DDB PH Talks: Recent Episodes
DDB PH Talks
DDB Group Philippines, a leading integrated marketing communication group, started in June 2020 the TBS ON program, which is the new normal version of The Bernbach School, our exclusive learning hub run by our Chief Development Officer Craig Lonnee. TBS ON consists of think pieces that aim to inculcate fundamental management and leadership principles while encouraging us all to strive towards being even better and inspiring managers. This channel contains the audio versions of these valuable think pieces for a larger audience to enjoy.
Today, Craig offers two papers to ponder.
One, the art of giving and receiving advice and two, a robust paper which puts a view about balancing short and long-term marketing strategies.
To ensure a longer, healthier life and career, think about increasing your skill levels around the topics featured in today’s TBS ThinkPiece.
The advantages of a longer attention span cannot be overstated. Multitasking, whilst an impressive ability, has been debunked as a productivity killer today. The better we can focus on one task at a time, the more productive we become.
Read on, briefly, to find out more.
Today Craig puts a view that supports our conviction - creativity is the most powerful force in business.
Today Craig talks about mind over matter - the power of the mind, overcoming challenges or problems.
Today Craig takes a swing at defining Unexpected Works - DDB’s promise - as it relates to us.
You’ve perhaps spent these past months consumed with seemingly endless client errands or fielding questions from finance enquiring as to whether you’ll meet your Q1 targets.
Could it be you’ve put everyone and everything well ahead of you and your aspirations this year?
Today, Craig encourages you to consider having a career discussion, with yourself.
In 2023, smart business leaders will get focused - pruning efforts that aren’t bearing fruit and prioritizing long-term growth.
Read on assuming this is of interest.
Over this past week, Craig been in the garden, pruning native evergreens.
Read on and you’ll get the meaning of the adage - to prune is to promote.
Ever wondered if its remotely possible your finance and creative leads could agree on the definition of performance.
Well, today is that day.
Finally, Craig has the case study to prove it.
Recently I read with curiosity, this excellent piece which talks of improving brainstorming with constructive criticism. It poses the question, does criticism help or hinder creativity in brainstorming?
I always sit up straight when GGC talks of servant leadership. His writings and actions perpetually inspire me.
In further support of Gil’s enduring conviction, here’s a piece written by Jim Heskett – Professor Emeritus HBS.
Today, Craig invites us to consider some research-based leadership advice (from the military), suggesting leaders should follow the science and take a structured approach to hiring for, promoting, and developing employee happiness.
Continuing his military theme over recent times, Craig understands many of you are involved in family businesses, here’s some learnings to consider.
In trying times, family tensions often surface, exposing underlying fissures, which may lead to more divisiveness.
From adversity can come unification.
Listen or read on for Craig’s thoughts.
It pains me to say, one of the side effects of the pandemic, given we’ve been either homing to work or operating in a hybrid mode these past few years - yes, I do think leaders find themselves enabling echo chambers.
Read on, or listen, if you’d like to hear some thoughts on changing our behaviours.
If you have an interest in the growth of our clients and enhancing your career, read on.
If you are content with staying in our lane, never hiring before revenue, perpetually being concerned about sourcing, and retaining staff and believing in unexpected works, though acting as expected – do not read this TBS ThinkPiece.
Today is your lucky day to learn more about choice overload, inertia and of course, the nudge.
Craig advocates you will encounter a Rob Parson at some point in your career. The question posed today is to promote or not, a person with remarkable abilities to deliver noteworthy revenues, who has scant regard for culture.
What would you do?
Today Craig talks of engagement and rebel talent.
He wishes we’d ask ‘could’ rather than ‘should’ more often, when exploring or prosecuting a client’s business challenges.
If we did, we’d generate better creative solutions.
The other dayCraig stumbled upon a business proposal surrounding organizational behaviour change he wrote a few years back for Tribal and a prospective client.
The paper talked of peak performance, something Tribal is unquestionably accustomed to.
Craig shares a few convictions we know to be true and a couple of rhetorical questions to ponder.
I thought it may be valuable for you to ponder this presentation summary entitled customer journeys in an omnichannel world.
