Back in the 70’s, Holiday Inn executives chose a new marketing slogan “The Best Surprise Is No Surprise.” Their promise was that the American Traveler would experience the same quality of stay no matter where in the world they traveled. And by 1972, founder Kemmons Wilson was featured on the cover of Time Magazine – his company by that point franchised 1,405 inns in the United States and around the world. For us as leaders, whether its hospitality, or consumer goods in the marketplace, government or the non-profit sector, the most powerful promises hold no surprises. [Read more…]
REQUESTS – Get What You Need! (Day 17)
Back in 1969, The Rolling Stones’ song lyrics reflected upon the end of the long overdue party that was the 1960s. “The first three verses address the major topics of the 1960s: love, politics, and drugs. Each verse captures the essence of the initial optimism and eventual disillusion of idealistic wants, followed by the resigned pragmatism of getting one’s needs met.” (Richard Unterberger) If the 60’s fashion return of 2014 was an indication, I’d say the same idealism of love, politics and drugs has been resurrected in our culture, for better or for worse. And these lyrics still ring true in our generation, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” but with powerful requests as Speech Acts, you can “Get What You Need” from others. Here’s how! [Read more…]