This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
was silly, he found as he reflected on the quote, it powerfully moved him to connect with our vision and mission. He even told me that the quotes were one part of the inspiration from my team that he missed the most!
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Figure o2.1 The total experience.
I always tell people don’t hide who you are or where you’re from. In fact, I worked for a great IBM executive whose name was David Thomas. He’s now executive chairman and CEO of IMS Health. He would highlight the fact that he was from the south and his dad was a country-western singer with Hank Williams at one time. As I helped him prepare for speeches, I would go out and look at country songs, and we would use those as part of his speech to make pertinent points. He used humor to humanize himself. In fact, one song I remember vividly was when he said, “Walk out backwards, so I will think you’re coming in” as a way to have fun but make some reflective points. This brought his personality and who he was to light.
What was Thomas doing? Well, he was highlighting his personality and helping people connect with him in a powerful way. His background, including his close connection with his father and his history of being from the south, was something that he allowed us to participate in with him and in essence allowed them to touch his soul.
Key point: A brand is driven by a personal connection and emotion.