Today Craig puts a view on how we can put our long history to work for a brighter future.
Diversity is a fact,inclusion is a behaviour, belonging is the emotional outcome people want as we evolve out of the pandemic, building refreshed workforces.
Today, Craig offers a supporting view.
Today, Craig and the supporting article asks us to consider the question, what is the value of time in advertising?
Timing is always important when talking of stand-up comedy or straight up business.
Deep focus equally applies to film making or business. The definition being, a technique of photography which permits all distance planes to remain clearly in focus, from close-up range to infinity.
Today, Craig invites us to consider leveraging data to aid decision making while driving innovation and business results.
As your teams prepare their 2023 operating plans surrounding responses to VOICE, for inspiration, here’s some thoughts and five questions that will help you drive growth.
Many of you know Craig’s view of culture – being a combination of behaviors – how we behave, beliefs – what’s important to the business and its people and decisions – how we make choices surrounding the business.
Today Jim Heskett (Professor Emeritus HBS) and Craig offer their pure and applied views on culture and engagement.
Craig knows there’s an entrepreneurial streak in many of you, a hankering to start up your new dream business.
Here’s a tried and tested template to formulate your thoughts, with the view to pitching your idea to potential investors or to help frame your set up.
Craig has even offered to advise any of you on your start up idea.
Today Craig encourages us to re-define value.
He puts to us five change quests which deal with global presence, customer focus, innovation, nimbleness and sustainability.
Speaking of quests, he leaves us with a few questions to contemplate.
With the view to being prepared, Craig thought you may like to contemplate your responses to the questions posed in the paper attached.
When Craig wrote today’s TBS ThinkPiece (on 22 February 2022), it was a cold day (12 degrees in Hong Kong) of numbers and palindromes (words and sentences that maintain the same meaning, whether you read them forward or reverse. Other examples, of course, Anna).
It was also a milestone day as he’d just hit the big 30. That is, a few weeks earlier, Craig taught the famous Shouldice Hospital case and the companion models – The Service Profit Chain (SPC) and The Strategic Service Vision (SSV) for the thirtiethtime to sharp under-graduates.
Learning all the time, here’s what Craig’s students said about their study of Shouldice Hospital.
Attached is a thought-provoking piece on client – agency relationships.
I invite you to devote the next 13 minutes to reading it.
You’ll be more the wiser.
Status quo biasis evident when people prefer things to stay the same by doing nothing or tinkering around the edges to convince themselves of forward motion or by sticking with decisions made previously, often years, even decades before.
Today Craig talks change, making the case there’s no time like the present.
Craig’s unashamed plug for the unrecognized growth potential of The Bernbach School (TBS).
Most effective leaders do not leave happiness to chance. They manage their own levels of life satisfaction for higher levels of effectiveness and career endurance. And, of course, they manage the well-being of those they lead for both ethical and practical reasons.
Today, Craig offers some thoughts to counter disappointment, uncertainty, and loneliness.
Today’s TBS ThinkPiece talks about cognition- the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.
Today’s TBS ThinkPiece is devoted to and in support of people of a certain age, baby boomers, those you sometimes think should consider retiring.
Channeling Mark Twain – “age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter”.
As ideas can come from anywhere, so too can talented people, particularly these days as a result of the pandemic.
Let’s ‘make it so’, evangelized by Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek fame.
Craig has read all of General McChrystal’s books which cover different aspects of leadership.
His new one, Risk: A User’s Guide by General Stanley McChrystal (US Army, retired).
I’m about a third of the way through it.
I couldn’t wait until the end to tell you about it.
The subject of biometrics has been gripping Craig these past few months.
As is the case throughout the world technology leads; privacy laws, governance and ethics tend to lag.
To kick off our third season of TBS ThinkPiece, Craig talks us through his views on the future of identity.
A long time ago Craig studied pure and applied mathematics.
Applied mathematics is used in practical applications in day-to-day life while pure mathematics is the study of principles.
Today’s TBS ThinkPiece contains pure and applied advice.
Craig has always been a fan of Forrester reports.
