John Winsor: Learning to Listen Again
I started reading John Winsor a while ago after Johnnie pointed to him. He of course is the driving force behind the Spark book on innovation which is a fantastic read (which I should blog on). I missed this post the first time round but John refers back from a further post on Listening to Key Voices. It characterises why my beliefs have changed towards the idea of brand as passion. This particular point being my highlight (my emphaisis):
Love - While many businesspeople might laugh, this is the start of great listening. Great companies don't just like their customers, they love their customers, and their employees too. Look again at Nike and Apple. Both companies are on crusades with their customers to change the world. And their customers can feel the love. They recognize that these companies really care about them and want to spend time with them. It's all about letting people talk and tell their stories without any screens or interruptions. It's about slowing down enough to have the time to engage people in a passionate dialogue while in the context of their lives.
I have promised myself to practice this in my life, at work and home. Its having an effect already.
Posted by Paul Goodison at February 23, 2006 10:05 AM | TrackBack