We have all walked into a retail environment with our arms crossed and no intention to buy.
We then walk out twenty minutes later with our bags loaded, scratching our head but feeling strangely aroused.
Conversely, think of a customer that enters a used car lot with a wide smile and wallet open. Yet, they spend two hours labouring over the purchase and then walk out with nothing but an insincere, “I will need to sleep on it, but I’ll be back tomorrow I promise.”
Hundreds of razor sharp teeth and dorsal fin are aimed directly at you.
You instantly feel your heart jump out of your chest. With your head bobbing just above the surface, you are left helpless, with thirty meters of froth and chop between you and the safety of the shore.
Your only hope of survival is to stay calm and composed and face the terrifying beast head on. As the shark draws nearer, your instinct for flight kicks in, you panic, ripping your head towards the beach and frantically kicking your legs and swimming without taking a breath. It’s a race to the shore, but in the back of your mind it’s a race you will never win.
I left the Sydney Airport terminal and was welcomed by the humid morning air.
I positioned myself in the cab-rank and waited in line for my ride. After a few minutes, my cab pulled up. The driver leaped out of his seat and charged around to my side of the car. A short, quaint man bursting with energy, big teeth and a crooked smile greeted me. He snatched my suitcase, brushed passed me and lobbed it into his boot.
In the taxi, he ceremoniously introduced himself in broken English, ‘I’m Chen! Where are we off to today?’ I was slightly taken aback by Chen’s lively demeanour. ‘I’m presenting at a conference at the Novotel in Manly,’ I said. Stunned by this, as if it were a stroke of good fortune, Chen burst into a cheer. ‘Manly, okay, this is my luckiest day!’
What do a doctor, politician, priest and CEO all share in common? As people they are all defined by their title.
What makes these titles and others like them, so distinctive and influential is not necessarily the person behind the title, rather the perception and identity the title projects to others.
The social expectations put on a doctor are vastly different to that of a CEO. Imagine if all CEOs were encouraged to adopt a medical approach to business, that is to say, caring for and saving people? The business world would be a noticeably different and healthier beast.