Their counsel to us – 2022 is a year to be bold. The old ways of working no longer work. The future is up for grabs. Leading firms will use the crucibles of 2020 and 2021 to forge a path to an agile, creative, and resilient tomorrow.
Onwards …
It was Friday 2 June 2017 - Reg, the Tribal business management team and I were hunkered around the table in Doyle - the room I used to call the freezer - as it was always so cold.
Anyway, our discussion turned to this chilly question - how do I respectfully say no to a client?
Today, Craig gives us a clue.
It was late 2010 – Craig found himself wandering around the bookshop adjacent to the Cathay Pacific lounge at Singapore airport. He was looking for an actual book to read on the flight home to Hong Kong, which is when he first discovered Blue Ocean Strategy.
Today, Craig encourages us all to think before doing.
Did you hear the one about the Madman and the comedian?
Today Craig offers some strategies from master comedians to help us thrive in these straightened times.
A fresh take on business creativity.
Today, Craig offers a reflective response to this age-old question.
How will marketing dollars drive business performance?
This TBS ThinkPiece puts five trends that will disrupt global marketing practices in 2022.
Today’s TBS ThinkPiece tackles Professional Client Management, written in responseto a question often asked of Craig - what’s the best way to tackle this or that client challenge.
Cleveland Clinic, based in Ohio, being one of the largest health care centres in the US, has a storied history in clinical excellence and innovation. How the hospital deals with customer (patient) service issues, sustaining operational excellence, employee and customer management systems and the way it perpetually innovates by operating multiple service models within the organisation, is inspiring.
Learning from Cleveland Clinic, today Craig talks of their success factors and operational applications for us to consider.
Today Craig’s talks of Newton’s Third Law of Motion – for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Physics is in play with every business and how it behaves.
Today Craig asks us as a business and an industry, when is the best time for us to move past ‘back to basics’ - a reactive frame of mind - to thinking and acting up, behaving in a more valuable anticipatory state?
In this episode, our Group Chief Finance Officer Judd B. Balayan talks about “Motivation through Positive Communication”, a topic he discussed during one of the Bullet Proof Manager sessions he led.
In this episode, he talks about how harnessing the power of positive communication can be a powerful tool in motivating team members, and subsequently, in boosting productivity, staff morale, and lowering employee turnover rate.
Our new DDB PH Talks podcast episode features Optimax General Manager Ela Chua. She talks about "How to develop and maintain rapport" where she elucidates that, while building rapport or the art of connecting with people can be natural for some people, there are techniques to improve this people skill. Listen in to find out.
Craig is often asked, what do you see into the future for our business? What are some trends we should consider exploring or watch with interest?
Reflecting on identity in an age of identification, today he gives us his answer.
The subject of biometrics has been gripping Craig these past few months.
As is the case throughout the world technology leads; privacy laws, governance and ethics tend to lag.
To kick off our third season of TBS ThinkPiece, Craig talks us through his views on the future of identity.
As a result of the pandemic, one addiction we’ve managed to recover from and will probably shake off forever, the need for ink on a page (except when it comes to bids).
In certain parts of the world though, digital transformation is a way off.
Today Craig talks about the development of a stronger right arm, endlessly hauling around five kilos of paper.
As many of you know, Craig has always had a fascination for anything circling navigation, whether its longitude or latitude, maps, globes, degrees and minutes, parallels, time zones - compasses, calipers, watches, clocks, or sextants that tell us where we are, our position, at any particular time.
Today Craig encourages us to re-explore our True North, in these turbulent times. To help us, he tables some new research around culture.
According to Craig, there’s five good things about being locked down, his ‘ing’ formula – staying healthy, researching, reading, writing and recording podcasts.
Here’s a few of his favourite things.
Perhaps they'll inspire you to explore beyond the next quarter, past another exhausting pitch and encourage you to look up and out.
If you or any of your clients would like a possible solution to any of these business topics, along with everyone else in the world, read on.
Winning the war on talent. Digital transformation. Operating model change. M&A. Staff satisfaction and engagement. Rewards and recognition. Work from anywhere. The future of work.
Inspired by a recent NYT article, Craig encourages us to contemplate this statement and question - With millions of hours of virtual meetings under our collective belts now, we can pose a question too rarely asked of workplaces: What is worthy of our collective time, and how should it be structured?
