

In 2014, Mellissa Constance Riddle joined AlTajir Industries executive office in support of the Chairman. Melissa's role as COS is committed to the critical function of supporting the Chairman's agenda. Mellissa combines her business acumen, cultural intelligence, and sharp intuition to create solutions in project management. Mellissa is praised for her resourcefulness and dedication to strategic initiatives. She prides herself on her loyalty and exemplifying an unwavering commitment to the cause.

Mellissa is a consummate professional, who performs her work with great diligence. Her experience in entrepreneurship at a very young age disciplined her in problem-solving, strategy, organization, business development, team leadership, marketing and public relations, and mediation.

Mellissa Constance Riddle completed studies in Business Administration and Management from the University of Georgia system through academic scholarship before moving to Arizona where she invested in Real Estate. Simultaneously, Mellissa partnered to build her first business, manufacturing home goods out of Indonesia. During this time Mellissa also studied Management & Investments from Arizona School of Real Estate & Business.

In 2011, Mellissa was well on her way to building her second company and commenced with executive training in Lean Strategy from Six Sigma, and in 2013 Mellissa studied innovation and entrepreneurship at Stanford Continuing Studies.

Most recently, Mellissa completed studies in International Relations at Harvard University.

The educational and entrepreneurial experiences of Mellissa Constance Riddle have exposed her to global business practices and trained her cultural intelligence. With each role, Mellissa endeavors to make lasting change commensurate with her own high standards and goals for success. Mellissa believes that we must teach ourselves about the world in which we live and to embrace the faults of humanity; a combined effort required to create lasting change.

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Mellissa Constance Riddle holds degrees in business administration and international relations, with minors in marketing, economics, and government. Mellissa also holds certificates in Six Sigma lean strategy, executive training in management & investments, and innovation & entrepreneurship.

Mellissa Constance Riddle studied International Relations at Harvard University, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Stanford University of Continuing Studies. She completed executive training in Lean Strategy from Six Sigma, and executive training in Management & Investments from the Arizona School of Real Estate & Business.

Mellissa Constance Riddle is a cultured professional assisting CEOs and Founders in entrepreneurial environments. Mellissa is skilled operational management, strategic planning, start-ups, entrepreneurship, and team building and leadership.

At present, Mellissa serves as the Chief of Staff at AlTajir Industries in the UK and UAE. She provides assistance to the chairman in project management and cultural intelligence. Mellissa is proficient in English, Hebrew and Indonesian. She has won several awards and honors for excellence and diligence in the workplace. In 2001, Mellissa received the HOPE from Georgia Governor Roy E. Barnes.

Mellissa Constance Riddle is an intrapreneur and an advocate of human rights, social entrepreneurship, and supports the Harvard religious literacy project and the MIT Energy Initiative. Mellissa has been a volunteer of the American Red Cross since 2000, and is a member of the MIT Energy Initiative. In the past, Mellissa served as Committee Member of JDRF and board member to Martin Family Charities. She has also volunteered for the Child Help Foundation, and worked as the campaign coordinator for Arizona State Treasury and senate campaigns.