#16 Atomic habit or atomic bomb
We're all the bomb, ofc, but how about new interests behaviour?
Hi,
This is Room To Fail, a newsletter about communication and brand strategy and how to let ourselves fail at that or at any other things, just to only get things right the next time. Or the next.
I’m Irina. Welcome and buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Hopefully.
Today’s read takes enough minutes.
🧠⚡︎BRAIN FAILURE
I have recently got complaints that I get too excited about a subject and tend to become obsessed about that area and those new discovered standards of knowledge. Whaaaaaa?!
Recent example: These days I’m really interested in how to manage my finances and my relationship with money. It’s a great and interesting subject, ofc.
But when I say these days I mean from like … last week. Since then I read a book, looked at tens of videos, interviews, investing apps, tips & tricks, set up a tracker, calculated everything money-related in my life. Then, as this is my main interest right now, I talk a lot about it and have tons of opinions on the subject. Yup, I can become really annoying, I can see it now.
Because the reality is that I tackle any new interest like I tackle my strategy projects - full researcher power on, tons of info in a short amount of days, all day long.
Unfortunately, I too become fed up by the nuclear bomb level of information I gather in such a short amount of time. I get subject-burn-out and then forget about it. It happened with make-up, with different sports, with bread baking.
So this time I’m asking myself: how should I research in a more sustainable way? How to gather information in a steady rhythm so I can apply most of it and not become an ultra-specialised little monster? How can I research more like an atomic habit and not an info-bomb?
Don’t have an answer yet because I was too busy figuring out the difference between mutual funds and ETFs, but I’m waiting for your suggestions.
New website. Who this?! 💥 GROUND
Short break to let you know about my strategy consultancy, Ground - if you need a strategy collaborator, you find my contact there. I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting projects.
Aaand the newsletter I just started under the Ground belief system: strong foundation and exciting vision for brave brands.
This is a shorter piece of professional content, focused on work tips and crazy, inspirational ideas. You’ll have more resources and the opportunity to ask a question for the whole community (no pressure muhahaha). Still working on setting everything up, but you can scroll and subscribe at the bottom of every website page. Thanks for your support!
🔧 NEW SKILLS TO FAIL AT
I actually don’t use that many frameworks or tools while I work on my projects besides the classic brand pyramid, positioning phrase, brand archetypes or GET/TO/BY brief. I create different structures for different clients and that feels right for me. So I want to talk more about the skills that stand behind my 100% approval rate for brand strategies.
Today, because finances are the motif, let’s talk about negotiating.
There’s a lot of argumentation, back and forth, in communication and brand strategy because we play on the ground of ideas and, although anchored in science, that is an abstract land. That’s why I feel negotiating is such a big skill to grow while working in advertising or marketing.
I define negotiation as the disscussion process aimed at reaching an agreement and the skill of negotiation refers to the ways to carry this process.
These are the shapes of negotiation I bump into my work usually:
idea negotiation - whether we should do it one way or another,
time negotiation - when to deliver ideas, when to implement, deadlines,
human resources negotiation - what stays in my duty and what in others’,
money negotiation (budgets or fees) - the pecuniary value of my work and the investment to support it.
Tools to become better negotiators - and that means that the agreement leans towards our own objectives:
Planning and strategizing - the obvious one, but the most looked over. Go fully prepared to a meeting, get all your arguments straight, know the value that your work brings to the table, imagine how you would like everything to develop, rehearse your speech. I’m not kidding - it really works.
Communication - imagine the other person is your customer that wants to get his way. Use your professional communicator skills in that conversation. Easier said than done, I know.
Grow your emotional intelligence - it will help you manage your emotions and read the other party’s emotions.
Focus on both of your goals - I know this sounds weird, but think about it: if it feels that the other part also wants what’s best for everyone, not for themselves, wouldn’t we feel more trusting, more open?
🔗 THE STRATEGY LINK CLUB
3 cool things that help me in my work:
If you were mesmerised by the halftime, like the world and I were, this is your reminder to watch the most expensive ads in the world: The 2023 Super Bowl Ads.
This tool for easier briefing & colaboration between client & agency/freelancer.
This episode of Let’s talk branding with Tom Roach, one of the 25 strategists from an originally performance agency and the need of brand strategy next to performance.
Thanks for putting all that energy into reading this. You really are the bomb!
But only if you share this newsletter with a friend!
Just kiddin’.
Or am I?
See you laterz,
i.
⌨️ I would love to get your advice, questions and suggestions. Tell me how this newsletter is failing so I can make it better.
I’m on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn. And here you can read more about what I can do for your business through Ground, my strategy consultancy.