The Service Profit-Chain is an all-weather friend, for all seasons, for all reasons to business leaders in service industries.
A question Craig regularly gets asked - the SPC links run sequentially from left to right, so how do I keep on the SPC path, when confronted with revenue and profit challenges?
When in doubt, it’s always best to ask our people. Today, Craig invites us to take a culture audit questionnaire. Once answered and discussed, a response to the question posed, will become abundantly clear.
It was late 2010 – Craig found himself wandering around the bookshop adjacent to the Cathay Pacific lounge at Singapore airport. He was looking for an actual book to read on the flight home to Hong Kong, which is when he first discovered Blue Ocean Strategy.
Today, Craig encourages us all to think before doing.
Today Craig suggests if you ever hear these five words during your next meeting, change the conversation or better still, quickly make for the exit.
To get change rolling, in support of a decision, a culture of change needs to be programmed into an organization’s method of operating.
Today, Craig talks through the ten elements of The Change Wheel.
Today Craig suggests an interesting piece he read recently on mental mistakes that kill productivity.
The article resonated with him - perhaps it will with you too?
As our leadership are preparing themselves for our 2022 operating year, thinking strategically, they’re crafting memories of the future.
Today Craig talks about vision and our perpetual search for advantage.
Inspired by his travels in the Middle East, Craig looks at what’s the same, and different.
A question is an agent for change. It is a starting point for more questions, conversation and eventually, action.
Mental health remains on everyone’s lips and minds. Our daily lives are consumed relentlessly responding to client requests around the clock, with no time for ourselves and seemingly no end in sight.
Vacations, they’ve been dispensed with like handshakes.
These past eighteen months have been harrowing for us all.
Today Craig talks us through his year of living on the edge through endless iterations of Q’s - MECQ’s, GCQ’s and ECQ’s.
Craig’s wife Triska is the best connector he’s ever met. Craig used to teach human relations; Triska was born with this most valuable of skills. Today Craig conveys learnings from a master.
Today’s TBS ThinkPiece postulates a possible solution to rewards & recognition, retention, and engagement.
Ever wondered how to retain and engage younger staff and for us as a business to remain relevant, fresh, and innovative?
Read on - today Craig gives us an answer.
Today’s TBS ThinkPiece is inspired by recent research undertaken by HBDI.
The finding that caught Craig’s eye - 58% of respondents said they’ve been operating in their HBDI under pressure thinking profile since the onset of the pandemic.
This past week Craig has talked about Creative Cultures - what we need to remain focused on during and after the pandemic.
Here’s Craig’s final thoughts in this series.
What enhances and hinders creativity.
Earlier in the week, Craig talked about Creative Cultures, commenting on topics that help, and in some cases, hinder creativity.
Here is part two in the Creative Cultures series.
As Craig has suggested many times before, culture is a powerful influence on how the people who make up the Company behave and act. It can be a force for good or bad.
A great leader understands that a positive culture will make his or her business attractive to staff, clients and the general public. Positive cultures are always valuable.
Today Craig offers his view on what makes and breaks cultures.
In this episode of DDB PH Talks, DDB Group Philippines Chief Culture Officer Anna Chua-Norbert talks about what’s probably the most taken for granted tool in enabling effective communication in one’s organization – Phone Call. A simple call, she said, is actually what you need to deliver your message more clearly to your teams especially when you are all working from home. Listen to the full episode in the link below.
Culture is not soft. The impact of culture on profit and long-term competitive success can be quantified. With the proper leadership, a culture change can be engineered in months, not years.
Speaking of leadership and months, today Craig tells the story of Franco, who is embarking on an exciting new role, where culture is his strategy.
Today Craig reminds us of his friend Douglas’ constant refrain, whilst looking in his bathroom mirror each morning - consider affirming to yourself – mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them … I am.
Whilst spring cleaning the other day, Craig found his notes from a presentation on GETTING BOUGHT by a pitch consultant.
Craig offers his advice for your consideration.
Pausing and sometimes resisting the temptation to accept every prospecting invitation, just because they came knocking, in Craig’s experience, is not always a good enough reason to agree to pitch.
