Stay QURIOUS..

Did you think this was about your personal goal? That would be not so healthy right? Well, is it healthy to see so many companies and brands coming out to say that their footprint, their output, production, revenue, number of hotels, etc. will be doubled by the year 2020? What is it with all these bold statements like: “Our strategy is to double in size by the year 2020”.

STRATEGIC GOALS
This copy/paste strategy chasing the competition is driven by the conglomeratisation (I think I just made up this word..) within industries like airlines, fashion, car and hotel brands. It’s interesting that these large companies are buying and creating brands so frequently that the customer has a hard time catching up. Marriott today has over 35 brands, Wyndham and Accor are closely following. No wonder the customer is confused and the likes of Booking.com are successful.

I understand the need for these multi-brand companies to grow and grow. They need to catch the eyeballs of the online consumer, deliver new brands to investors, build huge loyalty databases…however it starts to look very much like ‘dog eat dog’ out there. Is the winner the largest and boldest in the end? I wonder.

CUSTOMER FIRST..?
A strategic goal should always be hard to copy, be unique and needs to stand out. Otherwise it’s just another tactical goal. Many brands have great slogans, but what do they really mean? Just a few: “To create a better life for the people”, “To inspire humanity – both in the air and on the ground”, “We work hard every day to make […] the world’s most successful service brand”.

I get it, these are interesting slogans for marketing and to rally the troops. Yet I challenge brands to go out and publish equally bold statements in their strategic goals which include customer-centric targets. I just made up a few:

“Our strategy is to have the industry’s best customer satisfaction scores by 2020” or..
“Our strategy is to have zero wait time at our customer service centres by 2020” or..
“Our strategy is to have every guest recommend to their friends to stay in our hotels by 2020”.

HARD
Yes, this is indeed harder to do. It also includes a public promise to customers, guests. Maybe I am unrealistic. But think about it, today’s and especially tomorrow’s customer is looking for something different in a sea of sameness, in a forrest of different brands. I’d love to hear from you.

What are you doing to stand out…?

First month of the year in the pocket. If you have set yourself some new personal goals for the year…are you on track? Most resolutions are thrown out of the window around this time because they are too ambitious, too many, too big, too vague, etc. I am a firm believer of starting small and achieving things every single day. Yes, I love ticking off those to-do’s at the end of the day. Happiness!

In this note I am sharing with you a wonderful collection of simple life goals I came across recently and I hope that at least a few of these will inspire you as well:

Life’s Little Instructions

Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated * Watch a sunrise at least once a year * Never refuse homemade brownies * Plant a tree on your birthday * Learn three clean jokes * Return borrowed vehicles with the gas tank full * Compliment three people everyday * Sing in the shower * Keep it simple * Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them * Leave everything a little better than you found it * Think big thoughts but relish in small pleasures * Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know * Ask for a raise when you feel like you’ve earned it * Be forgiving of yourself and others * Overtip good waiters * Buy whatever kids are selling on tables in their front yards * Wear polished shoes * Avoid negative people * Remember friend’s birthdays * Commit yourself to constant improvement * Send lots of Valentine cards. Sign them, ‘Someone who thinks you’re really wonderful’ * Stop blaming others and take responsibility for every area of your life * Look people in the eye * Strive for excellence not perfection * Be the first to say ‘Hello’ * Have a dog * Stretch your body every morning * Wave at school kids on buses * Be there when people need you * Don’t expect life to be fair * Never underestimate the power of love * Drink champagne for no reason at all * Live your life as an exclamation not an explanation * Don’t be afraid to say ‘I made a mistake’ * Always keep your promises * Marry only for love * Rekindle old friendships * Run if you don’t like walking * Walk if you don’t like running * Cherish your mother *

My read suggestion:
Let’s go back to basic 2018 goal setting: did you even pick the right resolution? Have a read though this article by Jen A. Miller in the guide to setting and keeping resolutions, you want to pick something that your heart is in, rather than something you set arbitrarily or when emotions are high.

Dear friends,

A sincere say thank you for the opportunity you have given me to work with you, your team, your company or for being a great mentor, a wonderful friend, an impactful coach to me.

As I am rounding up my fifth year running QURIOUSLIFE, I feel blessed and energised to step into 2018. There’s many ways to express gratitude; in journals, meditation, prayer or by just saying thank you. Gratitude is the quality of being thankful and readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. In this note, looking back on 2017, I am sharing my gratitude to you in the form of the lessons I have learned this year and hope you find some value in these as well:

BE PROUD
Recently at an event, a client complimented me on the impact I have made on her a few years back. I coached her on further developing her career and advised her “if you can visualise taking on the job of your boss’s boss…then be confident you can do this at the right time in your career”. She was recently promoted in that senior executive role and told me to not brush her feedback aside and really listen to her compliments she expressed to me. “Stand still as I can’t shoot a moving target. Be proud of what you do as you create a positive impact on people”. She helped me in return to realise that I should allow myself to be proud of my work as a teacher helping so many people to improve their personal direction or career in life.

ASK FOR HELP
I have the tendency to just get on with things and do them my way. Often this works, however equally often I miss out on other ways to look at opportunities and situations alike. Asking for help means putting aside your ego and express your vulnerable side. This year I have been so fortunate to have Ethan working with me side-by-side. He was putting a fresh lens on how we approach our projects and created tremendous value. There’s many people around you to help, sometimes the only thing you have to do is: ask.

OBSERVE
This year I have done a lot of work with the Enneagram personality types for group coaching and the ‘Inside Out’ program. My type is ‘Enthusiast’ and my area of growth is to be more of an ‘Observer’ (no surprise to people who know me well..). In our world today, with so many people expressing their opinion left-right-center in (social) media, being an ‘Enthusiast’ can be exhausting as our natural intention is to participate fully with all the chatter and opinions, however becoming more of an ‘Observer’ gives me a reminder to just be quiet, let others take the lead sometimes. No kidding, it’s not easy for me, however it gives me a wonderful self-reflection and openness to truly listen.

SMILE
Being based in Bangkok has taught me a lot about the effect a genuine smile has on people. In this city of over 6 million, still each day I am amazed how people move around by foot, motor cycle or stand still in traffic without all the stress and shuffle experienced in other cities I have lived in. There’s very little pushing, shoving or car honking here. My personal view is that the Thai people believe in karma, don’t take things too personal; we’re all in this together and we have to make it work somehow. And, like I witnessed just the other day again, when our taxi driver was accidentally cutting off a scooter when stopping, the scooter driver looked up, raised his shoulders and gave us a big smile. A smile puts things back in perspective. I now make it a daily goal to make a few strangers smile, it’s quite amazing what this does to your mood. PS: of course not always successful. But hey, some people choose to be grumpy!

CHRISTMAS EACH DAY
Finally, my mother always says, don’t come around to my place all at once just because it’s Christmas and you feel you have to do this. You are welcome to come over, but don’t forget to make each day of the year a little bit like Christmas and tell each other the things which need to be told. Don’t save it just for Christmas, otherwise that will be a waste of time.

Thank you…have a wonderful happy festive time and I wish you a very good 2018 with a little spark of Christmas every day!

Jos

My weekend video suggestion:
The one thing all humans have in common is that each of us wants to be happy, says Brother David Steindl-Rast, a monk and interfaith scholar. And happiness, he suggests, is born from gratitude. An inspiring lesson in slowing down, looking where you’re going, and above all, being grateful. Here’s the 12min video. Enjoy.

A final thought:
Enjoy the little things,
for one day you may look back and realise..
they were the big things.