It has been a while since I have been able to read a lot of blogs … there seem to be quite a few restrictions on blogs from within China — which means that the sites you are interested in may time out while you are waiting for them. So now that I am back there are plenty of posts to catch up on!
Where to begin? With a story, of course!
Back when I was a student and very interested in theatre, I was passionately interested in Romantic Literature … and particularly interested in the idea that melancholic ideas were stronger than happy ones. This is also reflected in news stories — the more horrific the headline, the more papers that are sold. As marketers this presents some challenges — we are team based, idea driven and have to please our clients before we even get to the consumer.
We are all naturally drawn to happy people (even though we may be intrigued by DOUR poets). And as this post from Russell Davies shows, being happy is good for innovation and creativity. In fact, it is essential for sustaining a high level of team performance. For example, the team I was with in China worked exceptionally well together, despite hardly knowing each other (and speaking multiple languages). We were able to overcome the stresses of long days, communication problems and a range of issues in and out of our control — by generating a strong and happy sense of engagement with each other.
At the end of one long day I was ready to stay in the hotel room. BUT I knew I couldn’t. I knew I had to take on the challenge and go out for a 2-3 hour dinner — I had to be open to the food and company that was on offer. So I went and shared crunchy jelly fish head, local beer and the company of my colleages — and found by shifting my own thinking that I was able to lift the spirits of my tired friends too.
The power of negativity is easy to fall into … but the energy of being positive is so much more fun!
S.