Given these turbulent times, it’s worth re-visiting a few wise words from someone who knows.
Looking up to two giants in our midst, here’s some thoughts on ideation, innovation and the learning organisation.
Today, Craig talks about currency, non-financial currencies. The ones that inspire and sustain us all.
Today’s provocation …
Every time we approach a pitch, we devote countless hours to the understanding of behaviors, nuances and actions of the target audience, the end consumers of our creativity; though in Craig’s experience, no time whatsoever to those we're trying so hard to persuade to buy us over a competitor.
If anyone would like a copy of the DDB Guide to Pitching, a rather fulsome document, written by colleagues from across the network, please let me know.
Scouring the archives, Craig dusted off one of Bill Bernbach’s most famous speeches.
He delivered it to the Engineering Society of Detroit, Michigan on October 23, 1980.
The title of his speech that day was FACTS ARE NOT ENOUGH - attached.
Bill’s words continue to resonate. As profound now, as they were then.
Today Craig asks us to ponder the views of giants - learned people from the past and
present who talk of talentism is the new capitalism, culture is our strategy and
observation + imagination = innovation.
Read on or listen who said what, when and why.
People have been known to ask Craig what books he’s enjoying?
As he said on other occasions, his reading list is eclectic.
Today Craig gives us some thoughts on how to wise up.
Some of you may have heard talk of The Service-Profit Chain or simply, the SPC.
If you always wanted to know or were perhaps bashful to ask, today Craig unbundles the SPC.
He’ll discuss what drives success, growth, value in service businesses such as ours?
As a famous Australian musician – Peter Allen - once wrote and sung, everything old is new again.
Today, Craig passes on some sage advice offered by the renowned author Walter Issacson, based on his study of a celebrated genius, Leonardo da Vinci.
It’s interesting to note, a little over 500 years ago da Vinci was actually doing innovation, transformation and science informing creativity – we’re still talking about it.
July 13, 1985, a Saturday, Craig could not get off his sofa.
U2, the ‘Band of the Year’, as Rolling Stone magazine described them at the time, were playing at Live Aid in London, a benefit concert to raise funds for the relief of the 1983 – 1985 famine in Ethiopia.
Fast forward to today, U2 is still inspiring Craig, based on his study of the famous HBS case - Bono and U2. He offers some positive thoughts in these straightened times.
This is the last in the interview questions series.
Today Craig covers leadership and a few concluding questions you may consider posing.
Last week Craig gave us a range of probing questions you can ask candidates during your next interview.
This being the third in the series, here’s some questions you may like to consider around productivity, knowledge and skills and relationships and communication.
Today, Craig continues his interview questions series.
Here’s some questions you can pose surrounding project management and creativity.
Over past months, as a Group, we’ve been hiring at considerable pace, responding to business realities – positive growth, even in a pandemic, is before us all.
A great problem to have.
Responding to a question Craig often gets asked - what are some thoughtful questions I can ask candidates to give me a better sense of whether they’ll thrive within our special culture and positively provoke us to grow –here’s some answers, with some questions.
Thinking forward, reflecting on Craig’s 62B class at UA&P, he knows the industry’s future in The Philippines is in safe hands.
Based on decades of observation, Craig offers few tell-tale signs of genuinely gifted young people, plenty of which his 62B group are already displaying.
The final in this series surrounding business management, closing with some inspiring words from one of our founders.
Today, Craig talks of DDB doyens – Keith Reinhard and John Bradstock.
In the second part of this series, he covers Business Directors, Business Managers and anticipation – bringing the future to the present.
Over many years, Craig has been asked these questions - how do I advance to the next level of business management? What do I need to do?
Today’s TBS ThinkPiece, part one of three, offers Craig’s thoughts.
Chewy Chua, Agile Intelligence's Managing Director, talks about “Mentoring,” which is about inspiring others to be better, thus creating more leaders in the process. He shares steps on how to be a good mentor, emphasizing that mentorship is a highly personal endeavor requiring a trusting relationship and mutual respect.
Today Craig encourages us to treat employees like clients. In tight or loose labor markets, it’s always a better way to treat staff like clients, because employee loyalty and continuity is a major factor in determining whether clients' needs for value are met.
In this episode, Craig tells us he’s never much cared about writing lines or standing in or behind them. Edouard Manet (the famous French artist) said, “there are no lines in nature, only areas of colour, one against another.” Craig encourages us to actively observe queues, whilst in them.
In this episode, Craig encourages us all to be like our Group Chief Culture Officer Anna Chua-Norbert, who personifies compassion, empathy and kindness.
The WHO reports worldwide, around 50 million people have dementia, and there are nearly 10 million new cases every year. Learning through his Dad’s battle with the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer disease, Craig offers some advice on how to be more present.
Inspired by his wife Triska’s TEDTalk suggestion, Craig poses a question – what’s wrong with having a conversation?
In this episode, Craig asks what book are you reading at the moment? He suggests a good read - one of the most thoughtful books written over recent times.
In this episode, Craig reminds us of Bill Bernbach’s most quotable quotes – those who are going to be in business tomorrow are those who understand that the future, as always, belongs to the brave.
In this episode, Craig was introduced to the concept of the "Knowing-Doing Gap" as part of the Agency Leadership Program. His observation - organizations that fail to implement performance knowledge often behave as if the present were a perfect imitation of the past.
DDB Group Philippines Chief Culture Officer Anna Chua-Norbert talks about Diversity and Inclusion and why these have become buzzwords in today’s businesses. Listen to this episode to know more of these workplace ideals and how DDB Group has adopted these best practices in fostering a work environment that is conducive to creativity.
In this episode, Craig encourages us to consider brushing our teeth with our non-dominant hand, to eat more berries, and read funny books.
In this episode, Craig shares his views on extracting more value from team discussions.
Would you like to know some tips to reclaim your screen time or how to take a data detox? In this episode, Craig puts a view it’s our responsibility, indeed our role, to perpetually inform and check ourselves ethically, surrounding working within digital and social ecosystems.
In this episode, Craig encourages us to reflect on our roles and the things that we do that clients value. He puts a forthright view in support of a fundamental business practice that some of us may have forgotten.
In Craig’s view, we’re missing vital signs – relentlessly talking, comprehending less. Given our new reality, we can learn a lot from the hearing-impaired community. Craig offers some techniques those hard of hearing have successfully deployed for the longest time.
In this episode, Craig reminds us that our memory is our most valuable asset. One that lasts a lifetime, it needs to be exercised daily to keep it in good shape.
We all have fond memories of our best teachers - thoughtful, caring people who took an interest in our development or saw something in us that others couldn’t see. In this episode, Craig honors teachers past and present, because remarkable leaders are exceptional teachers.
Picking up on the discussion from THINGS #1, Craig notes a few issues that help explain why “the object from 2020 that best encapsulates our modern age” was chosen.
In this episode, Craig shares a fundamental question posed in the thought-provoking podcast he was listening to recently: “Which object from 2020 would best encapsulate our modern age?” In support of the question, Craig noted a few interesting points that came up in past conversations.
In this episode, Craig differentiates between curiosity and skepticism, and gives us a method to balance the two.
In this episode, Craig encourages us to think bigger and faster, posing a number of thoughtful questions to ponder as we advance on a new reality.
In this episode, Craig asks us some fundamental questions surrounding experimentation. One being, how well are we doing in building an experimentation culture across our Group?
In this episode, our first salvo for 2021, Craig makes an interesting link between jazz and negotiation.
One of DDB Group Philippines' business unit heads, Ela Federigan-Chua, general manager of the Group's integrated media agency Optimax Communications, shares valuable tips on Client Servicing. Learn how to make your client partners feel truly valued and happy with their agency's service by listening to this podcast.
This episode is about remembering. Craig talks about people and pre-conceived notions or beliefs that have profound and lasting effects on us all.
In this episode, Craig reiterates how Nancy Koehn, a Harvard Business School and Omnicom University Professor, suggests that we study as examples the following remarkable leaders in history: Ernest Shackleton, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Oprah Winfrey, Howard Schultz, Rachel Carson and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In times of ambiguity, Craig enumerates some things we can learn from these leaders.
As we all reflect on the new normal, Craig encourages us to be curious, as “thinkering” is needed by creative enterprises to differentiate, survive and thrive. Curiosity triggers us to think more rationally, make better decisions – helping us to toggle between system 1 and system 2 thinking.
At DDB Group Philippines, Craig likens our Managing Directors or business unit heads to frontliners, valiantly leading our businesses, ensuring we survive and thrive. Over the past few months, they have willingly devoted every waking hour to their people, and their health and mental wellbeing – perpetually looking out for them.
Over recent months, through necessity and survival, we’ve become better teamers. However, collaboration, as we know it, needs to be re-calibrated or re-defined. In this episode, Craig encourages us to think about actively seeking out contrarians – people who can proffer opposing views, reject the commonly held position, or go against current practices.
With not much time, Craig encourages us all to re-define our future of work. He underscores that the learning of new skills must be purposeful.
In this episode, being the final TBS ThinkPiece for 2020, Craig offers a summary – with some side notes – of an inspiring presentation he was involved in, delivered by Professor Youngme Moon.
A continuation of the previous episode of the same title, this episode is where Craig gives us his views on digital transformation, business success drivers and a couple of future thoughts.
This episode is titled Q&A 2020, the first of a two-part series. With 2020 vision (as seen through his coke bottle glasses), Craig responds to questions surrounding business projections, resilience, and sector forecasts.
A continuation of the previous one, this episode is where Craig talks about positive buoyancy and poses some operational questions for us to ponder as we embark on our 2021 planning season.
This episode discusses the nuances surrounding English, more particularly, with a focus on waiting. By diving into today’s provocation, Craig puts a view that there are laws, principles, and psychology of waiting lines.
In this episode titled “Filip,” which means a thing or person that causes something to improve suddenly, Craig talks about how people are watching every move we make, every word we say.
Resisting the temptation to provide answers to fundamental operational questions, Craig poses a few questions as an encouragement for you to find your own answers.
In this episode titled “Pros”, Craig offers his best advice surrounding Professional Client Management. It was inspired by DDB’s Global CEO Marty O’Halloran, who encouraged us all to find ways to re-fuel our people, seek out emotional connections, and the importance of relationships.
In previous episodes, Craig has discussed tips to tackle exhaustion and fatigue. In his view, as you’ll quickly see, staying well, includes looking out for your eyes.
In this episode, Craig calls for a creative renaissance. He reiterates that “The future belongs to the brave” as Bill Bernbach once wisely said.
This episode discusses the importance of speaking up or as it is defined – to speak distinctly, to express an opinion freely. Craig equally shares his experiences and encouragement surrounding this topic. As he reminds us all, our health and the future of our business, and indeed, our industry, depends on what we say and do.
In this episode, Craig links time and the dark side of the moon. He offers some valuable advice to increase our productivity, which will lead to more rest and happiness.
This episode talks about how life goes on and gives a view to this statement – “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone” from the lyrics of Joni Mitchell's song Big Yellow Taxi.
In this episode titled “Rowing”, Craig discusses the difference between strength and technique which we both need in rowing and in business. Learning from rowing, Craig offers some observations and thoughts.
This episode postulates growth opportunities for brands in a crisis. Craig offers his views, some provocative, for our clients and the DDB Group Philippines to ponder. He puts to us some learnings from Direct to Consumer (DTC) businesses, who are of course thriving at this time, whilst legacy brands are floundering. In Craig’s view, we should refrain from considering DTC as a channel, rather think about it more as a business strategy.
This is the second in the Perennials series. Craig asked two of the wisest people he knows to give us their best advice to these questions – what’s three pieces of wisdom you wish you had when you were 25 or what advice could you offer colleagues at DDB Group Philippines? Here is Douglas Faudet’s wisdom. He knows more about DDB than anyone you are likely to meet. Douglas was the former Vice Chairman of DDB Asia Pacific.
Craig’s friends, titans of our business, offer their thoughts to these questions – what’s three pieces of wisdom you wish you had when you were 25, or what advice could you offer my colleagues at DDB Group Philippines?
This episode discusses The Future of (Agency) Work. It asks the fundamental question of why we are not hurrying fast enough to change our behaviors towards embracing the future. There never seems to be a right time, though as Craig argues, that time is right now.
In or out of a pandemic, Craig reminds us that introverts and extroverts operate differently. He offers some self-management tips to manage and mitigate stress.
In this episode, Craig tells us with some degree of certainty that we’ll have a longer career by thinking more, doing less. His advice: be perpetually curious; lift your head up from your smartphone; and get smarter by observing the world around you.
Words matter, they have power. They convey our thoughts and feelings. In this episode called “Ambidexterity”, Craig talks about two words in particular that are shaping our business.
Craig talks about the business of Physics and how, at its core, it is the understanding of behaviors.
In this piece, Craig advises managers to do their best to protect their staff, sometimes from themselves and from others relentlessly seeking their attention, almost around the clock.
Craig underscores that it’s a high ideal to call one’s business a “People First” organization. For one, a People First business must reward success and penalize failure.
In this piece, Craig questions ‘normal’, being conforming to a standard, usual, typical, or unexpected. He suggests finding a better way.
Craig discusses how we’re all grieving the loss of community, given that the pandemic impacted us so profoundly, so quickly. He offers some advice to combat our feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Craig talks about habits – triggers, behaviors, and rewards; self-control; practical thoughts on boosting productivity, lifting morale, and upping one’s performance levels and yes, curiosity and creativity.
Craig shares how he has always been of the view that he should ask questions, instead of giving directives. In this piece, however, he goes off-piste, as he offers some pointed advice.
Craig provides a framework for understanding the different ways the pandemic could be playing havoc with our mental functions. He provides some simple solutions that might be valuable.
Craig talks about "Habit, Inertia & Scarcity," which explains certain aspects of business behaviors.
Craig talks about the direct impact of what we eat on our cognitive performance. And as we are not just what we eat, but what we read as well, he indulges us with a list of books, magazines, journals, and podcasts he has read/listened to most recently.
In this piece, Craig gives his advice about not confusing knowledge with experience, putting motion into real action, and perpetually putting ‘how’ before ‘why’.
Craig tackles a topic often not openly talked about – dismissive positivity. With heartfelt honesty, he tells of his recent experience surrounding this topic and suggests a few smart living remedies.
Craig opens about his time living and working in China. Referencing current research and advice from China based executives, he gives us some observations and learnings including how they are managing through these pandemic times.
Craig discusses organizational behavior change during this time of pandemic. He said that DDB Group Philippines is on the HBDI green quadrant, pointing to its good planning and execution of COVID-19 protocols.
Craig discusses some strategies in dealing with information overload, which, when left unmanaged, can lead to anxiety and stress.
This piece is about crisis and change. Craig asks us to take the COVID-19 crisis as a chance “to positively embrace this once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the way we work, refresh the value we bring to our clients, and courageously transform our businesses.
This think piece is a bit musical as Craig compares business leaders to conductors and all of us to an orchestra – "a band of diverse talents" with each one capable of virtuoso solo performances but chooses to play together in unison.
Craig gives some helpful tips in here on how to make a good impression and deliver your messages effectively on your next online meeting or video conference.
Craig discusses emotional context and intelligence. He offers a view on Behavioral Economics, and discusses default choice, framing, anchoring and overchoice – something he has observed we all offer perhaps a little too often, which leads to decision fatigue.
The author remains a huge fan of the singer – songwriter, Warren Zevon. Following a terminal cancer diagnosis, he famously said, enjoy every sandwich. In these straightened times, there is a lot to be thankful for. The author offers some advice to address burnout and loneliness, whilst staying safe at home.
The author has recently become a diver. Being restricted to land during the pandemic, he turns on his System 2 by putting his mind to dive planning exercises.
Citing recent research, people whose job it is to study human behaviour and productivity at work, this TBS ThinkPiece puts a view that there are consequences for our instant messaging compulsion here in The Philippines. One of the referenced articles states – if its important, critical, or fundamental, write it up, don’t chat in down. In support, this is the view held by global tech brands, the developers of the apps we are all using.